* Updated January 2021 - Our response to Covid-19 & Remote Learning

We would like to wish all our families the very best at this difficult time. We recognise how challenging the most recent school closure (for all but children of critical workers and vulnerable children) must be for all families. We are missing all the children and parents a great deal. Thank you for the kind words of support and understanding at this difficult time. You can reach us via the office email or school phone number if you have any questions regarding the communications and the learning on Seesaw. Please do not hesitate in contacting us for anything concerning you at this time, or if you simply just want to talk. 
 

Kind regards, stay safe and keep in touch,

Miss Harrington

Remote Learning  

If in the event that a child or year group bubble need to self-isolate due to a COVID outbreak or in the circumstance of a local or National lockdown, The John Wesley CEM Primary School will offer immediate remote education. For those still at home, it is important to engage as much as possible for continuity of learning for both the children in and out of school.

Accessing Remote Learning

The way we will do this is via Seesaw for Schools, which is a learning platform. Seesaw for Schools will enable teachers to:

• Set learning activities daily for children to access in a range of different subjects
• Support your child to learn at home and offer continual contact with our staff 
• Provide frequent and clear explanations of new content. This could include using a range of teaching methods, including voice clips or pre-recorded videos of instructions (our teachers, White Rose or Oak Academy), written instructions or powerpoint presentations (with or without voice overs).. This vital feature will enable pupils to see or hear their teachers daily.
• Teachers will also be able to give individual feedback to work submitted, which will in turn give motivation to children and support with their ongoing progress.

All our children have remote access to Education City, Accelerated Reader, TTRS and Purple Mash. If you cannot access any of these or Seesaw, our Computing Leads can help you – Please contact the office for further help. The Computing Leaders will also help monitor engagement alongside the class teacher and SLT.  Please also keep up to date with the Class webpages and communications via Teachers2Parents.

We ask that parents ensure that their child complete their learning and upload it back onto Seesaw for teachers to look at, provide feedback or further support if appropriate and to inform their future planning. 

We are following guidance that advises that delivering 'live' lessons is not the most appropriate option for primary aged children but hope that the activities on Seesaw, pre-recorded audio and videos and our regular telephone calls and our twice weekly Teams ‘Catch-Up’ sessions will allow you to access learning at a manageable time for your household bubble whilst still maintaining contact with our staff.

Using Seesaw on Your Computer or Mobile Device

Seesaw works well on any computer or device. For the best experience, bookmark SeeSaw for Schools (app.seesaw.me) on your computer or download the right version of the Seesaw app for your device and your pupils' devices for access anywhere.

Log in details 

Each child have been given a paper copy of a ‘Home Learning Code’ so that they can access Seesaw and Remote Education at the beginning of March 2020 and then again at the beginning of September 2020.

If you have any trouble with the set-up, please get in touch with school office, via email or telephone.

Seesaw will also be used within lessons so that children can create class blogs, their own personal journal and record of learning over the year. Your child may add the things we work on in school (including photos, videos, writing learning, drawings and voice recordings) to their Seesaw journal. There are numerous exciting features that the staff will explore and use over this academic year.

Remember it is important to get involved in non-screen activities at home too.

* From February, we decided we needed to timetable Screen Free Time from 11am on a Friday to allow everyone to step away from the computers and screens and complete other activities.  There are lots of things you can do. Here are just a few suggestions below. Please see newsletters for further ideas and teachers will suggest others on Seesaw for you.

Exercise

It’s important to keep exercising.  Try star jumps, lunges, stretches, running, hopping, jumping on the spot or outside if you have an outdoor space. Don't forget PE with Joe Wicks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Access to Technology

Please get in touch with us if you do not have access to suitable digital technology to access Seesaw. If this is the case, we will look at your situation and either organise for paper copies for those children or try and provide digital technology from either school’s existing technology or from the Department of Education (DfE) through its Get help with technology programme. 

Keeping children safe online

Please refer to our Safeguarding and Online Safety Webpage.