Matthew Arlnold School

Remote Learning Provision

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) to remain at home.

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?

At Matthew Arnold School

• All students will follow their own timetable to access google classroom
• Each google classroom lesson will include a live meet with the teacher, clear learning outcomes, plus tasks to complete

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?

At Matthew Arnold School

We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, where resources needed in school are not available at home. We will focus on the important aspects of the curriculum and we will give plenty of practice, as we know students need this particularly when working remotely.

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 5 :  The number of hours designated on a student’s timetable

Accessing remote education

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

At Matthew Arnold School:

All lessons will be accessed via google classroom

Additional resources may also be used, but information will be shared via google classroom

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:

At Matthew Arnold School:

Please contact your child's tutor/house leader if they are struggling to access work remotely

Initially we will provide a device to support accessing the work or provide on site support for students

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

At Matthew Arnold School:

Some examples of our remote teaching approaches:

•         live teaching (online lessons)
•         recorded teaching (audio recordings made by teachers)
•         printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
•         commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas

Our lessons will always have a live register using Google Meet and we will closely monitor students completing the work. We will make sure the presentation of the work is simple and straightforward and we will always be available to clarify and support.

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?

At Matthew Arnold School:

Students are expected to attend all sessions. Teachers are keeping records of non attendance and we have extended this definition to include engaging with the work we set. 

We would like parents to  support children wherever possible to stick to their regular school timetable and to support them in completing their work in all cases.

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:

At Matthew Arnold School:

Assessments will be carried out as planned by departments and will be adjusted where appropriate to facilitate remote completion.

Students will receive immediate verbal  feedback during lessons as this is exceptionally effective. Whole class feedback may occur where appropriate and the Comments feature will also be used on Google Classroom for individuals, again, where appropriate.  The questions students ask and answer in class will also provide teachers with feedback on their understanding and how to adjust their teaching.

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:

At Matthew Arnold School:

Families should access work via google classroom

Resources will be appropriately differentiated so they can be accessed by all students

Teachers will provide verbal support during the live part of each lesson

If students are struggling to access the work families should liaise with the SENCo to develop the approach for individual students.