Outlined below is the school’s expectations of providing remote education for children in the following circumstances:

·       When a child is absent due to illness, injury or another unexpected circumstance

·       When a child is absent due to Leave in Term Time

·       When a child is absent because they are on a part-time timetable

·       When the school is closed due to unforeseen circumstances (such as a heating failure or a ‘snow day’)

·       When there is a significant national or international incident (such as a pandemic)

Illness, Injury or Other Unexpected Circumstances

Children may be off school for a number of reasons.  When a child is absent due to an illness, or another unexpected circumstance.  In these situations, there would be no expectation for the school to provide remote education.  It is likely that the child will return to school within a day or two, and will therefore easily ‘catch up’ on any lost learning, potentially with some additional support to do so.

Occasionally, some children with more significant medical needs may be absent from school more frequently.  When absences reach 15 days or more, the school will make a referral to the James Brindley School who would then be involved in providing education for the child should their absences continue to be frequent or more lengthy.  This procedure is in line with the Local Authorities expectations.

Very occasionally, a child may be absent for a longer period due to an injury that prevents them from coming to school for over a week.  In such an instance, the school would remain in contact with the child and family on a regular basis to check on the child’s wellbeing.  Dependent on the injury, the school may provide work packs for the child in liaison with the child’s class teacher; alternatively, the class teacher may provide relevant activities to be completed at home via online networks (such as Class Dojo or Reach More Parents).  In these instances, the class teacher will endeavor to ensure the work provided is linked to the work being provided at school at that time, but also consider the fact that the child may be completing this work without any additional guidance or support.

Leave in Term Time

As a school, whilst we rarely agree requests for Leave in Term Time, we acknowledge that this leave will provide the child with life-long experiences that they can not gain when at school.

Therefore, whilst the child is on leave, the child’s class teacher will make regular contact with the child and their family via online networks.  During this contact, the child’s class teacher may set work or an activity that links with their trip abroad dependent on the purpose and nature of the trip.  For instance, if the child is visiting family members abroad, the class teacher might suggest going on a trip to a nearby town or village and write sentences about it.

Part-Time Timetable

Whilst we endeavor to ensure all children are in school full-time, occasionally, it is in the child’s best interests to be placed on a part-time timetable.  This is often whilst the child is below statutory school age (when they are in Reception), but very occasionally may be in place whilst a child is in Key Stage 1.  Part-time timetables will have been agreed with parents/carers, and would also have been in consultation with outside agents.

When a child is on a part-time timetable, there will be daily liaison between staff at school and the child’s parents/carers.  During daily interactions, school staff will outline what the child has achieved, or is struggling to achieve, during the session at school, and may suggest that the parent/carer works on a specific aspect of development with their child at home.

Closure due to Unforeseen Circumstances

When the school is closed due to unforeseen circumstances, it is highly likely that school staff may be required to ensure that pupils are safely away from the school premises, and that key messages are shared with families regarding the school closure.

In most circumstances, the unforeseen situation is likely to also require staff to vacant the school premises for their own safety, meaning that they are not in their usual working environment and may not have appropriate and necessary materials with them at home.

Therefore, should the school close due to unforeseen circumstances, there would be no expectation for school staff to provide remote education on the first day of closure.

If it became apparent that the school would be closed for a longer period (3 days or more), the Senior Leadership Team would decide upon the most appropriate format to provide remote education to the pupils and would share this information with parents/carers via online networks.

Significant National or International Incident

As is the case when there is a national or international incident, guidance from the Government, Department of Education and/or Local Authority would be provided to schools.  We would use such guidance in order to ensure that we were providing the best possible remote provision for the children, taking into consideration the needs of the families we provide for, whilst also adhering to the guidance provided.