The information in this Plan/Policy is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education.
This plan will be applied in the following instances:
· An individual is self-isolating because of a positive test within the household;
· A group of children (‘bubble’) are self-isolating because of a case of coronavirus in the class;
· There is a local or national Lockdown of school due to an increase in the R number and transmission rates as determined by Public health England and the Government
The plan complies with the expectations and principles outlined in the DFE document Guidance for Full Opening of Schools.
The following ‘key questions’ are answered in the Plan/Policy and help outline our response to a need for remote learning:
A Message from our LPAP Educational Psychologist written during National Lockdown Summer 2020; the message she shares is as relevant now - Spring 2021 in Lockdown 3 - as it was then...
These are unprecedented times and so no-one has the answers. Parents haven’t chosen to educate their children at home, and so expectations of what can be achieved should be realistic. The most important thing at the moment is that children and their parents are physically and mentally healthy and able to manage a very difficult and anxious time.
Parents and schools need to keep in mind that all children are different. Some children may need lots of routine and structure and may feel uncomfortable if they are not doing work and ‘keeping up’; others may be more anxious and need lots of reassurance and non-educational distraction activities. Some will work better in the morning, some later in the day. Some will need to be doing everything and then resting, others having lots of short breaks. Parents too need different things: they need a break from the children, time to work, time to manage their own anxieties, time to connect with friends and families. There is a lot of advice on line, but no ‘one size fits all’. Parents are the experts in their own child(ren), so working with them to help them find the best way forward as a family is important, not doing what they think others are.
It is also very important to remember that this is crisis time, and it is not surprising that adults and children are feeling anxious, sad or frightened. These are normal reactions to such a difficult situation. Children may also be feeling fine and happier that they are not at school. If possible, having time to ‘check in’, and allow everyone to say how they are feeling is helpful, and sometimes knowing they can do that and that they will get a reassuring chat or a hug is enough for children.