Remote Education
Statement on Remote Education
Hereford Sixth Form College will continue to deliver lessons in students’ normal timetabled slots throughout the period of remote education. How these lessons are delivered will vary depending on the nature of the subject. Catherine Brearey (Vice Principal: Curriculum and Quality) is the named Senior Leader with overall responsibility for this strategy.
Each department has written and adapted its own Remote Education Policy, as the specialist nature of the subjects at post 16 level is such that a one size fits all approach is not appropriate. Our teachers are subject experts and highly experienced and it is important that they have the autonomy to plan the best provision possible for their unique subjects. There are some common approaches that are laid out below:
· All departments will have a clear policy on how to deliver remote education that is updated for each period and nature of lockdown.
· The lessons will take place in the normal timetabled slots and for the full number of hours.
· The lessons will take place using the Microsoft Teams platform with some departments using this in conjunction with other remote learning platforms such as Turnitin or the College’s virtual learning environment (vle).
· Teachers will use a range of Remote Learning strategies, which may include, but not be limited to, things such as:
1. Live teacher sessions
2. Recorded teacher explanations and Power Point presentations
3. Videoed content
4. Whole class question and answer sessions
5. Student group work in break out rooms
6. Student individual work
7. Breaks to allow both the teacher and students to concentrate throughout 3 hour sessions.
· Assessment and feedback will be regular and varied including, but not limited to, the use of:-
1. Questioning and answering, using either the chat or the microphones for students to answer.
2. Speaking to each student individually to give feedback as part of a lesson - in a breakout room or a call in a separate channel.
3. Speaking to small groups of students for sections of lessons
4. Peer to peer feedback via discussions in break out rooms
5. Written comments on work that has been uploaded electronically eg. written essays, completed worksheets, photos, videos or audio clips. Comments may be handwritten on work with stylus on touchscreen laptops or typed comments on Teams/Turnitin.
6. Recording audio feedback onto Turnitin or a OneNote page
7. Students taking a photo of their work on their ‘phones and sending a picture during the lesson, so that quick oral feedback can be given.
8. Online quizzes
· Attendance will be monitored by the subject teacher in the first instance. Multiple absences and patterns in absence will be monitored by the Personal Tutor and in extreme cases forwarded to the student’s Director of Studies. Absences will be addressed using a variety of strategies including, but not limited to:
1. Text message to students/ parents
2. Phone calls to students/ parents
3. Investigating underlying causes, including potential issues with technology
4. In extreme cases when the absence is due to students not being able to work successfully remotely, the student will be asked to continue their studies in College.
5. Staff development in the use of technology to deliver the best possible remote learning experience is an on-going project. This includes the delivery of remote CPD sessions as well as in-house video ‘how-to’ guides, 1:1 one support and the use of ‘Education Technology Champions’ to share good practice within the College. Students who are struggling with any aspect of the remote delivery should first seek guidance from their subject tutor, further guidance is made available via the personal tutors and through the tutorial system.