Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Dear Parents,

I am writing to provide you with some more information regarding our Remote Learning offer and to offer support if required. I also provide an update on devices.

Children in Reception will have access to a Google Classroom from early next week. We have added this provision for Reception children to allow them to take part in the ‘Live Meet’ sections of the day.

Feedback from parents and children so far indicates that they find the ‘Live Meet’ option really beneficial and enjoyable. However, I do understand that some children finish their work quicker than others. Please do not feel that you must attend all of the afternoon live sessions. We will provide them for families that feel this helps with their daily routine but also understand that some families finish the work earlier in the day and then head outside for a break.

The ‘Live Meet’ session has been fully risk assessed in line with our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. This includes a review of our Online Safety procedures and has resulted in the creation of an ‘Annex’ to our Child Protection & Safeguarding Policies which will be posted on our school website on Monday.

All teachers will ensure that a second adult is Live in their ‘Meet’ before the link is turned on for children to access. If your child’s link is not available, this may be because the teacher hasn’t activated it yet. Teachers turn off the link after the Live session

From Monday, KS1 & KS2 classes will be using Talk for Writing Home Learning Packs for the teaching of Writing. This includes the development of a text, in sections, leading to a finished piece. Children in the EYFS continue to develop their understanding of Traditional Tales.

For Maths, we follow the National Oak Academy and use their videos as a teaching aid. The learning objectives that children are directed to correlate well with the Power Maths scheme we have been using in school since September 2020, ensuring no objectives are missed. Children feedback their learning either through the assigned sheet or quiz. Occasionally, teachers may set additional maths activities such as arithmetic assignments.

For Reading, children in the EYFS & Key Stage 1 continue with their Read Write Inc Phonics scheme. Online videos are used to teach children in their assessed groups. Teachers assign work via Google Classroom, in line with their individually assessed current level. This will continue to be monitored and adapted. In Key Stage 2, children use chapters from Fiction Express to read, comprehend, deduce and infer; answering questions to show their understanding of the text. Children are also encouraged to continue reading their home reading books. Access to Accelerated Reader is still possible during school hours from home devices. Your child’s class teacher will make sure this link is shared on Google Classrooms for easy access.

Foundation subjects such as PE, Humanities, RE, Art etc… continue to be set and our creative optional tasks and weekly events are planned to incorporate skills from across the curriculum.

I am aware that one of the biggest difficulties at the moment for some families is not having access to multiple devices in their household of more than one child. We are aiming to have some devices available to help however, even looking into Devon and further afield, there are very little devices available! We do have some developing plans underway which I will share with you as soon as I can. There are very few devices available to purchase at the moment. Our school stock of Chromebooks is high but they are all currently allocated. Plans will continue to develop this weekend and we will be in touch as soon as possible if we can help.

If you require any further information regarding our Home Learning Programme, I would like to invite you to a Google Meeting. Here, your Head of School and I will be able to answer your questions and will be able to share our screen with you to show you how things work, if you are unsure. If you would like to take this opportunity of support, please email me: jimrie@stbarnabasmat.com.

Thank you and have a lovely weekend,

Best wishes,

Jake Imrie