Pupil Zone

This area of our website includes learning materials and links to support learning at home in the event of a pupil being in isolation or if classes or phases of the school have to close temporarily for reasons of public health. 

What happens if school closes?

We understand it is vital that learning continues in the event of a school closure. School is able to offer a blended approach to home learning with a mixture of live teaching, videos and the use of portals and internet based learning platforms. 

A daily schedule will be presented with links to our agreed learning platforms and portals so that the children's learning will suffer as little interruption as possible. In addition to this, or if parents prefer it, a paper based learning pack can be prepared for your child. These will be sent out weekly in advance of the schedule being published, so that necessary worksheets and resources are available to complete the tasks set by your child's teacher. You can request a paper learning pack either by direct message on Class Dojo, or via:

enquiry@glenmead.bham.sch.uk                                         Telephone: 0121 4643173

Is the curriculum different if my child is learning at home? 

We teach the same curriculum for Home Learning as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, if you have limited access to the internet and are working from a paper learning pack we may have given you different resources for practising times table facts rather than using Times Tables Rockstars.

How long should my child's learning at home take each day? 

When planning remote teaching, we plan daily activities that should take approximately 3 hours at Key Stage 1 and 4 hours at key stage 2.  

These hours will be made up of: videos to watch, independent practice and assignments, as well as some live teaching at Key Stage 2. There will be a mixture of content; sometimes presented by school staff, as well as some other good quality teaching videos, such as White Rose Maths or some drawn from The Oak National Academy as well as content produced by the BBC.

Does Home Learning rely on the internet? 

A lot of the learning platforms we use frequently in school use the internet. Platforms such as:

• Timetable Rockstars
• Reading Plus
• Purple Mash

If you do not have equipment at home, such as a laptop or tablet that can access the internet, or if you do not have broadband in your family home, please let school know. We will try to assist with this. A laptop can be borrowed from school as part of a loan agreement. The loan agreement will be in place as long as school remains partially closed. Laptops should be returned to school when school opens fully. 

School loaned laptops should only be used for access to learning materials. They should not be used by any other member of the family or for any other purpose. Inappropriate use of a school loaned laptop could result in the laptop being recalled. The loan agreement sets out the expectations for appropriate use, as well as elements of e-safety and how to safeguard against risky behaviours while working online. 

Pupil ICT Equipment Loan Agreement.pdf

How do I hand my child's work in and what feedback can I expect?

If you are working on Class Dojo assignment you can upload the electronic assignment or take a photograph on your mobile phone and upload it to your child's Class Dojo portfolio. Your child's teacher will look at it and make a comment and approve the task. If the work requires improvements, it will be returned in draft form with a gap task. 

If your child is working on Microsoft TEAMS an assignment can be submitted by 'handing it in'. Your children's class teacher will then add comments and gap tasks for improvement once it has been checked. The same applies to 'To Dos' set on Purple Mash. 

Staff will endeavour to give feedback on the same school day, if work is submitted before 4pm.   

What if my child has additional learning needs? 

The SENDCo will set specific work for children with additional needs who require adaptions to the curriculum. These primarily come in the form of a paper pack, but some tasks will link to some of our favoured platforms and portals such as Flash Academy, Lexia or Phonics Play. 

Other kinds of provision

Our Play Therapist, Ms Graham, continued to work with her clients during the  closure of school. Many of the children she works with attended school every day and she is continued to work with them directly in school. However, she is able to offer a remote service via Zoom, for those not in school due to a bubble being in isolation.

Mental and Emotional Health

Anxious about being isolated?

Guide for parents. How to support your child if they are anxious.

Social, emotional and mental health services for Y6 pupils

Guidance for parents - Online Safety while away from school

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/

Click the image for advice and support