Home and Remote Learning
We recognise that there may be occasions when a student is unable to attend school but remains well enough to engage with learning. This may include short-term illness, medical appointments, recovery periods following treatment, or other exceptional circumstances that result in an extended absence from school.
Our aim is to help students maintain their learning and stay connected to school wherever it is reasonable and appropriate to do so. The type and amount of work provided will depend on the nature and length of the absence, alongside the student's health and wellbeing needs.
Remote learning is not intended to replace regular school attendance and, in many cases, students who are unwell should focus on recovery before returning to their studies. Parents and carers are encouraged to let us know when their child is well enough to access learning so that appropriate support can be provided.
Our remote learning provision typically includes Microsoft Teams, educational platforms, online resources, recorded explanations, independent learning tasks, or other appropriate materials including selected AI study bots. The exact approach will vary between subjects and depends on the length of absence. Students are expected to complete work to the best of their ability and seek support from their teachers through the usual school communication channels where required.
For students experiencing emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA), school avoidance, or other attendance-related concerns, support is coordinated through our Attendance and Outreach Team. As these circumstances vary significantly from student to student, provision is planned on an individual basis in partnership with families and relevant professionals.
What does remote learning look like at Whitley Bay High School?
Our remote learning strategy relates directly to our ethos of developing students as independent and lifelong learners. Therefore, we encourage subjects to use a combination of video recordings, live lessons, lesson tasks and online programmes which exposes them to a diverse range of experiences at this stage; which we believe is developmental, motivational and more engaging for students working at home.
A lot of platforms we use, such as Microsoft Teams are industry standard now, consequently we are developing directly transferable skills which will help them make a positive contribution to their workplace and community in the future. We are also part of a research project looking into the use of AI as in independent study tool using the Poe and Lunar Learns study bot.
Students are also regularly in contact with their teachers via school email accounts, which can be accessed for additional and more directive support. The information below explains the types of remote learning we use.
Video Recorded Presentation
Video recorded presentations include teacher explanations and modelling, usually within a PowerPoint. This allows students to pause, stop and rewind their lessons. Alongside PowerPoint, we also use a variety of other platforms including Microsoft Teams, Stream and YouTube.
An example from an English lesson is included below.
Many subjects have also invested in or are using online interactive programmes. The feedback from our students suggests that they are more confident when they have immediate access to the correct answers; therefore our online programmes help to facilitate this. The links to some are included below:
Unfortunately, remote learning provision in all subjects is a complex situation as this is impacted by the size of the department. It is easier for larger departments to share resources and produce recorded content than for other smaller teams. However, in the event of an emergency school closure, equality of provision will be provided as all students who study the same subject will have access to the same remote learning programme.
Live Lessons
Live lessons will make up part of our provision, but research has suggested that the best form of remote learning is a combination of pre-recorded content which ensures explanations and teacher modelling is of high quality and a series of interactive activities for students to complete. There is much current educational debate regarding the effectiveness of live lessons which is why we choose not to broadcast all lessons.
To ensure live lessons are effective students should be in an appropriate location, keep their video off and their sound muted unless they're contributing to the lesson as directed by their teacher. Students should also use headphones so that they're not broadcasting the sound to others for GDPR reasons. Students conduct during live lessons will be monitored and they may be muted or removed from the lesson if they are causing disruption to learning. We will contact you directly to let you know any concerns.
All live lessons are recorded, so that students can watch them which includes all of their contributions and the conversation window too. Some will only be available for 20 days on the Microsoft Team channel after the lesson, therefore if students have not managed to attend, they should download the video before it expires.
IT Access
The current Government advice for high quality remote learning explains that it should be available on several platforms. All content that the school shares with students at home, can be accessed on a range of IT hardware which includes desktop computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones with large display screens.
The Government initially provided a large number of laptops to the school in 2020. These laptops are now coming to the end of their life with no additional income being given to school to maintain this provision. When contacting the school to confirm a student absence, and they are well enough to work, please ensure you request IT if this is not available at home. As a result of this, the school can help support IT access when it is on a smaller scale, but time will be needed to organise IT equipment in the event of a closure that impacts on large numbers of students and staff. As always, we will endeavor to provide IT when it is required.
Our strategy for remote learning, where possible asks students to follow their usual timetable. This also allows flexibility for those who are sharing computer provision due to the context of the household. Students can choose to complete the work outside their usual hours if this helps in scenarios such as devices being shared.
If a family has no access to any device or internet provision needed to participate in remote learning, please contact your child’s Head of Year to see if IT can be provided. Hard copies of resources can also be made available.
Remote Learning Assessment
Your child should complete work at home as if they were in class and share this with their teacher as they normally would who will look at this. If this a formal piece of work or a test, then it will be assessed by the teacher either by this work being sent via email or when your child returns to school. A lot of assessment we use for absent students incorporates regular low stakes quizzes, which are endorsed by many educationalists and are popular with students. This then impacts on future lesson planning and catch up sessions, lessons or interventions. If work is not formally assessed, teachers will acknowledge receipt of work via Teams or an email like notification.
Emergency Closure Remote Learning Scenarios
Emergency school closure where staff and students are unable to attend the school site
Although this is an extremely unlikely scenario, we have plans in place to ensure continuity of learning. During the first day of closure, students will be provided with work for each lesson period. If the closure extends beyond one day, a combination of live lessons and recorded teaching materials will be provided through Microsoft Teams and other approved platforms. Resources may include narrated presentations, teacher explanations, modelling of key concepts, and recorded lessons that students can pause and revisit as required.
A year group, or multiple year groups, are required to learn from home while staff remain in school
In this situation, staff will deliver live lessons through Microsoft Teams, following the normal school timetable wherever possible. Lessons will be taught from school to maintain consistency and provide students with direct access to their teachers.
User Guides
Three useful guides are included below to help students and parents access remote learning work.
1. How to access SharePoint and subject folders via a desktop or laptop.
2. How to access SharePoint and subject folders via a mobile device (example shown is from Year 9).
3. How to use Microsoft Teams - a guide for students and parents.
Education Endowment Foundation Research on Remote Learning
