Where possible, students are asked to follow the same curriculum remotely as we do in school. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some practical subjects, for example physical education or in some experiments in science. Students will access their remote learning tasks set on Edulink. You can get help by accessing different sections on Edulink and Google classroom found on this webpage.

Following the usual timetable provides a structure to the day and helps to ensure an even amount of time is dedicated to each subject as it would be if students were present at school.  We have also built-in time to allow students time away from their screen as we know the balance between learning and wellbeing is crucial and we are grateful for your support with this.

Teachers will set learning activities on Edulink so both you and your child can track work. Please remind your child to log into Edulink for every morning they are accessing  remote learning activities for that day. Most teachers will be using Google Classroom as a platform to provide high quality learning resources and ongoing feedback. Your child’s teachers will be monitoring the work they are producing and will contact you if work has not been completed by the deadlines set, we would also advise that you can contact us if you are having problems accessing work.

We recognise that students will respond in different ways to this new working arrangement. Many will take to it very smoothly and this will be an opportunity for them to continue to develop their abilities to work independently. However, those who find independent work difficult will find this challenging and will need more support. We want to reassure students and parents that staff will be working remotely and will be on hand to offer this support where it is needed, we have high expectations but are also realistic about the challenges this situation will present.

Some students may not have suitable online access at home therefore the following support is available:

• Should you require a device to access online learning please contact your child’s director of learning and we will try to accommodate your needs
• Google classroom can also be accessed through the following steps taken on gaming consoles:

Students can watch programmes supporting the curriculum on CBBC every day. These will be complemented by drama adaptations, as well as relevant BBC science, history and factual programmes.

BBC Bitesize has numerous resources available to help support online learning and can be accessed via the BBC website.

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

• A ‘Live’ lesson with the teacher online with the class, ‘teaching’ and engaging with students through question-and-answer sessions.
• A recorded lesson (PowerPoint or Loom) in which students watch the recording and then complete tasks, submitting them for feedback.
• Tasks set that students complete offline, e.g., Art, a project, PE exercise, science questions (that take students away from their screens) and then they submit the work from feedback through Google Classroom.
• A quiz or assessment
• A mixture of the above

This will ensure that the learning is varied and also more suited to the subjects being taught and additionally students get time away from screens.

Engagement will be monitored for every lesson – either attendance to a ‘live’ lesson or submission of the work for a lesson that is not live.

Please contact attendance if your child is unable to take part in a lesson due to an illness/appointment or is unable to access their learning as you would do if school were open to all.

The attendance line number is 01727 731368 and email attendance@marlborough.herts.sch.uk

Teachers will also be working remotely and so your child could email their teacher. Teachers will endeavour to respond to questions as soon as they can. If your child can carry on with another aspect of their learning this will give the teacher time to respond to their query.

• Every morning check Edulink.
• Establish routines and expectations: start times, breaks and lunch at school are at clear times, maintaining this routine can help maintain a positive work ethic.
• Try wherever possible to identify a clear physical space in which to work, this will make it easier for your child to focus on their learning without other distractions.
• Talk about the plan for the day and the lessons ahead. Talking about how things are going can help pre-empt any problems, please talk to us if you are really struggling
• Help students ‘own’ their learning.
• We don’t expect you to be fulltime teachers or subject content experts, all we ask is that where possible to provide support and encouragement and expect your children to do their best. Making mistakes is allowed and encouraged! Becoming independent takes lots of practice and we would advise to limit the help you give until you can see that all other options have been tried.
• Begin and end the day by checking-in, in the morning, you might ask:
  • What classes/subject do you have today?
  • Do you have any assessments?
  • How will you spend your time?
  • What resources do you need?                                                                                                                        
  • What can I do to help?
  • What did you enjoy/not enjoy?
• At the end of the day you might ask:
• • How far did you get in your learning tasks today?
  • What did you discover? What was hard?
  • What could we do to make tomorrow better?

• Checking in with your child helps them to process instructions they received from their teachers, and it helps them organise themselves and set priorities.

• Set times to be on and offline: There will be more screen time than normal whilst working at home. You may have to share devices with family members and setting time limits in advance can help manage this successfully. Equally, spending time offline is important to maintain a sense of wellbeing in the day.
• Remember to exercise: Your wellbeing is enhanced by physical activity, so do make time for this. This can really help if you are feeling anxious, which is completely normal whilst you are working from home, remember how to follow the most recent guidance.

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. Wherever possible we will try to give instant feedback via self-marking quizzes, verbal feedback, or pre-determined success criteria.

• Some students, for example those 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:
• All students on the inclusion register have a Key Worker who are available for contact either by the student or their parent or carer.
• Assistant teachers (ATs) are virtually added to classes as per student timetables to support in lessons.
• Additional lesson support is arranged where possible for individual students.
• ATs will mainly support in school with Critical Worker students, and those who are more vulnerable in addition to supporting the daily lessons.
• Edulink and email contact is made where students or parents raise a concern.
• Provisions are arranged for students with Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (AARA) where external exams are taking place.
• EHCP Students - All parents will be contacted to discuss extended provision and support as required. Any remote reviews will be arranged as per statutory time frames.
• The SENCo will be in contact with parents of SEND students in addition to Key Worker contact as appropriate.
• Remote assessments will be arranged and held where possible.
• Continuation of support for students under ESMA (Educational Support for Medical Absence) is maintained and the SENCo is in liaison Lead Teacher ESMA.
• Referrals for external agency support will continue where needs arise and liaison with agencies already working with students will be ongoing.
• Device support is available for students struggling to access their online learning.
• Additional joint 1-1 support with individual teachers is given when requested by the subject staff where possible.
• The SENCo will maintain liaison with the local SEND support in county through DSPL7 on some non EHCP transition support for post 16.
• The school website has regular updates of and flyers detailing other support available through County

• Talk to a SEND educational specialist on 01992 588574
• You can now call a dedicated contact helpline and talk to either a Specialist Advisory Teacher in the mornings and/or an Educational Psychologist in the afternoon.
• This contact line is available Monday-Friday, 10 am – 2 pm when Advisory teachers from the communication and autism team will be taking calls and from 2pm – 4pm by Education Psychologists.
• Further information can be found at the following websites:

1. • https://sendnews.hertfordshire.gov.uk/april-2020/support-and-advice
   • https://www.hertsmindnetwork.org/Pages/Category/young-people
   • https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/help-resources/resources/covid-19-support-and-guidance
   • https://www.autism.org.uk
   • https://www.annafreud.org/media/11261/option-3-covid-advice-parents.pdf
   • https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/local-offer/services-for-parents-carers-and-families/herts-kids-hubs.aspx

If you are looking for information to keep your child safe and well, please see the links below:

• Our school website has lots of resources and links that might be able to help you:

Website

• You can contact the following with a safeguarding concern:
  • Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk  or 0800 1111
  • Young Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk  or call the parents’ helpline on 0808 802 5544

Students will be spending longer online during periods of remote learning. It is therefore essential that we remind students of the importance of keeping themselves safe online.  Please discuss online safety with your children.

Please note we have a CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command) link on the homepage of the school website to report online abuse immediately to the police.

https://www.themarlboroughscienceacademy.co.uk/page/?title=%26%23160%3BeSafety+Information&pid=29

Have you (or your child) just been asked to start remote learning? Please watch the video below for a short introduction to remote learning at The Marlborough Science Academy.

Have you (or your child) just been asked to start remote learning? Please watch the video below for a short introduction to remote learning at The Marlborough Science Academy.

Use of Edulink is essential to successfully managing remote learning. Please see the guidance below for instructions on how to access Edulink: