Remote learning & IT support

What can parents/pupils expect from our Remote Education Provision

The Highcrest Academy is committed to giving students a balanced curriculum even when learning remotely. 

In the event of a school closure/partial closure, the school is committed to providing continuity of education to its learners and will do so through a process of remote learning. Extensive remote learning would apply particularly in a situation in which the school is closed for an extended period of time, but a high proportion of learners and teachers are healthy, and able to work as normal from home. This condition will also apply in the event of short-term school closures (e.g. as a result of inclement weather).

Remote learning may also be appropriate in situations when learners, in agreement with the school, have a period of absence but are able to work at home in some limited capacity. This may apply in cases such as exclusion / suspensions from school, or longer term illness, assuming learners are able to complete school work at home. Or, following an infectious disease outbreak, learners are self-isolating at home but are not suffering with relevant symptoms.

There is no obligation for the school to provide continuity of education to learners who absent themselves from school, with or without parental permission, in contravention to school or government guidance. This may apply, for example, if parents choose to take learners on holiday during term time. Similarly, this would apply if parents made the decision, without prior agreement with the school, to absent their child from school ‘as a precaution’, against official guidance, in the event of an outbreak of infectious disease.

Setting and Marking of Work

Setting Work

• Work set in accordance with their timetable via Go4Schools. 
• Teachers may prefer to upload additional resources on Microsoft Teams
• Work is to be set any time before the lesson is scheduled during the school day
• A maximum of 45 minutes work will be set per subject - 30 minutes for SEN and lower ability pupils/groups
• Core learning will be concentrated into manageable shorter chunks
• Lesson PowerPoints will be attached when required and online resources as appropriate for support. Videos and podcasts may be used as alternative options
• For students whom are absent, work is set on the Student Learning Zone.

Collecting, Marking and Feedback of work

• Students will be asked to send a photo of their work, email their work to their teachers or upload their work to Microsoft Teams class groups either on the due date or at the end of the day

The Highcrest Academy Student Learning Zone

At Highcrest, we are committed to ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education, whether they are in school or learning from home. To further support this, we have introduced the Student Learning Zone, a cloud-based platform that provides students with access to lesson resources and materials across all subjects.

The Student Learning Zone has been developed with long-term absentees in mind, but it will be accessible to all students. This means that, whether your child is unable to attend school for an extended period, is in Inclusion or Isolation, or simply wishes to review or extend their learning, the platform will provide valuable support. While the resources may not replicate every activity that takes place in the classroom, they are designed to ensure that students can continue to access their learning and stay on track.

Key benefits of the Student Learning Zone include:

• Support for students who are absent from school for longer periods.
• Access to resources for students in Isolation or Inclusion.
• Resources available to all students to support revision and extended learning.
• Improved communication between staff, students and parents.
• Encouragement of independent learning.

student learning zone guide.pdf

Microsoft Teams in Extended Learning

To compliment extended learning set in Go4Schools, provide good access to learning resources as well as improving communications between students and staff, the Academy is pleased to be using Microsoft Teams as part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products.

All students will be assigned to specific Teams groups that represent their form and the lesson they are in as part of their timetable. All students in these groups will be shared various learning resources and information from their teacher as part of their extended learning at home as well as various tasks in their scheduled lessons.

We advise all our students to log onto Microsoft Teams and get a feel for how it looks and runs. Checking in regularly to their respected Teams groups and inspecting any learning resources that are available can provide them with useful assistance during their extended learning as well as the completion of any active tasks during live lessons.

For those who have purchased a Laptop from our 1:1 Student Laptop Scheme, this makes access to Microsoft Teams very easy during live lessons and will provide your child with a useful advantage throughout.

Basic Student/Parent Microsoft Teams Guide

Digital How-To: A Student Guide to Online Learning Technologies

STUDENT INFORMATION: Accessing Microsoft Teams

This video was put together to show our students how to log onto Microsoft Teams via the Microsoft 365 website or by clicking the Microsoft 365 icon at the top right corner of our website. It shows in a user friendly way how to log on, open and run Microsoft Teams as well as logging off at the end of the session. Please note that students using mobile devices or tablets are required to download the Microsoft Teams app in order to use Microsoft Teams.

STUDENT INFORMATION: Accessing Assignments and Resources on Microsoft Teams

This video was put together to show our students how to access assignments and resources on Microsoft Teams. As part of extended learning, teachers will at times set specific tasks and assignments on Microsoft Teams for students to access and work on. This video shows how to access these assignments and any resources that come as part of it. It also discusses how you can turn in work and receive feedback from your teachers on what you have completed.