Our Remote Learning Model

Our home (remote) learning plan has been made with our pupils and their families in mind. We believe that this strategy will work best for the children at our school. It is designed to support pupils and parents/carers during this school closure period/bubbles closure or self-isolation to reduce the impact of loss on learning from school. Through this we aim to establish a rigorous home-learning protocol to enable children to continue their education away from the school site with appropriate support structures.

We will use the Marvellous Me online platform to communicate with parents and pupils. This can be accessed through multiple digital devices such as a laptop, tablet, iPad or phone and will include a variety of resources which will support children with their home learning and help them to feel connected to the school.

You can access your app store to download or it can be found at https://marvellousme.com/

Please be aware that in the case of a school closure, some members of staff may be required to teach the children of key workers and vulnerable groups. In this situation, a different member of staff will continue to give feedback and support to your child(ren).

Learning sessions will not be facilitated by your child’s class teacher if the teacher is the one experiencing Covid symptoms and the reason for the bubble closure. However, support will be in place in these circumstances. We know our parents will understand that the health and wellbeing of our children, families and staff is paramount.

Below is guidance on our home (remote) learning plan to support parents and carers in understanding what they can expect their children to be doing when learning remotely.

We acknowledge the difficulty that some families face due to the lack of digital devices and if this is the case, the school will put into place alternative arrangements. Please let us know if this is a problem.

We appreciate this situation may present some challenges for you. We kindly ask for your support so that we can continue to provide high-quality education for your child during this time.

Younger children in particular may need support in accessing online materials and staying focused with their remote learning. We ask that you help them as much as you can but recognise that this is not always possible due to home circumstances.

At the same time, we do not expect you to watch your child all day, and we would not expect parents/carers to get involved in remote lessons in place of our teachers. However, it would be extremely helpful if you can take an active role in your child’s learning by asking them about their day and what they’ve learned.

Please keep in touch with us and do let us know if you are having any difficulties with remote learning, or if you have any questions. You can contact your class teacher via Marvellous Me or, if you wish to speak to the Head of School, Faith Rew or a member of the Senior Leadership Team, email or call the office

Our Offer

• Ensure a consistent approach to home (remote) learning, with clear expectations for the wellbeing and safety of children and staff
• Provide a framework for learning and associated resources to support children’s home (remote) learning
• To maintain the good community relationship between St Leonards (CE) Primary Academy and families so that school continues to be an active presence in their lives
• To support children in using online communication media in a positive and appropriate way that is beneficial to their lives.

Expectations and responsibilities

Senior Leadership Team

Senior leadership Team are responsible for:

• Co-ordinating the home (remote) learning approach across the school
• Monitoring the effectiveness of home (remote) learning through regular meetings with teachers and subject leaders, reviewing work set or reaching out for feedback from pupils and parents
• Monitoring the security of remote learning systems, including data protection and safeguarding considerations

Governing board

The governing board is responsible for:

• Monitoring the school’s approach to providing home (remote) learning to ensure education remains as high quality as possible
• Ensuring that staff are certain that home (remote) learning systems are appropriately secure, for both data protection and safeguarding reasons

How will teachers support home (remote) learning?

When providing home (remote) learning, teachers are responsible for:

• Setting work for their class via Marvellous Me in accordance with the guidance in the table below
• Providing feedback on work where they are able to
• Monitoring pupil engagement and supporting parents and pupils with remote learning
• Adjusting home learning to suit their pupils’ educational needs.

As in this instance, a school closure, some members of staff will be required to teach the children of key workers and vulnerable groups. In this situation, a different member of staff will continue to provide work for the children, give feedback and support. However there may need to be further adjustments if a member of staff is experiencing Covid symptoms.

How will teacher assistants support home (remote) learning?

When assisting with remote learning, teaching assistants are responsible for:

• Supporting pupils who are not in school with learning remotely under the direction of the class teacher of member of the leadership team. This will include monitoring engagement, supporting learning activities and providing additional support where required.
• Teaching assistants will also be used in school to support the children of key workers and vulnerable groups.

How can Parents and Carers support remote learning?

Staff can expect parents with children learning remotely to:

• Make the school aware if their child is sick or otherwise can’t complete work
• Ensure they fully engage and follow expectation
• Provide an environment conducive to learning (access to technology if possible, safe and quiet space during daytime).
• Try to encourage your child to be ready and dressed for the start of the school day, and to keep a routine in order to engage in all the tasks set daily.
• Distinguish between weekdays and weekends, and make it clear when the school day is over, to separate home and school life
• Seek help from the school if they need it
• Plan breaks and exercise into the day to help keep your child active
• Be respectful when contacting staff with queries or concerns
• Engage in conversations on posted materials via Marvellous Me  (or email if appropriate)
• Respect that teachers will respond in a reasonable time frame but may not be instantly available.
• Monitor time spent engaging in online and offline learning
• Support emotional balance by providing ample room and time for relaxation, physical activity, conversation, and play.

What do we expect of our pupils?

Staff can expect pupils learning remotely to:

• Be contactable during the school day via Marvellous Me
• Be ready to begin learning at 9.00 a.m.
• Make sure they choose a quiet space free from distractions (such as TV) and work at a table where possible
• Complete work to the deadline set by teachers dedicating appropriate time to learning; your teacher will give you guidance to time expectations (Age appropriate)

• Do their very best and ask for help if needed
• Remember to do their own work. Parents/helpers can help but it is important that they do not do it for them

Data protection -Keeping devices secure

All staff members will take appropriate steps to ensure their electronic devices remain secure.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Keeping the device password-protected – strong passwords are at least 8 characters, with a combination of upper and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters (e.g. asterisk or currency symbol)
• Ensuring the hard drive is encrypted – this means if the device is lost or stolen, no one can access the files stored on the hard drive by attaching it to a new device
• Making sure the device locks if left inactive for a period of time
• Not sharing the device among family or friends
• Keeping operating systems up to date – always install the latest updates

Please understand that teachers will respond in a reasonable time frame but will not always be instantly available. Every effort will be made to give feedback to pupils’ work.