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Remote Learning

Remote Education: Information for parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents/carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home. It has been produced on the basis of staff consultation with reference to guidance from the DfE and OFSTED (2021)

In order to ensure that learning is continued, irrespective of lockdown and self-isolation, Montpelier has developed the following plan.

This plan offers high quality and broad remote learning opportunities with a mix of online and offline resources.

Year groups have been kept in class bubbles to minimise the number of pupils being isolated at any one time.

We recognise that younger pupils and those with SEND may not be able to access remote education without adult support and so a range of activities will be offered and the remote learning curriculum will be age appropriate.

This plan will be applied in the following instances:

  1. An individual is self-isolating because of a positive test within the household;
  2. A class group/ bubble of children are self-isolating because of a case of coronavirus in one bubble;
  3. A whole cohort is self-isolating because of an outbreak of coronavirus
  4. The whole school is closed due to a national lockdown

Accessing remote education

How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?

Children will remain in contact with the school through Purple Mash and online lessons through Microsoft Teams.

Teachers will set appropriate work in-line with our current curriculum, primarily supplemented by a range of resources such as Oak Academy, White Rose Maths. Power Maths, IXL, Read, Write Inc. And Oxford Owl.

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?

We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:

  • The school has a number of devices that are available for families to borrow. The school keeps a record of families that have requested devices and will prioritise requests. Families should email requests to the admin email address admin@montpelier.ealing.sch.uk
  • All pupils attendance will be recorded and if pupils are not present for remote learning lessons or do not complete activities set, they will be contacted by the school to ensure there are no technical difficulties and offer support to help the family to access learning online


How will my child be taught remotely?

We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:

  • live teaching (online lessons)
  • recorded teaching (video recordings made by teachers)
  • textbooks and reading books pupils have at home
  • printed paper packs produced by teachers for short term isolation periods, if no online access is available (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
  • commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
  • project work and/or internet research activities

Engagement and feedback

What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?

  • If a pupil is well, the school expects each child to actively participate in all the scheduled live lessons. Pupils should log on five minutes prior to the start of the lesson, to ensure they are punctual and there are no technical difficulties. Pupils should wear their school top and try to work in a quiet area of the household or wear age appropriate ear-phones to support concentration
  • Pupils should complete all activities set on Purple Mash each day by the deadline given and ensure they upload any work they have been asked to, so teachers can assess the work and offer feedback to the class or individuals.
  • Parents should support their child to establish a clear routine for accessing remote learning during school days. Ideally, they will provide their child with a quiet working zone and ensure movement breaks and exercise breaks are built into the day. We recognise that all pupils are individuals and therefore may require different levels of support and guidance from parents. We would suggest that parents gauge whether it is best for them to support their child during the live lessons and with set activities, or discuss the work with their child after they have attempted it independently first. We also recognise that this may depend on parent working patterns and demands at home and that every families’ circumstances are different.


How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?

  • The school will take daily registers for live sessions and log any concerns regarding engagement. Parents and carers will be informed by a text or phone call by a member of staff if their child is not present for the morning sessions.If there is an ongoing issue with pupil engagement, a member of staff will contact the parent and carer to discuss further.

Core offer for Montpelier pupils

How will you assess my child’s work and progress?

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, verbal feedback may be given during live lessons, whole-class feedback or quizzes may be marked automatically via digital platforms or electronic stamps and stickers may be used to indicate to pupils a positive acknowledgment of work or an improvement needed. Written comments will be offered for some completed work and we would encourage pupils to discuss these with parents and use these to make improvements and celebrate success.

In mathematics, the teacher may share the answer sheet on Purple Mash for pupils or their parent to mark their work (in class this is done through peer assessment.) Pupils maybe asked to share their results via Purple Mash or write a self-reflection of how they find the tasks so that the teacher is able to amend each lesson accordingly. End of unit Power Maths assessments may be used and pupils asked to upload their assessments for teachers to review.

In English, pupils will be asked to upload samples of writing for the teacher to assess and assessment information will be used when planning future lessons. Handwriting and spelling can also be assessed using these samples. Y1 – Y6 will be asked to complete spelling activities online. It is difficult to assess pupils’ reading remotely, but reading comprehension will be assessed through set activities and guidance will be given to parents about what pupils should be reading and how often.

Daily Contact

Year group Blogs will offer pupils the opportunity to communicate with their teacher through blog messages each day. This will be used as a teaching aid as well as a motivational factor and may be used differently for each school phase.

In the event of any form of self-isolation, parents must understand that engagement in home learning is compulsory. To support parents and pupils with remote learning, Montpelier will ensure that their provision is available and accessible to all. However, if children themselves are ill then they should not be expected to engage in home learning. We understand that home learning may present challenges for different learners and different families and encourage those who are experiencing challenges to inform the school so we can put additional support in place.

In preparation for home-learning, parents and children need to receive logins and passwords for the following platforms (likewise teaching staff, parents and pupils need to be familiar with them):

Individual logins required:

  • Teams emails (this will eventually allow access to Teams)
  • My USO to access Purple Mash
  • TT Rockstars
  • IXL


No login required:

  • Read Write Inc
  • Oak Academy
  • White Rose Maths

Remote Learning

For any pupils isolating, the school will make best endeavours to teach pupils at home the same curriculum content that they would have received if learning in school.

Additional support for pupils with particular needs

We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils 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 pupils.

For pupils with SEND, their teachers are best-placed to know how the pupil’s needs can be most effectively met to ensure they continue to make progress even if they are not able to be in school due to self-isolating. The requirement for schools to use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the pupils’ special educational needs remains in place. The school aims to work collaboratively with families, putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils with SEND can successfully access remote education alongside their peers. We will endeavour to do the following:

  • The school will provide consolidation/differentiated activities for pupils to complete for English and mathematics
  • Where children would normally receive additional 1:1 support from teaching assistants the school will endeavour to provide differentiated work and the TA will make regular contact to see if there is any further support needed.
  • If any child does not engage in the remote learning, the class teacher or another member of staff will call the parents and carers to discuss obstacles and offer support.
  • Where a pupil has provision specified within their EHC plan, it remains the duty of the local authority and any health bodies to secure or arrange the delivery of this in the setting that the plan names. However, there may be times when it becomes very difficult to do so, for example, if they are self-isolating

Provision for periods of self-isolation or school closure

The initial response to any self-isolation will be to notify parents by email and provide parents with an overview of the expectations for home learning and how to access the daily resources provided by the school.

An individual pupil needs to isolate because someone in their household is symptomatic or tests positive
  • Parents will be referred to the whole school remote learning blog on Purple Mash where an overview of work for the week will be available. Year groups may also upload additional resources and activities on the year group blogs.
  • Where possible, pupils will be given their Power Maths Practice book, reading books and other key resources to support during self-isolation.
  • School office to contact parents to ensure a test has been taken and to make sure that parents know to communicate test results to admin@montpelier.ealing.sch.uk
  • If a child is entitled to benefit-related free school meals, they will be prioritised for access to a school device where one is unavailable at home.
  • If a child is vulnerable in any way, the DSL or deputy will ensure that appropriate agencies are notified and arrange for regular checks via a phone call from the DSL, senior member of staff or a designated member of staff known to the child.
  • If a child does not engage, the class teacher is to call the parents to discuss obstacles and offer support.
A class group of children are self-isolating because of a case of coronavirus in their class bubble
  • Senior staff will send an email to the parents to explain the reason for self-isolation and to inform them of the home learning expectations and date pupils should return to school.
  • In the case of whole bubble isolating, resources will be posted on Purple Mash. Where possible, pupils will be given their Power Maths Practice book, reading books and other key resources to support during self-isolation.
  • The school will provide daily resources for the group. These resources will be posted on Purple Mash. Daily plans will consist of:
    • A mathematics lesson (a live lesson where possible)
    • An English lesson (a live lesson where possible)
    • Additional lessons focusing on at least one other curriculum area
  • The Class teacher may also share links to appropriate lessons and resources from: White Rose Maths or Oak Academy National lessons. Teachers will then be accessible to children through Purple Mash so that any issues can be resolved for a whole class or small groups.
  • Completed work should be shared through Purple Mash or completed on paper and uploaded when requested. Teachers may ask parents to scan or photograph a completed piece of work to enable more precise feedback. Those children that need additional support following feedback are to be directed to the daily Teams Meeting with attendance expected. Feedback in this way may be for individual pupils or groups of pupils of similar attainment and the feedback may be provided by a teacher or teaching assistant.
  • In the event of teachers becoming ill, senior staff or Heads of Year will be required to take over the responsibility for the isolated class. When this is the case, daily contact may not be possible however links to online learning will be shared and engagement would remain compulsory.
  • School office to contact parents know to communicate test results to admin@montpelier.ealing.sch.uk
  • If a child is entitled to benefit-related free school meals parents may contact the school for additional support if isolating.
  • If a child is vulnerable in any way, the DSL or deputy will ensure that appropriate agencies are notified and arrange for regular checks via a phone call from the DSL or senior member of staff or a designated member of staff known to the child.
  • If a child does not engage, the class teacher or another member of staff will call the parents and carers to discuss obstacles and offer support.
    Where children would normally receive additional 1:1 support from teaching assistants the school will endeavour to provide differentiated work and the TA will attempt to make regular contact to see if there is any further support needed.
  • Where children would normally receive support from SEND agencies, the SENCo + Inclusion Lead will make best endeavours to make arrangements for those to continue via Teams or telephone, so long as the agencies and parents are able to engage.
LOCKDOWN - School closed to all except children of key workers and pupils deemed to be vulnerable
  • Senior staff will send an email to parents to inform them of the home learning expectations. A year group timetable giving an overview of the week in relation to live and recorded lessons will be sent to parents. This is to support parents with scheduling support for their child whilst managing other demands. Specific details of each lesson will be posted on the year group blog.
  • Each group will provide a detailed daily blog on Purple Mash for the planned curriculum. Daily plans for Year 1 to year 6 will consist of:
    • A live mathematics lesson on Microsoft Teams with supporting resources and activities posted on Purple Mash. This will typically follow the Power Maths scheme.
    • A live English lesson on Microsoft Teams with supporting resources and activities posted on Purple Mash.
    • A reading activity for pupils to complete.
    • A phonics or spelling or handwriting activity for pupils to complete.
    • One or two lessons focusing on other curriculum areas. These may be live or recorded
      lessons with additional activities for pupils to complete.
  • Daily plans for Nursery and Reception will consist of:
    • A live session with a mathematics or English focus
    • A recorded phonics session
    • Additional activities to promote learning through play
  • Completed work should be shared through Purple Mash or completed on paper. Teachers may ask parents to scan or photograph a completed piece of work to enable more precise feedback.
  • In the event of your child’s teacher becoming ill, daily contact may not be possible but best endeavours to maintain quality remote learning will be made by other members of staff and remote attendance and engagement will remain compulsory. If capacity is severely reduced in terms of staffing levels then the school will use the Oak Academy resources and ensure pupils have access to these until capacity increases to resume the remote learning outlined above.
  • If a child is entitled to benefit-related free school meals parents will be informed about how to access this during the school closure.
  • If a child is vulnerable in any way, the DSL or deputy will ensure that appropriate agencies are notified and arrange for regular checks via a phone call from the DSL, senior member of staff or a designated member of staff known to the child.
  • If a child does not engage, the class teacher or another member of staff will call the parents to discuss obstacles and offer support. This could be in the form mentoring, regular catch ups, written or verbal guidance. This will apply to all children including those with SEND.
  • Where children would normally receive 1:1 additional support from teaching assistants the school will endeavour to provide differentiated work and the TA will attempt to make regular contact to see if any further support is necessary.
  • Wherever possible, pupils requiring a high level of 1:1 support will be offered the opportunity to attend school.
  • Where children would normally receive support from SEND agencies, the SENDCo will make best endeavours to make arrangements for those to
    continue via Teams or telephone, so long as the agencies and parents are able to do so.

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?

The remote education provided should be equivalent in length to the core teaching pupils would receive in school and will include both recorded or live direct teaching time, and time for pupils to complete tasks and assignments independently.

The amount of remote education provided should be, as a minimum:

  • Key Stage 1: 3 hours a day on average across the cohort, with less for younger children
  • Key Stage 2: 4 hours a day

Safeguarding and wellbeing

Ensuring safety

There are clear safeguarding protocols in place to ensure pupils are safe during remote education. It is essential to have and communicate clear reporting routes so that children, teachers, parents and carers can raise any safeguarding concerns in relation to remote education.

Online safety

Online safety is of paramount importance for all our pupils. We ask that parents review the settings on the devices being used by pupils to ensure that they prevent pupils accessing anything that would not be age appropriate. We also advise that children of primary age use devices under the supervision of parents/carers. Please see http://www.imontpelier.com/esafety/ for further information about online safety and refer to the parent and pupil expectations for online teaching that was provided by the school. If you require a copy of this, please contact the school. If parents/carers or pupils are concerned about anything relating to online safety, they should contact the school immediately to raise these concerns and they will be prioritised and addressed.

Behaviour and attitude

There are clear rules for behaviour during remote lessons and activities which have been communicated to parents and carers and pupils. Teachers will monitor and enforce these and will contact parents and carers if there are any concerns over pupil’s online behaviour and attitude.

Pupil Wellbeing

During a school or class closure there are regular opportunities (Team Up) for pupils to catch up with school staff and other pupils, on Teams and on the year group blogs. Teachers and pupils will have the opportunity to share success during these sessions, as well as in some lessons.

The school also plans a weekly whole school assembly, which is posted on the whole school blog. Pupils are encouraged to engage with this and contribute comments or reflections. It may be appropriate, for some pupils, to have 1:1 or small group sessions with a familiar staff member.

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