Remote Learning

Policy details

• Date created - May 2023
• Date reviewed - January 2025
• Next review date - January 2026
• Policy owner - C Robinson

Aims

This remote learning policy for staff aims to:

• Follow non-statutory guidance from the Department for Education on providing remote education in cases where it is not possible, or contrary to government guidance, for some or all pupils to attend school
• 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

Use of remote learning

All pupils should attend school, in line with our attendance policy. Remote education is not viewed as an equal alternative to attendance in school.

Pupils receiving remote education will be marked absent in line with the Pupil Registration Regulations.

We will consider providing remote education to pupils in circumstances when in-person attendance is either not possible or contrary to government guidance.

This might include:

• Occasions when we decide that opening our school is either:

• Not possible to do safely

• Contradictory to guidance from local or central government

• Occasions when individual pupils, for a limited duration, are unable to physically attend school but are able to continue learning, for example because:         

• They have an infectious illness
• They are preparing for or recovering from some types of operation
• They are recovering from injury and attendance in school may inhibit such recovery
• Their attendance has been affected by a special educational need or disability (SEND) or a mental health issue

The school will consider providing pupils with remote education on a case-by-case basis.

In the limited circumstances when remote learning is used, we will:

• Gain mutual agreement of remote education by the school, parents/carers, pupils, and if appropriate, a relevant medical professional. If the pupil has an education, health and care (EHC) plan or social worker, the local authority (LA) will also be involved in the decision
• Put formal arrangements in place to regularly review it and identify how to reintegrate the pupil back into school
• Identify what other support and flexibilities can be put in place to help reintegrate the pupil back into school at the earliest opportunity
• Set a time limit with an aim that the pupil returns to in-person education with appropriate support

Remote education will not be used as a justification for sending pupils home due to misbehaviour. This would count as a suspension, even if the pupil is asked to access online education while suspended.

Roles and responsibilities

Teachers

• Setting work:

• Work will be uploaded to electronic platforms, including, where applicable, social media.  
• Teachers will ensure work is appropriately differentiated for all pupils particularly SEND, EAL, PP pupils and children who need to ‘catch up’.
• For pupils who do not have access to ICT devices, paper-based learning resources will be provided. This will also be differentiated.   Electronic devices may be loaned to children, if they are available.
• Teachers will ensure remote education is in line with curriculum expectations by:

• Ensuring children access high quality online and offline resources
• Ensuring the curriculum is sequenced, progressive and links to the year group objectives as well as being broad and ambitious.

• Providing feedback on work:

• Teachers will provide electronic feedback on children’s work submitted in a timely manner.
• Teachers will actively chase pupils who are not completing their work.

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

• Teachers should communicate with children in their class and their parents/carers using Class Dojo. This communication will be focussed on setting work and providing feedback.
• Teachers will actively chase pupils who are not completing their work.
• All staff follow our Academy’s Class Dojo guidance and only respond to parents/carers between 8.30am – 4.00pm.
• Complaints should be dealt with following usual procedures.
• Any safeguarding, behaviour, parental concerns will be logged on CPOMS/Arbor by staff.

Teaching assistants

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

• Supporting teachers to:

• Set work for pupils and provide feedback
• Keep in touch with pupils who aren’t in school and their parents/carers
• Delivering online interventions where appropriate

• Attending virtual meetings with staff, parents/carers and pupils:

• Staff will ensure they are in a quiet location, with nothing inappropriate in the background.

Office staff

To support with remote learning. Office staff will:

• Be familiar with all remote learning platforms to ensure they can offer support to staff, parents/carers and pupils when required
• Check the office platforms of communication regularly and respond to all messages received in a timely manner

Subject leads

Alongside their teaching responsibilities, subject leads are responsible for:

• Considering whether any aspects of the subject curriculum needs to change to accommodate remote learning
• Working with teachers teaching their subject remotely to make sure all work set is appropriate, progressive and consistent
• Working with other subject leads and senior leaders to make sure work set remotely across all subjects is appropriate and consistent
• Monitoring the remote work set by teachers in their subject – this could be done through regular meetings with teachers or by reviewing work set
• Alerting teachers to resources they can use to teach their subject remotely

Senior leaders

Senior leaders are responsible for:

• Co-ordinating the remote learning approach across the school, in line with guidance
• Monitoring the effectiveness of remote learning
• Monitoring the security of remote learning systems, including data protection and safeguarding considerations

Designated safeguarding lead

The DSL is responsible for:

• Keeping in touch with and supporting vulnerable families
• Ensuring all safeguarding duties are fulfilled, reporting any concerns following processes outlined in the Academy’s Child Protection Policy

Pupils and parents/carers

Staff can expect pupils learning remotely to:

• Be contactable during the school day
• 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/carers with children learning remotely to:

• Ensure their child completes all work set
• Make the school aware if their child is sick or otherwise can’t complete work by contacting the school office team by telephone.
• Seek help from the school if they need it
• Be respectful when making any complaints or concerns known to staff

Who to contact

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

• Issues in setting work – seek support from other staff within their year group or from their Year/Key Stage Leader
• Issues with behaviour – seek support from the pastoral team
• Issues with IT – seek support from Co-op Trust IT helpdesk
• Issues with their own workload or wellbeing – talk to their line manager
• Concerns about data protection – talk to their line manager
• Concerns about safeguarding – talk to the DSL

Data protection

Accessing personal data

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

• Use CPOMS or Arbor to access contact details of pupils
• Use secure, school 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 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.

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 member of staff locks their device when unattended
• 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

It is the duty of all staff to report any safeguarding concerns following processes outlined in the Academy’s Child Protection Policy.

Monitoring arrangements

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Academy’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment Lead. At every review, it will be approved by the Headteacher.

Links with other policies

This policy is linked to our:

• Behaviour policy
• Child protection policy
• Data protection policy and privacy notices
• Home-school agreement

• Online teaching policy