Remote Learning Policy

Policy details

• Date created - 01/10/2020
• Date reviewed - 10/10/2024
• Date approved - xx/xx/xxxx
• Next review date - 10/10/2025
• Policy owner - Louise Haywood [Penny Oaks]

Aims

This remote learning policy for staff aims to:

Ensure consistency in the approach to remote learning for pupils who aren’t in school

Set out expectations for all members of the school community with regards to remote learning

Provide appropriate guidelines for data protection

Roles and responsibilities

Teachers

When providing remote learning, teachers must be available between 9:00 – 3:30

If they’re unable to work for any reason during this time, for example due to sickness or caring for a dependent, they should report this using the normal absence procedure. Call the office phone and leave a message if there is no answer and call or text Michelle, Louise and Emma on their work mobiles.

When providing remote learning, teachers are responsible for:

Setting work:

• Teachers need to provide work for their class
• They should provide enough work for the entire school day and the work set should cover English, Reading and Maths daily along with wider curriculum areas.
• This work needs to be set daily and be available for the children to access from 9:00am each day
• Work should be set in both SeeSaw and Purple Mash

Providing feedback on work:

• Feedback should be provided daily on each piece of work
• Feedback should be given through SeeSaw or Purple Mash

Keeping in touch with pupils who aren’t in school and their parents:

• Weekly phone calls should be made to any child who is not is school
• Teachers shouldn’t answer emails outside of working hours (9:00 – 3:30)
• Any complaints or concerns shared by parents and pupils should be dealt with through our usual systems if unsure contact a member of SLT– for any safeguarding concerns, refer teachers to the section below
• If children fail to access or complete work, then address this by calling the family

Attending virtual meetings with staff, parents and pupils:

• Ensure you are suitably dressed – smart casual/normal work guidelines apply
• Location – ensure that you avoid areas with background noise, nothing inappropriate in the background or anything that can identify where you live.

If teachers are also working in school, they’ll still need to provide remote learning

Teaching assistants

When assisting with remote learning, teaching assistants must be available between 9:00 – 3:30

If they’re unable to work for any reason during this time, for example due to sickness or caring for a dependent, they should report this using the normal absence procedure. Call the office phone and leave a message if there is no answer and call or text Michelle, Louise and Emma on their work mobiles.

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

• Keeping up-to-date with CPD
• Complete any online CPD as directed by school leaders
• Completing tasks as directed by their class teacher, this may include:
• Preparing resources
• Planning for small groups/individuals
• Keeping in regular contact with their key stage leader and class teacher
• Attending virtual meetings with teachers, parents and pupils – cover details like:
• Ensure you are suitably dressed – smart casual/normal work guidelines apply
• Location – ensure that you avoid areas with background noise, nothing inappropriate in the background or anything that can identify where you live.

Subject leaders

Alongside their teaching responsibilities, subject leaders are responsible for:

• Considering whether any aspects of the subject curriculum need to change to accommodate remote learning
• Working with teachers teaching their subject remotely to make sure all work set is appropriate and consistent
• Working with other subject leads and senior leaders to make sure work set remotely across all subjects is appropriate and consistent, and deadlines are being set an appropriate distance away from each other
• Monitoring the remote work set by teachers in their subject through regular communication with teachers or by reviewing work set.
• Alerting teachers to resources they can use to teach their subject remotely

Senior leaders

Alongside any teaching responsibilities, senior leaders are responsible for:

• Co-ordinating the remote learning approach across their Key Stage
• Monitoring the effectiveness of remote learning in their Key Stage through regular communication 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

Designated safeguarding lead

The DSL is responsible for:

• Monitoring the security of remote learning systems, including data protection and safeguarding considerations
• Making sure all staff follow the school’s safeguarding procedures even when not in school
• Responding to any reports from staff of children
• Liaising with staff (especially pastoral support staff, school nurses, IT Technicians and SENCOs) on matters of safety and safeguarding (including online and digital safety) and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies; and acting as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff.

SENDCO

Alongside any teaching responsibilities, SENDCO is responsible for:

• Contacting parents of children with an EHCP at least weekly to discuss progress and any issues with remote learning
• Monitoring the effectiveness of remote learning for SEND children
• Coordinating with class teachers to ensure that work set for children with SEND is appropriate for their ability
• Ensuring that any guidance/changes in protocol for children with SEND from the LA is communicated through the staff

Pupils and parents

Staff can expect pupils learning remotely to:

• Be contactable during the school day – although 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 teaching assistants
• Alert teachers if they’re 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 can’t complete work
• Seek help from the school if they need it
• Be respectful when making any complaints or concerns known to staff

Governing body

The governing body is responsible for:

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

Who to contact

If staff have any questions or concerns about remote learning, they should contact the following individuals:

• Issues in setting work – talk to the relevant subject lead
• Issues with behaviour – talk to your KS leader or a member of SLT
•  Issues with IT – talk to IT staff or Louise
• Issues with their own workload or wellbeing – talk to your KS leader, Michelle or Emma
• Concerns about data protection – talk to Emma
• Concerns about safeguarding – talk to Louise or Michelle

Data protection

Accessing personal data

When accessing personal data for remote learning purposes, all staff members will:

• Following GDPR policy concerning the use of personal data
• Use school laptops if rather than their own personal devices

Processing personal data

Staff members may need to collect and/or share personal data such as email addresses as part of the remote learning system. As long as this processing is necessary for the school’s official functions, individuals won’t need to give permission for this to happen.

However, staff are reminded to collect and/or share as little personal data as possible online.

Recording on Google Classroom

The school is adopting Google Classroom to assist with digital learning. Google Classroom will be available for all teachers and students in the school. Teachers can upload homework, presentations, videos and can also teach online classes. Google Classroom can be accessed from computer, laptop, tablet and phone.

Staff should only use school-registered accounts, never personal ones.

Parental consent will be needed to cover for streaming and recording lessons when needed.

Ensure streaming is only activated when ready to teach and ensure switched off when lesson has ended.

Staff should use an appropriate space/room to stream/record and with no inappropriate objects/information visible.

 Set ground rules before lesson (when and how students can speak)

Image recordings of students should not be made unless necessary for planned learning activity and with prior agreement in place (parental consent)

Keeping devices secure

All staff members will take appropriate steps to ensure their 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
• Installing antivirus and anti-spyware software
• Keeping operating systems up to date – always install the latest updates

Safeguarding

Please refer to the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy policy

Links with other policies

This policy is linked to our:

• Behaviour policy
• Child protection policy and coronavirus addendum to our child protection policy
• Data protection policy and privacy notices
• Home-school agreement
• ICT and internet acceptable use policy
• Online safety policy
• GDPR