Remote Education

(Guidance taken from DfE ‘Providing Remote Education’ (August 2024))

Prioritising attendance

Attendance is essential for students to get the most out of their school experience, including for their attainment, wellbeing, and wider life chances.

Remote education is not an equal alternative to attendance in school. St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School would consider remote education only as a last resort when the alternative would be no education. Remote education can have the benefit of allowing absent students to keep on track with their education and stay connected to their teachers and peers.

Our first priority would be to work closely with students, parents, carers, and any other relevant partners such as the local authority, to remove any barriers to attendance.

The only scenarios where remote education will be considered are:

· The closure of St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School, or restrictions on attendance, where school access for students is restricted.

· Individual cases where a student is unable to attend school but is able to learn.

School closures or restrictions on attendance

Every attempt will always be made for school to remain open and ensure students can be taught in person, in school, or if appropriate and possible, attending a safe alternative site.

After exploring all options to ensure the school remains open to all students, there may still be some exceptional occasions when the Headteacher decides it is not possible to open safely, or where opening would contradict guidance from local or central government. If restricting attendance for students is the only viable option, we would consider providing remote education to help students stay on track with the education they would normally receive.

To facilitate remote education, St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School uses the Microsoft Teams platform, and/or Class Charts, which parents and students both have access to.

Individual cases where a student is unable to attend school but is able to learn

There are strictly limited circumstances where a student is unable to attend school but is able and well enough to continue their education remotely. These circumstances will only involve a short-term absence and relates to students with an exceptional medical need. In some instances, a third-party tutor may be used, who will be from vetted and approved organisations only.

In these circumstances, remote education would be part of a plan to reintegrate back to school, and only when it is judged that providing remote education would not adversely affect the student’s return to school.

Work to be completed

Work provided during periods of remote education will aim to be high quality, meaningful, ambitious, and cover an appropriate range of subjects to enable students to keep on track with their education.

Where students have access to appropriate devices, remote education might include recorded and / or live direct teaching time, as well as time for students to complete tasks, reading, and assignments independently, depending on their age and stage of development.

Online video lessons will not necessarily be recorded by teaching staff at school. High quality lessons developed by external providers such as Oak National Academy may be provided instead of school led video content.

Delivering remote education safely

Keeping children safe online is essential. St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School remains committed to safeguarding all students during periods of remote education.