Skip to content ↓
Trust Logo

Remote education provision: information for parents

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

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 student’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 online teaching. Some of the information we have produced to help parents and understand our online learning provision can be found below:

  • Our senior leaders have produced a short video to explain how learning may look online: view video here.
  • Our 5Gs of learning diagram is here.
  • Our remote learning policy can be found here.
  • Online assessment guidance can be found here.

Additional questions you may have, are answered below.

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

Remote, or online, education will begin from the next school day for any student who is expected to ‘work from home’ because of self-isolation.

All online education will be provided via the Microsoft Teams platform and all work for students will be stored in MS Teams and/or Show My Homework.

Any questions or concerns should be referred to your child’s House Manager, who will be able to support you and your child, or contact support@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk.

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 school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, in Physical Education there will need to be adaptations, and more of a focus upon theory.  This is also the same with more practical subjects such in the Design Technology and Art suite of subjects.

 Online teaching and study time each day

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

Students will have five hours of meaningful and ambitious lessons each day and will follow their in-school timetable (including online teaching and independent work).

 Accessing remote education

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

Students will access Microsoft Teams, using only their school email account, through links on RM Unify, where there is also a link to Show My Homework where resources and any homework tasks are uploaded by subjects.

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 students may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those students to access remote education:

  • If a parent or carer requires more information or feels their child has not got access to a suitable device, in the first instance they should contact their child’s House Manager (via the school office on 0116 2714941). Or via email, addresses can be found at www.manorhigh.leics.sch.uk/key-staff 
  • We will make every effort to ensure all students have appropriate access to a suitable device/work packs so they do not fall behind with their studies. Again, any concerns, in the first instance, should be directed to the relevant House Manager.
  • For the small minority of students who are completing their work via printed work packs, the Pastoral Team will make regular contact with students and parents to discuss progress. Where it is safe to do so, we will arrange for work be returned to school for teachers to assess
  • Students who do not have suitable online access will be provided with printed re sources until they have access to a suitable device. 
  • Please note that MS Teams live lessons can be easily accessed via a smartphone and devices such as X Box/Playstation and internet-enabled TVs.

How will my child be taught remotely?

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

  • Microsoft Teams will be used across the school with all year groups to set students’ work and deliver lessons. Assessments and independent study tasks will also be set via this platform.
  • Show My Homework will also be used by staff to set tasks and upload materials to be used throughout the day.
  • Live teaching (online lessons) will be the main source for delivering learning; this provides curriculum continuity and the opportunity to be able to ask questions and for students to speak to their subject teachers. Students will follow their usual timetable. Which currently consists of one subject per day.  Unless the member of staff is unwell, in which case alternative provision will be put in place.
  • We recognise that different approaches suit different types of content and different students. In some cases, other methods of delivery may be used, for example pre-recorded lessons by teachers or use of lessons from other sources, e.g. Oak Academy.
  • Where printed resources are required, for example key texts or revision guides for exam preparation, these will be safely distributed to students to use at home.
  • A normal subject day will consist of some explanation and face to face teaching via Teams at 8.40am, with some work to complete explained, followed by a follow up Teams session in the mid morning, and a plenary session in the afternoon. 
  • Lessons follow the 5 Gs: Greet, Guide, Go for it, Gather, Goodbye.

Remote teaching will:

  • provide clear explanations of new content
  • provide opportunities for interactivity, including questioning, eliciting and reflective discussion
  • provide modelling, scaffolded practice and opportunities to apply new knowledge
  • enable students to receive timely and frequent feedback on how to progress, using digitally-facilitated or whole-class feedback where appropriate
  • using assessment to ensure teaching is responsive to students’ needs and addresses any critical gaps in knowledge
  • breaking content and tasks into smaller chunks to aid concentration

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?

  • All students are expected to attend all lessons and every Teams invite. These will be displayed on their calendar in Teams.
  • Where a live lesson is not taking place (for example if a teacher is absent), work with clear instructions for completion will be provided for that lesson on Show My Homework.
  • Expectations of students online are the same as they are in school. 
  • These are reinforced and listed in every TEAMS invite issued to students.

Parents can support their child’s education by:

  • planning each day with their child so they establish a routine and have clear expectations about the importance of engaging in their subjects and learning;
  • ensuring they have a clear and quiet place to study and engage in their learning with no distractions, e.g. television/games console;
  • checking that they have the necessary materials, e.g. a pen and paper to make notes;
  • making sure children have the planned break/lunch time they would in school;
  • checking that students have completed the necessary work for that day (and whether they have homework to do also);
  • supporting the school and keeping in contact so we can help if there are any issues/questions.
  • reporting any absence from lessons in the same way that would be used if students were being taught face to face in school. 

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

  • Registers will be taken for every lesson each day, and where students are absent parents will be contacted by the Pastoral Team.  If your child is unwell, please report that absence to school in the usual way.
  • We will similarly monitor students’ work rate / engagement in lessons and communicate with parents where we are concerned about levels of engagement. This communication will usually come from the individual teacher in the first instance, or from the relevant Subject Leader. 
  • We ask that parents/carers fully support us so that all students access and engage in their online learning in the same way they do when in school. 

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 student work is as follows:

  • Teachers will use questioning and other suitable ‘tools’ to help gauge how well students are learning and progressing through content in the curriculum. This information will be used to adjust the pace or challenge (or intervene) of what is being taught, or to revisit explanations to ensure full understanding. As it would in the classroom.
  • Regular quizzes/recall activities will be set and checked via self-assessment, where students will be expected to check what they have completed and act upon any feedback from their class teacher.  Using Teams or Show My Homework.
  • Regular and meaningful feedback will be provided, in line with school policy. This will include both whole-class and some individual feedback. Students will be given opportune times to act upon feedback so that misconceptions/errors are rectified quickly.
  • Students will be asked questions and expected to respond to their teachers. Responses will be verbal, using the chat facility or via ‘hands up’. Such characteristics of teaching are important so students feel engaged and valued and to enable teachers to check understanding and tackle misconceptions quickly.
  • Key assessed pieces of work will be submitted and assessed using Teams Assignments.

Additional support for students 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 students, for example some students 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 students in the following ways:

  • As in the classroom, teachers ensure remote learning is accessible for SEND learners by clearly identifying each part of the lesson, chunking the tasks set, providing differentiated tasks, model answers and suggested time limits. This is done across all subjects and year groups.
  • Where appropriate, SEND students will be allocated a ‘key worker’ who will support the student throughout the day using Microsoft Teams, and will also make welfare calls to check the work is accessible and offer further support.
  • Alternative work can be sent home to SEND learners who may struggle to access online learning. This can be in the form of paper-based work or alternative tasks to make the content more accessible for them if appropriate.
  • Advice is given to parents/carers on strategies known to work in school to help support the engagement of individual pupils. 
  • Support is also given in terms of establishing a routine and realistic work expectations. 
  • Any concerns can be raised through the SENDCO (SEND@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk)

Remote education for self-isolating students

Where individual students 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 students 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?

  • Remote education may differ depending on whether an individual/small group of students are isolating or a whole class/year group.
  • Where possible, teachers will aim to adopt a blended approach, for example streaming their lesson live to students working at home as well as teaching students who are in the classroom. This will not be possible for all subjects or classes at all times, for example PE, DTA, Science.
  • Where this is not possible, resources will be uploaded to Show My Homework for students to complete.
  • If you have any questions about remote learning while your child is isolating, please email support@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk  or contact school reception by telephone, and the appropriate member of staff will get in touch to support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at: admin@manorhigh.leics.sch.uk or call us on 0116 271 4941.