St Thomas More RC College

SMHW or Satchel One (https://www.satchelone.com/login) This is the same website that students use to access their usual homework so all students will have a log in.

Students will use this website to:

a) Access daily tasks or lesson tasks 

b) Access online links to live or video lessons

c) Access links to online form time or assemblies 

d) Access self-marking test or assessment opportunities with automatic feedback

e) Students will also use the website to submit their learning to their teacher after each lesson, students should submit an electronic copy or photograph of their work. (photographs can be taken with a smart phone).

f) Students can also communicate with their teacher through this website if they need additional support during a lesson

 

Microsoft Teams (https://teams.microsoft.com)

All students have access to Microsoft office software such as word and excel through their school login and password including Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft teams will be used to host video/live lessons produced within school and the link for each lesson will be shared on SMHW/Satchel One.

The following applies to Teams Lessons

a) Students should log on initially with Camera and Microphone switched off

b) The chat function can be used to ask questions

c) Staff will invite students to switch on cameras and microphones as necessary for discussions feedback and question and answer sessions etc.

d) Whole class feedback can be issued during live lessons.

e) Teams will also be used to host daily form time/assembly for students receiving remote education.

 

In this section, we list the range of approaches we use to teach pupils remotely. 

• Live teaching/video lessons online will take place on average every other lesson in all subjects at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. This aspect is relevant to National Lockdowns when schools are closed to most pupils or when the majority of a year group or class/bubble are self-isolating due to a confirmed case.  

• Recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recordings made by teachers). These are used at both Key Stages and in most subjects. Pre-recorded video lessons from providers such as Oak Academy are used most regularly when small numbers of students from a group or single students are self-isolating

• Printed paper packs produced by teachers or textbooks and reading books pupils have at home can be used during the first/short initial stages of a student being absent from school or when a student cannot be provided access to the online resources.

• Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences, these are used in line with teacher judgement in all Key Stages and subjects. 

• An appropriate number of lessons and activities are set using online resources that facilitate asynchronous learning through the use of explanations and associated independent activities to develop new learning and consolidate learning as required. The use of discrete independent chunks of learning will be used with students to ensure the correct balance is obtained between online screen-based learning and more independent tasks. Independent tasks may be used more regularly when only a small number of students or individual students are unable to attend school.

• Expectations for pupils’ engagement with remote education

During a national lockdown or when the majority or a year group or bubble are receiving remote education students should follow their normal timetable when at home and learning will usually be provided on Satchel One at the start of each timetabled lesson each day. Please note this may be a link to a “live” lesson on Microsoft teams. In most circumstances the lesson will be available immediately at the start time of the lesson, but if it is not students should check back every couple of minutes in case there has been an unforeseen technology issue.

If a small numbers of student or individual students are self-isolating then the majority of the lessons and work to access will be provided online at the beginning of the week with updates taking place in the morning of each weekday, students should work through the lessons at their own pace with an average of 5 hours spent on the work each day.

There is an online registration/form or assembly provided each day at 8:45am for students working remotely home and all students are expected to log on to join this morning session so that they can prepare for the days learning. 

• expectations of parental support, for example, setting routines to support your child’s education

Parents/carers should try to ensure that their son/daughter is up and ready for 8:45am each morning for online form and has an appropriate space to complete their work. Parents/carers should try were possible to make them self-available for a weekly check in call from their child’s form tutor during national lockdown and encourage their so/daughter to complete all their work/lessons to the best of their ability.

Parents/carers can, if they wish have the ability to log into their child’s SMHW/Satchel One profile so they can see the work they have completed and submitted. If Parents/carers would like further support in accessing SMHW/satchel once then please contact school by email (admin@stmcollege.org.uk)

 

• Each morning at 8:45 there will be a 15 minute online registration or assembly for students working from home, your child’s form tutor or head of year will make a note of attendance patterns. Online registration/assembly is provided during national lockdown and even if only a small number of students are absent

• In live lessons class teachers will make note of attendance patterns and flag any concerns regarding attendance that is also linked to non-submission of work. 

• All students must submit their work following each lesson to SMHW so submission can be verified by the class teacher, if the work is written work in an exercise book, students can take photographs of the work and easily submit using a smartphone or webcam. If the written work is an electronic document from an application such as Microsoft Word these can be submitted in their current form.

• In a national lockdown such as in January 2021 the school has a program of attempted telephone contact with all families at least once a week. The phone call is pastoral in nature and is made by the child’s form tutor (in most cases) however the member of staff making the call will also discuss the child’s attendance at morning online registration and the completion and submission of work on SMHW/satchel one during previous week. This will be an opportunity to praise work completed, provide feedback and flag any concerns to parents/carers. (When we are not in a national lockdown situation and students are off for a shorter period of time concerns will be communicated through the normal communication routes such as phone calls home or messages in student logbook and perhaps on teh child’s return if the absence related to coronavirus was short)

 

In this section, please set out briefly:

Much of the below applies particularly during a National Lockdown or when whole bubbles/Year groups are self-isolating.

• Work that is submitted to SMHW/Satchel One by students following each lesson will be monitored and used to inform feedback and planning for future lessons to ensure students are making good progress.

• Students will continue to complete key pieces of work which will be assessed by teaching staff when it is submitted, this will be done with the same frequency as students have work marked and assessed under normal conditions

• Assessment and feedback will also take place in Question and Answer sessions during “live” lessons and from the online quizzes used in some subjects and year groups. Automatically marked quizzes used in some subject areas will provide immediate feedback.

• Parents/carers will receive feedback on completion of work once a week via the weekly phone call home.

 

• Whole class feedback will be provided at least once a week in the vast majority of subjects during the “live” lesson that will provide feedback on previously completed work.

 

• Feedback will be provided in the online chat facility in Microsoft Teams and SMHW/Satchel one in question and answer sessions and key assessments will have feedback provided with the same regularity that they are provided in a normal school year.

 

If a tiny number of students are self-isolating for a relatively short period of time they should continue to submit all learning completed at home to SMHW/Satchel one however feedback will be provided upon their return to school in most cases when the absence has been short.

 

In this section, please set out briefly:

• If families have a child who has Special Education Needs or Disability they will receive regular contact (at least once a week) from a member of the SEN team in school to support learning at home.

• When possible some support sessions with SEN professionals are being facilitated as “live” sessions via Microsoft Teams.

• The school is providing SEN friendly software when a need is identified and feedback from conversations between home and school are provided to teaching staff when appropriate.

• All students with EHC plans have a space available for them in school during any coronavirus related enforced school closure or national lockdown.

 

Where possible we have tried to set out in the body of this document the necessary differences in approach for small numbers or individual pupils self-isolating usually for relatively shorter periods of time when compared to a national lockdown (10 days or less). However, the following principles will apply.

Students will still have on average 5 hours of work a day but the majority of the lessons may be set at the start of the week with more tasks added as the week progresses. Work may not be added in the order of their usual timetable.

Students will have a live online registration/assembly each day at 8:45am

Students should submit all work completed to SMHW/satchel one. Work will be checked but assessment/feedback will be provided on a student’s return to school when the isolation window is relatively short.

 Communication to parents/carers will take place by written notes in student’s logbooks/phone-calls/text messages and all normal communication methods that are used during the school year. Some of these communications will inevitably take place after the student has completed self-isolation if the period was relatively short.

There is likely to be a greater proportion of lessons provided via discrete independent lessons. There will also be a greater reliance on asynchronous video lessons (such as oak academy) rather than online “live” lessons as when individual students (or small numbers) are isolating all staff will still be teaching the majority of students in school and therefore may be unable to facilitate “live” lessons. 

Families with a son/daughter who is classed as vulnerable will continue to receive a weekly telephone call from a SEN professional from school when self-isolating.

When students are absent in relatively small numbers they should use Satchel One/Show my Homework to search for the work set for absences in their year group. For example, a student absent in year 7 should search for Yr7 Absence Work, Year 8 students absent should search for Yr8 Absence work, etc as already indicated weekly work for all subjects will be set on different days as appropriate throughout the week.

A helpful instructional video is available on the school website to show students how to locate absence work when they are isolating as an individual