Remote Education Information

Guidance for students, parents and carers

WELCOME TO THIS SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE WHERE WE HAVE SET OUT OUR ONLINE PROVISION FOR OUR STUDENTS DURING THIS PERIOD OF NATIONAL SCHOOL CLOSURES.

We have used DfE guidelines in preparing this information to ensure that you have all of the relevant information.

Learning schedules for each year group are linked here but are also shared directly with our families. These schedules will remain in place whilst we remain in this period of remote learning although there will be updated versions with slight amendments as we continue to improve and refine our provision.

In addition to the DfE guidelines, we have also added information regarding remote education in each subject area. Please click the link below to see how departments are delivering the curriculum to each year group and how teachers are assessing progress and feeding back to students.

REMOTE EDUCATION SUBJECT INFORMATION

The Remote Curriculum

FOLLOWING THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF REMOTE EDUCATION, WILL MY CHILD BE TAUGHT BROADLY THE SAME CURRICULUM AS THEY WOULD IF THEY WERE IN COLLEGE?

We deliver the same curriculum remotely as we do in College wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects, for example around ‘practical’ elements, where the subject matter needs careful and sensitive handling in a classroom setting, or where a unit of work lends itself more easily to distance learning.

Our subject leaders have carefully planned how to best adapt, implement, support, and assess their curriculum delivery during this time and they have our full confidence in their chosen approach which will be ‘quality assured’, as in usual circumstances, in our regular monitoring of teaching and learning.

Remote teaching and study time each day

HOW LONG CAN I EXPECT WORK SET BY THE COLLEGE TO TAKE MY CHILD EACH DAY?

As in our ‘interim’ provision, for Key Stage 3 and 4, we have created a generic (two week) ‘timetable’ with suggested lesson times for each year group broadly reflecting their in-school lesson allocation.

The ‘guided’ lesson timings are slightly shorter than the lesson times in College (more so at Key Stage 3) to acknowledge the challenges of maintaining concentration at home in one setting for such long periods; to better meet the concentration span needs of our younger students; and to try and combat the screen fatigue that inevitably goes alongside digital learning.

This timetable is to be used as a guide to help students organise their learning. Students may, of course, finish slightly earlier or later in cases, but the timing guidance is there to help you and your child know roughly when to stop!

We have not set a ‘timetable’ for students at Key Stage 5 as it is an important stage in our 6th form students’ development that they become proficient in planning and organising their time. Having said that, the schedule of live lessons and support is divided into sessions which may be useful and students struggling with this aspect should feel free to contact their form tutors for advice and guidance.

Alongside the lesson schedules, for years 7-12, we have an 8.50am ‘live’ tutor programme with form and year group worships. We consider this morning session incredibly valuable in maintaining the important connection between students and their form tutors and Heads of Year, in helping to organise the day ahead and address any issues, and to share our ethos of Christian care and support.

YEAR 7 REMOTE EDUCATION TIMETABLE

YEAR 8 REMOTE EDUCATION TIMETABLE

YEAR 9 REMOTE EDUCATION TIMETABLE

YEAR 10 REMOTE EDUCATION TIMETABLE

YEAR 11 REMOTE EDUCATION TIMETABLE

YEAR 12 REMOTE EDUCATION TIMETABLE

YEAR 13 REMOTE EDUCATION TIMETABLE

Accessing remote education

HOW WILL MY CHILD ACCESS THE ONLINE REMOTE EDUCATION PROVISION?

As in the interim provision, all of the online remote education provision is accessed via our digital platform: Google Classroom. Each subject and form group has a code so that students can ‘join’ the classroom they have been invited to (students only need to ‘join’ once). Prior to closure, most students will have already been members of a number of classrooms, and have used these regularly for subject information, accessing homework tasks and submitting work etc. For reference, there is a link below to the list of all of the codes to all of the classrooms previously sent out.

(Please note that students will only be able to access their Google Classrooms using their Christ the King log-ins).

GOOGLE CLASSROOM CODES

Each classroom has a ‘stream’ for information as well as a ‘classwork tab’ where assignments are set. Information regarding the work set or online lesson etc. is published in each Google Classroom on the day of the scheduled lesson slot. As previously stated, students should follow the suggested ‘timetable’ to avoid feeling overwhelmed and to organise their day.

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 students may not have suitable online access at home and we take a number of approaches to support those students to access remote education. Primarily, we have where possible, supplied students with devices via the government’s laptop scheme.

Where possible, we have also lent devices and dongles to students to support their access to the remote provision. Where students are unable to access the internet or have an educational need for work on paper rather than on screen, we have supplied this, where possible. Students and parents requiring more support or information regarding online access, should contact the form tutor, Head of Year or the College’s pastoral team who will pass on the details to the appropriate member of staff. Google Classroom can also be accessed via certain games consoles and the College can support with a keyboard and a mouse if required, to support this.

If students are unable to submit work electronically via Google Classroom, they should again, make contact with their form tutor in this respect. Depending upon the nature of the work, they may be able to take a photograph or use the ‘scan’ feature on a number of mobile phones.

HOW WILL MY CHILD BE TAUGHT REMOTELY?

We use a combination of approaches to teach our students remotely with a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous learning. In other words, we will provide both live and pre-recorded input where appropriate, but we will also expect students to work independently and away from the computer screen at times.

We have built in a number of ‘live’ sessions - both lessons and support sessions. These are highlighted in yellow and blue (or cyan!) on the student ‘timetables’ so that it can be seen, at a glance, the live sessions for the day and so that students can ensure that they log in on time to access that important part of their remote learning (the meeting code is shared via the Google Classroom).

Specialist staff will be available in the live support sessions to answer questions, help with any difficulties with the learning, or correct any misconceptions. Live support sessions may be through Google Meet or via the ‘stream’ in Google Classroom. The format of the support sessions, and how to access these, will be made clear in the usual Google Classroom for the subject.

An extremely important element of our online provision, and one not clear on the ‘timetables’ is the use of pre-recorded input. This type of provision, via platforms such as Thinglink and Loom, is extremely effective in a number of subjects and topics, and can be really helpful where students can pause and rewind during the session, for example. There are also small group ‘speaking’ support and oral practice sessions being organised in subjects such as Modern Foreign Languages, as well as tutorial sessions in some GCSE and A Level subjects, and 1-1s for 6th form students as appropriate.

Other remote teaching approaches that we commonly employ are: independent preparation or follow-up, worksheet-type activities, and tasks via some of the educational websites and e-resources that we subscribe to. At Key Stage 3, we have also allocated some periods each week to Bedrock, an effective literacy program that we subscribe to. Students will have recently received their log-in details and instructions but if there are any issues, students should email Mrs Clark: louise.clark@christthekingcollege.co.uk

Engagement and Feedback

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR MY CHILD’S ENGAGEMENT?

Students in Key Stages 3 and 4 should be ready to start their school day with their tutor time and form worship at 8.50am as they would if inside the College building. They then have a set ‘timetable’ to follow with times (outlined above) allowing for screen breaks in between most sessions. Following a routine similar to being in College seems to be the best way to ensure students are keeping up and maintaining a sense of normality. As outlined in the section above, we are using a hybrid model with some live lessons, some pre-recorded lessons and some independent tasks. Students should go to the appropriate Google Classroom for each lesson as per the timetable to see the instructions for that session.

There should be limited work for students in these key stages to complete outside of the ‘school day’. At Key Stage 4, there may, on occasions be longer assignments that students wish to spend more time on but we recognise that long shifts of mainly independent school work at home is difficult enough for many learners and we do not want students to feel overwhelmed by additional ‘homework tasks’ so these should be kept to a minimum. The bottom line is that we expect our students to engage with the learning as per their timetable. We are incredibly proud of our students that are doing this. If every bit of work set is not completely finished, students should not worry - the times on the schedules are also there to help students know when they can switch off!

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR MY CHILD’S ENGAGEMENT AND THE SUPPORT THAT WE AS PARENTS AND CARERS SHOULD PROVIDE AT HOME?

Establish routines and expectations

It is incredibly helpful where parents and carers can support this timetabled day by ensuring that their child has a routine and is ready to learn at the correct times. We realise, of course, that this is not always possible but where parents are able to monitor their child’s attendance at live sessions and check their engagement and work, it is much appreciated and extremely beneficial in making sure those expectations are followed. Students that are not engaging are not only in danger of falling behind but this is also a very time-consuming task for staff to track and follow up.

Help to establish an effective space for your child’s home learning

Your family’s regular learning space for occasional homework might not work for extended periods. Setting up a physical location that’s dedicated to school-focused activities and making sure that it is quiet, free from distractions and has a good internet connection, will be really important at this time. Please try to ensure that online learning is monitored where possible by keeping doors open.

Provide positive support for your child but also encourage him/her to become increasingly independent as a learner (and to understand that a bit of struggle and challenge is often an important part of the learning process)

We do not expect parents to be full-time teachers or to be educational and content matter experts. Provide support and encouragement, and expect your children to do their part. Struggling is allowed and encouraged! Don’t help too much. Becoming independent takes lots of practice.

Stay in touch

Teachers will mainly be communicating regularly through our online platforms and virtual learning environments. Please make sure that your child knows how to find the help they need to be successful.

For any issues or worries regarding a particular subject, please contact the subject teacher or Head of Department.

For any issues or worries that are pastoral or involve a general concern regarding online learning, please contact our Pastoral Team (in the first instance) or Heads of Year. If the concern is of an urgent matter please use stop@christthekingcollege.co.uk

If concerned, please do let us know but please be aware that unless urgent, it may take a day or two for us to respond.

HOW WILL YOU CHECK WHETHER MY CHILD IS ENGAGING WITH THEIR WORK AND HOW WILL I BE INFORMED IF THERE ARE CONCERNS?

The monitoring of student engagement will initially be completed by the teacher responsible but may also be followed up in stages by several members of staff which may include a Head of Department (HOD) or Head of Year (HOY) or a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). As you will know from the online learning calendar each subject has a different allocation of contact time each week; for this reason, the engagement is monitored weekly and reviewed the following week. The engagement will be monitored by a range of methods, for example:

Attendance in live lessons
Whether work has been completed
Response to feedback
Level of engagement and if appropriate, the quality of the work submitted

In the first instance a student will be contacted using their school email address but if this is not resolved and the level of engagement remains low we will contact the parent/carer. This stage will involve intervention from the HOD. We are also developing a system to capture engagement across the curriculum and where a student is not engaged in several subjects this will be picked up by the HOY. Several members of the SLT have oversight of the data and will continue to monitor student engagement to provide necessary support to anyone struggling to access the curriculum.

If at any point you feel you need further support to help with online engagement, in the first instance please email the subject teacher (if regarding a particular subject) or the form tutor (if this is a concern in more than one subject area).

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 students. For example, many members of staff are now using a verbal feedback tool called Mote, which works particularly well in remote learning. Whole class feedback and quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods that are being used, amongst many others.

Additional support for students 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 students, for example, those 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 students.

All parents of students with complex and high levels of special educational needs i.e. those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), are contacted and offered a place for their child at our in-school key worker and vulnerable children provision in line with government legislation.

Every student with an EHCP is allocated a named Learning Support Assistant (LSA) key worker from our Learning Support Team, to support them throughout the period of lockdown. The LSA key worker will keep lines of communication open with their student, by weekly ‘check-in’ emails or via ‘Google Meet’ and often more regular communications depending on the needs of the student. This serves to enable the student to continue to feel a connection to school; be supported on a personal level with their online learning; and provides the opportunity to ask any questions they may have with a familiar adult. LSA key workers are also able to support the student’s parents by liaising with the student’s teachers and provide scaffolding or additional resources that may be required to meet a student’s learning needs.

LSAs are also working in school to support other students with SEND to access the online teaching and learning provision. This may be helping them to identify what learning task is a priority and supporting them by ‘chunking’ the work into manageable tasks and checking in with them regularly and offering help as needed.

LSAs also provide social and emotional support for students who may need this in school or by sending home packs with activities. Practical home packs have also been distributed for students who may need concrete apparatus/resources such as number lines/multiplication grids etc.

Challenge, support and extra-curricular learning opportunities

The following is an additional resource that catalogues a range of websites that could provide some effective extra challenges and support as well as some exciting competitions your child may wish to get involved in.

CHALLENGE, SUPPORT AND EXTRA CURRICULAR LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

There are also several extra-curricular clubs running for students to join. Click the links below to find out more.

COUCH TO 5K

TRAIN TO 10K

CREATIVE WRITING CLUB

DANCE CLUB