Remote Learning Provision
Caldew School Remote Learning Provision
Introduction
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students, parents and carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
(For details on what to expect where individual students are self-isolating, please see the final section of this webpage.)
How are Caldew School Providing Remote Learning?
We have designed our remote learning with our students and their families in mind. We believe that this strategy will work best for the children at our school. We have introduced “Firefly” to deliver any remote learning that may be needed. While the typical school day may be disrupted, learning does not have to be. It will look different, but we believe we can still offer valuable learning opportunities for all students through Firefly.
Firefly is an online Virtual Learning Environment for students, parents and carers. On Firefly, you will be able to access the following:
- Our online classes through video conferencing (Microsoft TEAMS)
- Pre-recorded lessons
- Class learning materials
- Homework details
- Marks & feedback
How will remote learning work for students?
Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13
· Students should follow their daily timetable and will be provided with 5 hours of work per day via Firefly. We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate.
· Work will be available to students at the time of their scheduled lesson.
· Students will receive lesson instructions and tasks via their ‘Task’ section on Firefly.
· The range of approaches we use to teach remotely consist of:
-Live streaming of lessons via Microsoft TEAMS
-Pre-recorded lessons (video/audio recordings made by teachers) which are uploaded to Firefly
-Oak National Academy (or equivalent) lessons that are linked to Firefly. These lessons use interactive video clips, websites and tasks.
· Work will be set to last the duration of a normal lesson (60 minutes).
· All students should have their exercise books for all subjects at home. Work should be completed in exercise books. If exercise books are not available, then paper will suffice. Alternatively, students can contact the school and we will arrange for books to be provided. For some tasks, it will be possible and appropriate to complete the work electronically.
· Some lessons will require students to upload work that has been completed. Some lessons will not require this. Instructions will be set out by the teacher in the task description.
· All students are asked to mark a task as “done” when they have competed all of the work set for the lesson. We will endeavour to contact any students consistently not completing work so please make sure students follow the instructions above to show they have completed the work.
· Teachers will be available during timetabled lessons and throughout the normal working day. Any questions can be asked via Firefly. They can send a message or use the message options on any tasks that has been set. If students are struggling with any aspects of remote learning, please get in touch.
What are students expected to do?
Students will be expected to be able to:
- Log into their school email account.
- Log into their Firefly account.
- Access a Microsoft TEAMS Meeting.
- Access Microsoft Office Tools such as Word/Publisher/PowerPoint.
At Caldew School, students have free access to all of the above. If you have any difficulty with any of these, please scroll down and look at the help at the bottom of this page.
It is important that students engage with remote learning and complete the tasks that are set in order to continue their education and allow them to access the curriculum. We expect students to follow their daily timetable and we expect them to complete the work set for each of their 5 lessons per day via Firefly.
What will students need at home?
- Students will need a device that can access the internet, such as a laptop, desktop computer, tablet or smartphone.
- Students will need certain materials like notebook, pens, pencils, etc.
- Students will also need a quiet space where they can work without interruption.
No Access to Devices/Internet
- Where necessary we may be able to provide a laptop/tablet for students to use to complete their work. There is also the possibility of lending devices that enable an internet connection. If your child does not have any of the above, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can support you.
- Where necessary, we will also provide printed resources, such as textbooks and workbooks, for students who do not have suitable online access.
- We can also organise for students to submit their work to their teachers if they do not have online access.
- Please contact office@caldew.cumbria.sch.uk Or call us on 01228710044 and let us know how we can help.
What can parents and carers do to help?
Parents and carers can make sure that their child can access Firefly and knows their login details and password. Parents and carers can also ensure that students are up, dressed and ready to start the day at the usual time and that they follow the same daily routine. They should log onto Firefly and begin their daily timetable:
Lesson 1 – 9.00am – 10.00am
Lesson 2 – 10.00am – 11.00am
Break 11.00am-11.20am
Lesson 3 – 11.20am - 12.20pm
Lunch – 12.20pm – 1.05pm
Lesson 4 – 1.05pm – 2.10pm
Lesson 5 – 2.10pm – 3.10pm
Assemblies will also take place during registration time and students should look out for messages about these on their Firefly.
We don’t expect parents and carers to watch their child all day, and we wouldn’t expect them to get involved in remote lessons in place of our teachers. But, it would be really helpful if parents and carers can take an active role in their child’s learning by asking them about their day and what work they’ve done.
How will the school check students are engaging with remote learning and how will parents and carers be informed if there are concerns?
Teachers will check weekly if students are engaging with the tasks that are being set on Firefly. Heads of Year will be notified about students of concern and parents will be contacted via text, email, letter and/or a phone call to discuss how we can help to ensure students are engaging in the work.
How will students’ work and progress be assessed?
Our approach to feeding back on students’ work is as follows:
• Methods used to assess and feedback to students - Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via Firefly are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Teachers will ensure Assessment for Learning is used during all live lessons; checking marking will be completed as per departmental policy and students will have Key Assessment Tasks set as per school policy where they will receive a grade and detailed feedback.
• How often will students receive feedback? Students will receive feedback on their work in accordance with school policy, as they would if they were in school.
How will the school work with parents and carers to help students who need additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
We recognise that some students, for example some students 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:
• Teaching Assistants will be assigned to SEND students and will ensure that they can access the curriculum through Firefly and that they have as much help and support as they need. This will be done through communication with parents and carers, phone calls with students and group Teams meetings. Each of our Teaching Assistants will have a dedicated list of students who they will contact daily/weekly (depending on the needs of the child). They will help them with the work being delivered and may also deliver alternative lessons.
• Teachers will set work for SEND students and parents and carers should know that help and support is available to them through the Learning Support Department.
If students are not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
Where individual students need to self-isolate, but the majority of their peer group remains in school, the remote education that is provided will differ slightly in approach. This is due to the challenges of teaching students both at home and in school.
All of the above guidance remains the same for students who are self-isolating. However, the main difference will be the expectations in delivery of the lessons which are as follows:
- Teachers will deliver remote learning via Firefly for students. This will be in the form of constructive written work and tasks.
- In addition to this, at least once every 2 lessons teachers must either:
1. Live stream their lesson (record and upload this to Firefly in case students miss the allotted time).
2. Record their lessons and upload to Firefly.
3. Record a section of their lesson and upload to Firefly.
4. Use Oak National Academy (or equivalent) lessons and link to Firefly.
5. Provide a well-structured PowerPoint/Word Document/PDF which contains clear explanations of content.
- Teachers should also ensure that they assess students using Key Assessment Tasks in accordance with school guidance.
- Teachers should feedback to students in line with school policy on the Key Assessment Tasks and should also check on the completion of work.
What if students/parents and carers are struggling to access remote learning or are having difficulties with the technology?
Please find help and advice on a variety of subjects below:
Logging into the School Email
1. Go to the Caldew School website and click ‘Log In’ at the top.
2. Click on ‘Student Mail’
3. Enter your school email address. If your name is John Smith, it would be: 16smithj@caldewschool.com. The number at the start of the address is dependent on the year you started Caldew. (Year 7 – 20, Year 8 – 19, Year 9 – 18, Year 10 – 17, Year 11 – 16, Year 12 – 15, Year 13 – 14)
4. Enter your password.
What if a student has forgotten their password?
If you cannot access your school email, we will have to reset the password for you. Please call the school and explain that this is the case. We will then change your password and you will then need to follow the instructions above but when you get to point 4, complete the following:
4. Enter the password: Caldew2021! (NB. Capital C for Caldew and exclamation mark.)
5. Once you have logged in, you can change the password to one of your own choice. Please make sure that you make a note of this somewhere safe.
Logging into Firefly
You can access Firefly from your PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone. Our website URL is:
https://caldew.fireflycloud.net
Students have been given their details to on how to gain access, however, the instructions are as follows:
1. Go to the Caldew School website and click ‘Log In’ at the top.
2. Click on “Caldew Firefly”.
3. Log in to Firefly with your school email and Firefly password.
What if a student has forgotten their password?
If you have forgotten your Firefly password, type in your school email address then click ‘Forgotten your password?’.
Go to your school email and log in. You should have received an email to reactivate your Firefly account. This will then allow you access to Firefly and will also allow you to create a new password.
The Firefly App
There is also a student app for iOS and Android should students wish to keep track and access all work set via a mobile device or tablet. Students can download the Student App: For iOS from the App Store / For Android from Google Play.
The school code is caldew. (You are required to type this in when downloading the app)
Further information on how to use the app can be found here:
Students app overview & documentation - Firefly Help Centre (fireflylearning.com)
A helpful video guide is here:
https://helpcentre.fireflylearning.com/students/app/ios/getting-started/quick-tour
Accessing Microsoft Office for programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel.
When students log in to their school emails they can take advantage of Microsoft Office. All students have access to the programmes. Once they log in through the school website this is what they will see.
If they click on the links it will open the programmes for them. When saving documents, it will save them to their “one drive”. This means they can save all of their documents to one place and know they are safe.
Using Microsoft TEAMS
If teachers are delivering a live lesson, then they will send a link through Firefly to Join Microsoft TEAMS. Students can access this in the tasks section of Firefly. There will be a link in the task section which looks something like this:
Students should click on the link and join their lesson. Once on TEAMs, there are various instructions to remember. Please watch the following video for some handy tips!
During live lessons, students should be mindful that everyone can see them so they may want to consider what they are wearing and where they are. Lesson etiquette remains the same. No students should be in pyjamas or inappropriate clothing. Students should use the ‘blur background’ feature when participating in any live lesson where possible. Some live lessons will be recorded and if this is the case, cameras MUST be switched off.
How should students conduct themselves online?
· All students have signed an acceptable use agreement.
· Students should only use their school email account when contacting teachers and joining online lessons.
· Students should dress appropriately and ensure their background is blurred or they have a blank background behind them. Cameras should be switched off if the lesson is being recorded.
· Students should be mindful of their behaviour and language. They should follow the Caldew Code of Conduct as they would for lessons in school.
· Students should not take photos/screenshots/recordings of anything provided by the school such as live lessons or recorded videos.
If there are any safeguarding concerns, students should contact their trusted adult in school or Miss Howson (Designated Safeguarding Lead).
Please click on the following link for guidance for parents/carers and students on taking part in live lessons and online safety.
LINK TO ONLINE LEARNING GUIDANCE
The Basics of Firefly
Finding the work set by teachers:
Students will receive lesson instructions and tasks via the “Tasks” section on Firefly.
Click on each of the tasks set for a full description of what to do.
Marking tasks as done
When students have completed a task they need to let teachers know. To do this:
1. Go to the task.
2. Choose “Mark as done”.
Please watch the following video for a tour of the basics. This includes:
-A quick tour
-Viewing your tasks
-Marking tasks as done
-Submitting work
-Viewing your marks
IT Support
We are offering a support service to students who are unable to access their school resources. We will be able to help with login issues for School Email, Firefly and Office365.
For support, please email:
ITsupport@caldew.cumbria.sch.uk
A technician will contact you as soon as they can. Please provide as much information as you can in your email, including your login name, and screenshots if possible. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR PASSWORD.