Remote Learning Curriculum

There may be periods of time during the School year where you will need to be transferred to the Remote Learning Pathway to continue your learning off site. This could be as an individual, as part of a class or Year Group, or as part of the wider School community. This could be for a short or extended period of time. You will be emailed to explain how to access the Remote Learning Resources when the School has been informed of your absence and it has been agreed that you are following the Remote Learning Pathway.

You need to make sure you know what to do if you need to transfer to the Remote Learning Pathway.

We will be using Oak Acamedy and shared resources on Microsoft Teams for the individual Remote Learning Pathway, and Microsoft Teams as our common online platform for all whole class or Year Group remote and virtual learning provision.

Whilst you are absent from School you still need to engage with your learning and complete the Remote Learning Pathway tasks for your subjects to the best of your ability. If you are unwell you do not need to do any Remote Learning on days you are ill.

Preparing for Remote Learning

• Keep a copy of your  timetable at home or make sure you know how to access it on epraise.

• Take your exercise books home every day, unless they are being marked by your teacher and make sure you have your remote learning notebook at home.

• Check you have access to IT at home and know how to login to your School email, Teams and any subject websites you use in lessons. Make sure you tell your Form Tutor or Head of Year if you think you will need help with IT or internet access.

Full details  regarding remote learning at Marriotts can be found in our: Parents guide to remote learning

How do Students continue there learning if they have to self isolate for 10 days?

Students will very simply follow their ‘in school’ timetable for remote learning during 10 day periods of self isolation. You can access your child’s timetable via the parent portal or through show my homework. You can also view the video guidance on how to use and interpret your child’s two week timetable by clicking the pink tab below.

We understand the disruption caused by having to self isolate iand we want students to be able to continue with our curriculum whether they are in school or having to self isolate.

We know nothing will replace face-to-face teaching but on each year group page your will find detailed subjects remote learning maps which contain links to the Oak National Academy and other resources to help students quickly access the learning that would be taking place if they were in school. Working through these resources will help students still make good progress even though they are not in school. 

We have provided a Remote Learning Map for self isolation of up to 10 days for all year groups in every subject. You can find these on our year group pages below. Students should follow their timetable and work through the lessons they would normally have in a day, spending approximately one hour on each one (totalling five hours a day). They should work through lessons in order and keep track of which lessons they have completed for each subject, so they know which to move on to next. Students should not aim to complete work any faster than at the pace of their normal timetable, and should avoid rushing. 

Please click the video guidance below which will show you how to do this.

Here is a quick overview of which subjects use Oak Academy remote lessons and which subjects use other resources such as Microsoft Teams, etc.

Key Stage 3 (Y7/8) Key Stage 4 (Y9/10/11)
English: Oak Academy English: Oak Academy
Maths: Oak Academy Maths: Hegarty
Science: Oak Academy Science: Oak Academy
Computing: Oak Academy Computing/IT: Microsoft Teams
MFL: Oak Academy/Bitesize MFL: Oak Academy
Geography: Oak Academy Geography: Oak Academy
History: Oak Academy History: Oak Academy
RE: Oak Academy RE: Oak Academy
Art: Oak Academy Art: Oak Academy
PE: You tube PE: You tube/Microsoft Team
Performing Arts: You tube Dance/Drama: Microsoft Teams
Music: Oak Academy Music: Oak Academy/Microsoft Teams

If a student is unsure which lesson to start with, to ensure their learning is sequenced correctly, then they can email their teacher via their school email for support.

Live lessons via Microsoft Teams

In addition to the Oak Academy Learning Map lessons, we have also developed the opportunity for students to access live lessons when their year group (Year 9,10 and 11) or form group bubble (Year 7 and 8) are all in a period of isolation or during school closure. 

While students should follow their timetable (as outlined above) it is important to point out that not all sessions will be delivered live via Microsoft Teams.  Students must check their Teams to find out whether they have a live session or not.  Please click the guidance below to find out how to do this.  

Student guides to Teams: Click here

Microsoft Teams FAQ: Click here

Parent/Carer guides to getting started on Microsoft Teams: Click here

Using Oak Academy

Key Information for pupils, parents and carers

Oak National Academy is an ‘online classroom’ developed by a specialist team of teachers from all across the UK and beyond. It provides free, high-quality video based lessons and instructional resources and is available throughout 2020/21.

It can be accessed through: https://www.thenational.academy/ 

How should my child use Oak? 

There are four likely ways your child might use the resources.

-A student may be directed to complete a specific lesson via our year group remote learning pages (Remote Learning Curriculum - Marriotts School)

-A teacher may supply a link to a specific lesson to complete - they will post this in Teams or Show my homework to alert pupils.

-A teacher may ask your child to complete specific subjects more generally.

-Your child could search for topics they have covered already in order to re-cap, revise or catch up on learning done in school

What will my child need?

Access to the internet to visit the Oak website ?https://www.thenational.academy/  Then each lesson clearly states what might be needed at the start (in most cases simply a pen and some paper).

How does the Oak website work?

Oak National Academy was created specifically in response to the impacts of Covid-19. The resources are free, there is no sign up needed, and they are designed to complement your child’s teaching or to support them during more extended periods of absence.

Each lesson is scheduled for approximately 1 hour and will include a range of support materials including pre-recorded videos by specialist teachers from across the UK who are working for the academy, along with slides, quizzes, worksheets and activities. 

Further guidance can be downloaded here

What should I do if I have a question regarding remote learning?

When you first start your Remote Learning Pathway you will be contacted by your Head of Year or a member of pastoral support for your Year Group. If you are following the Remote Learning Pathway for more than a week you will receive a fallow up email and/or a phone call from your Head of Year. Please make sure you reply to this email.

• For subject specific support with your Remote Learning please email your class teacher or the named subject teacher on the subject Remote Learning instructions.

• If students do not have regular access to a device to support their remote learning then please contact your Head of Year.

• For support regarding SHMW or RM Unifying passwords please contact l.goff@marriotts.herts.sch.uk

• If you require support with the use of ICT or accessing the online resources, please contact IThelpdesk@marriotts.herts.sch.uk

Student well being during remote learning

We understand that Remote Learning is different to learning in the classroom, and that some students find Remote Learning more challenging that others.

The most important thing during the time you are completing your Remote Learning is your health and wellbeing. Please look after yourself and make sure you contact the School if you need any help or support.

All we ask is that you try your best with your Remote Learning Pathway and complete the tasks you can. Your teachers will be looking forward to welcoming you back into the classroom as soon as you are able to return.

Safeguarding of Remote Learning

Safeguarding – To safeguard our entire school community, students must adhere to our strict guidelines for Remote Live Learning as outlined below:

• We expect students to be safe users of technology at home or at school. We will endeavour to teach students about safe and appropriate use of digital technology. 

• Students and parents must understand that inappropriate online behaviour will result in sanctions.

• Students will only be able to join a live lesson through use of their school email account and their Microsoft Teams invite.

• During a live lesson, students will be able to hear and/or see their teachers. However, students should not be able to use their cameras so they will not be able to see each other. Students will be able to communicate with the teacher through the typed chat function.

• All student cameras and microphones will be disabled by the teacher for live lessons. However, it would be useful to develop good habits for the future and we advise that students are logged in to the session in a communal area (e.g. not their bedroom) with a neutral background and no personal items on display and are appropriately dressed (e.g. not pyjamas). School uniform is not required.

• At all times, the student’s camera must remain switched off.

• At all times, unless directed otherwise by the teacher, the student’s microphone function must remain switched off.

• Only the teacher will allow students to unmute the students’ microphones if they want to ask or respond to a question raised by the student during a live lesson.

• Students need to be prepared. Bring equipment that would be needed for that subject (for example have your History exercise book ready if you have a History lesson) to the live lesson.

• Recording or taking images by students during live lessons are strictly prohibited.

• The school may record live lessons. The live lessons will also be recorded for the purposes of safeguarding and support. They will be archived securely within Microsoft Teams and not publicly accessible.

• Students must not share their Microsoft Teams logins.

• Any misconduct will result in the teacher removing the student from the live lesson.

• School rules apply online too.

Other useful tips for Parents and Students

  • Establish routines and expectations: maintaining the usual times of the school day can help maintain a positive work ethic. Stick to your usual timetable including breaks and lunch. Avoid spending the day in your pyjamas! You can down load a daily planner sheet to help you plan out your day by click on the correct link. Yr7-8 Yr9-11 
  • Identify a clear physical space in which to work: this will make it easier to focus on your learning, without other distractions. As in lessons keep your phone away and ensure you have everything you need equipment wise for the lesson before you start.
  • Talk about the plan for the day, and the lessons ahead: spending extended time working at home is unfamiliar territory. Talking about how things are going can help pre-empt any problems. If you have any worries or concerns about the tasks set please let your teacher know by emailing them using your school email account. 
  • 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 balance in the day.
  • Remember to exercise: Your wellbeing is enhanced by physical activity, so do make time for this. The PE team have planned some excellent activities which you will access through the remote curriculum pages. This can really help if you are feeling anxious, which is completely normal whilst you are working from home. If you can go outside, then get as much fresh air as you can. Sunlight is important for vitamin D production which will help your immune system
  • Talk about things on your mind: it will be a big adjustment working from home every day. Talk about how things are going. The international situation is highly changeable. It is normal to feel uncertainty about this too. Be conscious of how much of the news you watch and talk about what you are watching.
  • Read a book: Commit to reading, it is a great way to escape to a different place. Many books are freely available online, just google ‘free books online’ and you will have access to huge numbers of classical and modern texts that you can download. Escape, relax, unwind. Look after yourself.
  • Be Creative: Looking after your mental well-being is just as important as your physical health. Learn a new skill, make something, spend time drawing or writing creatively. Watch films and plays that you wouldn’t usually, and listen to music. There are lots of performances available for you to enjoy online, and we will send you regular links to these. Here are some links to get you started.