Remote Learning 

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


Click here to view our Top 10 Remote Learning Tips for Parents.


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?

A pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching. 

 

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home? 

  • On day one, children are sent home with an open ended task alongside their log in details for all digital platforms. 
  • On the second day, work will be emailed to parents as outlined below. 


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? 

  • We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in the Academy wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, more practical activities such as planned science activities will take place once students return to the Academy. 
  • All children in Key Stage 1 will be provided with daily Phonics, English and Maths work as in line with their usual classroom delivery. 
  • All children in Key Stage 2 will be provided with daily English, spelling and Maths work as in line with their usual classroom delivery. 


Remote teaching and study time each day 

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

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 

  • The daily timetables sent out by teachers provide the equivalent of a whole Academy day of learning. The timetables sent by staff give a suggested timeframe for how long each activity should take. 
  • Timetabled morning activities, which include Phonics, English and Maths, should be completed by children as the minimum expectation of learning. 
  • Afternoon timetabled lessons focus on Science, History, RE, PSHE, Geography or IT followed by a non-digital based wellbeing activity 

Key Stage 2 

  • The daily timetables sent out by teachers provide the equivalent of a whole Academy day of learning. Children in Key Stage 2 are encouraged to complete all the work set by their classroom teachers. 
  • The timetables sent by staff give a suggested timeframe for how long each activity should take. We encourage children to self-regulate and set timers to allocate the appropriate amount of time suggested for each task. 
  • Timetabled morning activities include English, spelling and Maths followed by curriculum subjects: Science, History, RE, PSHE, Geography or IT in the afternoon. The final session of the day focuses on pupil wellbeing. 


Accessing remote education 

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

Every morning you will receive an email from your child’s teacher outlining the remote learning and various links to any electronic resources they will require. This email will also provide an outline and instructions for the activities your child should complete. 

You can also expect to see work set using some of the following websites: 



Name of Website Description Additional Links
Time Table Rock Stars Times Table Rock Stars is a fun and challenging programme designed to help your child/children to master the times tables. To be a Times Table Rock Star you need to answer any multiplication fact up to 12×12 in less than 3 seconds!
Oxford Owl Oxford Owl has a free eBook library, featuring much-loved characters from The Oxford Reading Tree, to help your child learn to read and to develop a love of reading independently. You can find more advice and support here.
White Rose Maths White Rose Maths is used at Mill Field Primary for the delivery of the Maths curriculum. Their video instructions, clear explanations of new concepts and modelled examples mean that White Rose Maths is an excellent tool for remote learning. Advice and support for parents when using White Rose Maths can be found here.
Purple Mash Purple Mash brings the whole curriculum to life. For further information click here.
Oak National Academy Oak National Academy is a virtual classroom of thousands of lessons recorded by teachers across the country. Your child’s teacher may send you a lesson from Oak National Academy for the delivery of part of their daily diet of learning. Parents can find out more about Oak National Academy here.
Mathletics Mathletics is helping children at Mill Field Primary Academy to enjoy maths and increase their breadth and depth of mathematical understanding. Mathletics has many aspects from quick fire calculations, times table music videos and interactive tutorials in line with the maths topics covered in the primary curriculum. You can find more support and advice for parents when using Mathletics here.
Spelling Frame Spellingframe includes all the words - both statutory and the example words - from the National Curriculum for Spelling for Year 1 to Year 6. Choose a spelling rule and each word is read aloud and provided within a sentence for context. Remember, practice makes perfect!
Reading Eggs Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for children, with great online reading games and activities. Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning.

If you or your child have forgotten their log in details for any of the websites, please contact their teacher via email and they will be happy to help.


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:

  • Where funding can be accessed, remote devices such as laptops and/or 4G connections will be sought, particularly for disadvantaged children.
  • Paper packs of resources are available for collection every Monday between the hours of 9 and 12 from the Academy’s Reception area.
  • Completed paper pack work should be returned to the Reception area the following week to allow teaching staff to assess your child’s progress and provide feedback.

Please remember to make the Academy aware of any barriers to accessing remote learning by calling the Academy on 0113 262 0021. Likewise, please use this phone number to contact your child’s teacher if they require additional help and support.


How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:

  • Recorded teaching through videos produced by staff. We encourage children to pause these videos regularly to complete the activities as advised by their teachers.
  • White Rose Maths prerecorded lessons and printed resources.
  • Oak National prerecorded lessons.
  • Printed packs produced by teachers which include workbooks and worksheets.
  • Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subject areas, including video clips or sequences. For example, Purple Mash.
  • For EYFS pupils work will be set via Tapestry.

You will receive a daily email from your child’s classroom teacher which provides the links and resources necessary to complete their remote learning. If you do not receive your child’s work by 9am please contact the Academy on 0113 262 0021 and we will be happy to help.



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?

  • Please ensure that your child complete at least 3 hours of home learning a day. The timetable you receive from your child’s classroom teacher every morning provides suggested timings to help structure your child’s day. We suggest that you focus on completing the morning tasks as a minimum expectation.
  • Parents should take photos of their child’s work and submit this to their child’s teacher via email. We would love to see the fantastic work your child has been completing so we can provide feedback and celebrate their success.
  • Completed work packs should be returned to the Academy the following week.
  • If you require any additional support, please contact the Academy’s reception.
  • A further top ten tips for parents to support their child with remote learning can be found here.


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

  • If your child’s work pack is not returned or work is not submitted electronically the Academy will contact you to discuss this further and offer further advice and guidance.
  • Your child’s classroom teacher will monitor their engagement with online tools such as Time Table Rock Stars and Purple Mash. If your child has not accessed this work, they will inform you via email or telephone to offer further help and guidance.
  • Staff within the Academy will contact you regularly via telephone to discuss the progress and engagement of your child with their remote learning.
  • If engagement is a concern, and contact with you cannot been made, a home visit will take place.


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 others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:

  • Whole class feedback will be provided the following day, whereby teaching staff will celebrate student success, share exceptional work and identify common misconceptions.
  • Teaching staff will provide written feedback for your child when work is submitted electronically.
  • Electronic, self-marking, quizzes provide opportunity for instant feedback to pupils when submitted.
  • Your child may be asked to complete a Reading and Maths Rising Stars assessment. Such assessments help teachers to determine the progress your child is making in relation to age expected expectations. You will be provided with further advice on how to best support your child with this.


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:

  • Those who have special educational needs and disabilities will be invited to the Academy for the delivery of lessons.
  • Additional phone calls are made by the Academy SENDCo to ensure that work sent home is suitable, and where not, work will be adapted to suit the needs of the particular pupil to ensure that work is accessible to all.


Remote education for self-isolating pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school.


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

Children will continue to receive an emailed timetable of learning on a daily basis from their classroom teacher. It is likely that this will be heavily reliant on externally created resources such as those provided by White Rose Maths and Oak National Academy. Your child is encouraged to submit their work to their teacher via email.


If your child does not have access to the internet or requires a digital device please call reception on 0113 262 0021. It is essential that you inform the absence team that your child is having to self-isolate to ensure that provisions are in place.


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