Coronavirus

As more cases are confirmed we have been issued with the following link from the Government containing advice on how we can all help to protect ourselves and others. Rigorous hand washing is being asked of everyone throughout the day in school.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms in children

Children can get coronavirus (COVID-19), but they seem to get it less often than adults and it's usually less serious.

The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:

a high temperature
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot, for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
a loss or change to a sense of smell or taste – this means they cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Please note there have been press reports that the Delta variant can feel “more like a bad cold” – particularly for young people with reports of symptoms like a headache, runny nose and sore throat being commonly linked to this new variant. Remember if you are at all unsure please take a test.

Remote Learning Plan

The Edge Schools’ Federation Remote Learning Plan - 2020/2021 Specific Aims

• To outline our approach for pupils who will not be attending school, as a result of a directed closure - full
or partial
• To set out our expectations for staff that will not be attending school due to self-isolation but that are
otherwise fit and healthy and able to continue supporting with the teaching, assessing and planning for
pupils.
Who is the plan applicable to?
• Pupils
• Parents/carers
• Teachers
• Support staff
This plan outlines expectations for teaching and learning for class bubble, partial school closure or full school closure. Individual pupils who are self-isolating will be supported on a case by case basis, primarily with the use of ‘paper packs’ which mirror the work being taught to the rest of the class in school in addition to
signposting to online learning resources. It may also be appropriate for them to join the class remotely and this will be arranged by individual class teachers.
Remote learning for pupils
We will provide links to appropriate remote learning for pupils who are not able to attend school so that no one needs fall behind. In the following points, an outline of the provision will be made and some guidance given on the role of pupils, teachers and parents. The Edge Schools’ Federation’s plan for the provision of remote learning has been informed by research from the Educational Endowment Foundation.
When implementing strategies to support pupils’ remote learning, or supporting parents to do this, key things
to consider include:
• Teaching quality is more important than how lessons are delivered
• Ensuring access to technology is key, especially for disadvantaged pupils
• Peer interactions can provide motivation and improve learning outcomes
• Supporting pupils to work independently can improve learning outcomes
• Different approaches to remote learning suit different types of content, pupils and times
It is not expected that pupils will spend all day on computers/devices. We recognise that this can have a negative effect over time. There will be tasks that will be paper-based or be of a practical nature. We believe that feedback is the most powerful element of teaching in these circumstances and makes the best use of time. It can enable staff to manage and differentiate more effectively to multiple year groups. Therefore, online, whole class/group sessions will focus on reviews of, for example, Oak Academy, lessons to address misconceptions, celebrate successes and determine the next steps. There will be daily remote teacher-pupil contact and it is expected that all pupils engage with this.
Curriculum
The Edge Schools’ Federation is committed to ensuring that all children continue to receive a quality education, even where the need for remote learning may arise.
Our approach includes a blend of paper resources, online learning including some virtual face-to-face sessions through MS Teams/Zoom and resources available through online learning platforms such as:
• Oak National Academy
• BBC Bitesize
• White Rose Maths
The remote learning set for children will align with the learning that would be scheduled to take place in the classroom at that time so the teachers will provide resources that deliver the main aspects of the curriculum plan; this includes Social, Relationship and Health Education. Remote learning delivered by the teachers will follow each school’s long-term curriculum plan for their class/year group so that children can continue to access a relevant and broad curriculum for their year which sustains progress and minimises disruption over time. Teachers will provide adapted learning resources for children with additional learning needs, i.e. SEND or where English is an additional language.
The governors and senior leadership team at The Edge Schools’ Federation are fully aware that these are exceptional times and each family is unique, because of this will approach remote learning in way which suits their individual needs. We realise that the circumstances that cause our school to close will affect families in a number of ways. In our planning and expectations, we are aware of the need for flexibility from all sides, for example parents balancing the need to work from home and supervise children in their home learning, access to technology across the family/household. Where barriers exist, we will work the families to determine an acceptable, agreed solution.
Teacher expectations
Teachers will plan lessons that link directly to the curriculum focus for that year group and will provide
resources to support tasks for home learners.
Teachers will communicate timetables, links to resources and Zoom/Teams links directly to parents via their
school-class page on the REMOTE LEARNING section of the Federation Website: http://
www.edgeschoolsfederation.co.uk in the school and class section. This will be updated daily.
The information will contain (examples):
all website links needed to access home learning resources along with clear
information about the learning for that day/week.
a curriculum map which details home learning for subjects other than English, phonics and
maths
Links to daily English lessons – a mixture of Oak Academy and the school’s own curriculum
plans.
Links to daily Maths lessons – these will predominately be linked to the White Rose Maths
curriculum however teachers may provide further resources such as Oak Academy.
• Staff will add these resources to their class home learning webpage electronically and it will be the
responsibility of families to print/use these resources at home (or contact the school if there is any
difficulty in doing so)
• Teachers will respond promptly, within reason, to requests for support from families at home, this should
be done by emailing the school office.
• It is expected that all children and families engage fully with remote learning. Where children do not
attend online class sessions (daily) then this will be followed up, in accordance with our attendance
policy by a phone call home by admin/leadership team staff.
Family (pupil/parent/carers):
• Where possible, it is beneficial for young people to maintain a regular and familiar routine. The Edge
Schools’ Federation recommends that each ‘school day’ is structured. A suggested timetable will be
made available on the relevant class web page as a guide. This will include time for daily reading for
pleasure.
• If a class bubble is isolated, the children will be sent home with their home reading book in addition to an
exercise book; this is so that work that children complete at home can be kept safe, ideally in their
exercise books, and can be brought back to school when safe to do so.
• Should anything be unclear in the work that is set, parents can communicate with class teachers via the
the school office email. They should make clear which year group and subject the question relates to.
• We encourage parents to support their children’s work, by viewing the work set together, and then
making appropriate plans to complete the work. This can include finding an appropriate place to work
and, to the best of their ability, supporting pupils with work encouraging them to work with good levels of
concentration.
• Every effort will be made by staff to ensure that work is set promptly on appropriate platforms but school
cannot guarantee that the chosen platforms will work on all devices. Should accessing work be an issue,
parents should contact school promptly and alternative solutions will be sought.
Teaching staff are required to self-isolate if they show symptoms outlined at the start of this policy or they
have been told to shield and/or have received a letter to confirm this. If a member of staff is required to selfisolate, they are expected to:
• Follow normal reporting procedure for planned absence.
• It is expected that staff get tested and the outcome reported to school ASAP.
• Whilst self-isolating, and if able to do so, non-teaching staff will be given an individual project to work on
which is line with whole school improvement priorities or asked to support with the online learning
provision for their year group, where appropriate. These projects will be communicated by their
Assistant Headteacher or Headteacher and will be allocated on a case-by-case basis.
• If a teacher is required to self isolate it is expected that they will deliver and lead teaching remotely for
their class, who will be supervised by support staff. The teaching will be in the same vein as if the class
were home based ie use of Oak Academy etc and will be feedback focussed. All teachers have been
resourced to enable this (laptops).
• If unwell, teachers will be covered by another staff member/supply for the sharing of activities.
Communication and planning during this time will not be undertaken until the teacher is fit to work.
Further Information
The Oak National Academy.
The ‘teaching content’ will be provided to children through age appropriate video content on the DfE
published list of educational resources site; Oak National Academy website. This provides the equivalent of 3
hours of lessons per day for primary school children. In their ‘classroom’ each lesson is an hour-long. They’re
delivered by a teacher, with a pre-recorded video as well as quizzes, worksheets and creative activities. It’s
all easy to use, there’s no login or password, and you can access the lessons on any device- pupils only
need materials they can find at home.
Providing feedback
Pupils can send any completed work to teachers via their school office admin email
admin@ChurchPreenSchool.co.uk admin.brockton@taw.org.uk admin@wistanstowprimary.co.uk
Alternatively, work that children complete on paper should be kept safe and returned to school when safe to
do so.
Contact with pupils/ parents
Parents are able to contact the school via telephone or the school admin email address. Teachers will email
back feedback if required, BCC copying the Headteacher into any correspondence. Any response should be
made within 48 hours. Where a pupil is self-isolating on medical ground for a significant period of time,
contact will be made via telephone on a weekly basis to monitor learning and provide support if needed.
Pupils identified as vulnerable will be contacted by their class teacher on a weekly basis and support offered
as necessary.
Safeguarding
Please refer to Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
Data protection
When accessing personal data, all staff members will: Only use their official school email account and using
their school laptop only.
Sharing personal data
Staff members are unlikely to need to collect and/or share personal data. However, if it does become
necessary, staff are reminded to collect and/or share as little personal data as possible online. All data
collection will be compliant with GDPR guidelines.
Keeping devices secure
All staff will take appropriate steps to ensure their devices remain secure. Computers should be locked if left
inactive for a period of time. Operating systems must be up to date – always install the latest updates.
Monitoring arrangements
This policy will be reviewed by the SLT as and when updates to home learning are provided by the
government. At present the only ‘live lessons’ will be used via the Oak Academy.
Links with other policies
This policy is linked to our:
✓ Behaviour policy
✓ Child Protection and Safeguarding policy
✓ Data Protection policy (GDPR)
✓ IT Acceptable Use Policy
✓ Staff Code of Conduct