Remote Education provision: information for parents 

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) at Meadowbrook College to remain at home. 

For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home

What should my child expect from remote education in the event that s/he has to self-isolate and is well enough to do so?

Meadowbrook College commits to the following minimum standards for remote education provided in the above scenarios:  

• Work will be provided for all affected students and will be accessible on our pre-agreed platform(s).  

• Affected students will have access to remote education which is equivalent to core teaching every day. 

• Affected students will be provided opportunities for feedback and assessment on a regular basis.  

• Work provided will be ambitious and in line with the in-school curriculum.  

• Affected students will have the opportunity for daily contact with a member of staff

• Staff will check regularly (daily where possible) on the students' engagement with remote learning and make contact with parents where engaging with remote learning appears to be a concern

Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school? 

Yes, your child  will continue to follow the planned MBC curriculum for their programme whilst working remotely. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, some subjects with specific practical/equipment needs such as Construction, Hair & Beauty and Hospitality. 

Some children may also access the remote education provided by their home school.

Remote teaching and study time each day

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?

Your child will be informed when live lessons are available online and these will be matched to their 'normal' timetable.  If informed, your child will be required to engage in that lesson in person.

Individual arrangements will be considered for those pupils that find this a challenging way of working, and work will also be set in the Google Classroom for students to access at their own pace.

Lessons will start at 9.30am and we expect pupils to be dressed appropriately and to be Ready to Learn. Please encourage your child to join the lessons on time and complete all of the learning tasks.

We do not expect them to work after school finishing time of 2:30pm. 

We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Key Stage 1	3 hours
Key Stage 2	4 hours
Key Stage 3 and 4	5 hours

Accessing remote education

How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?

All students and teachers use the G Suite for Education (e.g. Google Meet, Google Classroom).  All students have been given a MBC email account (if they have forgotten it, please contact their relevant  team to get a reminder) and they will have an invitation to each of their lessons. They just click on this link and it will take them into the classroom.

Teachers may use other programmes e.g Seneca Maths, BBC Bitesize, Oak Academy, and online textbooks. They may also use pre-recorded lessons (known as Loom lessons) or instructional videos. 

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education.

We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:

If students do not have the devices (such as laptop or tablet) or connectivity they need to access online learning, parents and carers should contact the relevant team leader who will try to resolve the issue. We will also ensure that they have received support, guidance and training in how to access and participate in the lessons, and how we use the Google Classroom appropriately. If your child has not logged in, staff will telephone to check that they are ok and if they need any support or help to get into the lesson. 

How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely: pupils will be taught through Google Classroom. This is a secure area, no one without an invite can access the classroom. In most cases they will be taught by their normal teacher and will be supported by staff that they know. The lesson and associated activities will also be available in the Google Classroom. This may include recorded lessons from Oak National Academy and activities on websites that have been checked. Teaching staff will give your child feedback on their work either verbally in the class, through individual sessions, through mentoring sessions or in written form on their work in the Google Classroom.

Engagement and Feedback

What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?

We expect students to: 

• Be contactable during the school day – although we consider they may not always be in front of a device the entire time

• Complete work to the deadline set by teachers

• Seek help if they need it, from teachers or other key staff

• Alert teachers if they are not able to complete work

Staff can expect parents with children learning remotely to:

• Make the school aware if their child is sick or otherwise cannot complete work

• Seek help from the school if they need it

How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?

We can see live online which children are logged into a lesson so will take a register in the normal way.  If your child is accessing Google Classroom, we can see that they have logged in and completed the work and for how long. 

We do expect our pupils to engage fully with their remote learning provision, however, we recognise that some pupils with additional needs may find this a challenge. We will work with you to find a solution that works successfully for your child so that they can maintain their learning. If there are any concerns, a member of staff, will contact you to discuss the situation further and work with you on a plan to rectify any concerns and further support your child.

How will you assess my child’s work and progress?

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many 

Teaching staff will be providing regular feedback on student’s work and progress in their subjects as described above. 

• In a live lesson, group or individual feedback can be provided verbally so as to respond to the development of the lesson 

• Where possible, teachers will provide live feedback using Google docs or sheets, or via Seneca Maths

• Teachers will comment on completed tasks by the end of the same week.   

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR PUPILS WITH PARTICULAR NEEDS

HOW WILL YOU WORK WITH ME TO HELP MY CHILD WHO NEEDS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM ADULTS AT HOME TO ACCESS REMOTE EDUCATION?

We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways: 

● Remote learning using pre-recorded lessons from Oak National Academy 

● Low stakes quizzes to check understanding with individual pupils and modelling and scaffolded       examples 

● Clear instructions for each subject area in the Google Classroom

• Individual support from staff members- either in class or in additional sessions 

● Paper based activities and textbooks can be provided where pupils prefer this way of working. 

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above? 

If your child is self isolating, they will be invited to log into the lessons that are taking place in their provisions and join in with their classes. If they find this difficult, individual arrangements will be made as outlined above.