Frequently Asked Questions

We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school. In addition, the online learning timetable will also include a daily 20-minute live workout led by our P.E Teachers. We believe this is important to ensure all pupils are given daily exercise. We strongly encourage all parents to take part in the daily live workout sessions too.

We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly 5 hours and 15 minutes per day.

We use Microsoft Teams for all online lessons.

Pupils can access this platform using:

• laptop
• computer
• Xbox
• PS4
• smart TV
• smartphone

A user guide on how to use each device above to access Teams is provided here. Each pupil has their own individual login information (if pupils forget their login details then they should contact [email protected] via email and this information will be reset). Each pupil login will have access to Office 365; Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc. All work set within online lessons will be completed using the office packages. If a pupil is unable to access a device or the office packages, paper based work will be provided and a home learning book to complete the work.

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.

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.

All pupils that do not have a device or internet access at home can contact us and we will do our best to provide a device. This will be prioritised in the first instance for examination year groups and SEND pupils, this will be coordinated by the Assistant Headteacher – Assessment/Data. Those requiring support will be contacted by a member of staff to discuss the individual requirement for each pupil. If you feel you require support, please contact [email protected].

Pupils who do not have a device will be loaned a laptop. Pupils who do not have internet access at home will be given a Vodafone 30GB SIM.  

Pupils who do not have access will be given printed information that can either be collected or posted home (please be aware that if it is posted then this may cause a delay in specific learning time).  

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

• All lessons will be live and a teacher available to support throughout the lesson.
• Real time interaction via email;
• Recorded teaching (e.g. video/audio recordings made by teachers);
• Printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets);
• Textbooks and reading books pupils have at home;
• Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences e.g. Seneca and BBC Bitesize.
• Electronic Teaching and Learning tools such as Quizlet, Kahoot for online polling/questioning.

Your child will be able to access the content and activities for each lesson on Microsoft Teams. The lessons will be held following an adaptation to their regular timetable and will involve contact via Teams. Students will be able to interact with their peers and their teachers and complete their work. The lessons over Teams are created, designed and delivered to specifically cater for the online environment.

Students should continue to reach out to teachers for help and clarification via email or in the agreed manner. Counselling support and learning support provision will continue, and meetings via Teams can be arranged by emailing [email protected]

Depending on the subject, summative assessments may be able to be completed at home, or in the case where this is not possible, the assessment will need to be delayed. There may be some materials that need to be sent home so that the students can continue with their work, such as in Art or photography. If this is the case, the student should email their teacher with what is required and we will do our utmost to accommodate the request for materials to be sent home.

A Teaching and Learning Team and the Headteacher oversee the content and delivery of the online lessons. The deputy Headteacher oversees all welfare calls/meetings via Teams.

Pupil Expectations

Pupils should follow their allocated online learning timetable. Engagement should occur for all subjects, in the form of an assignment, live lesson or response to feedback. All of this will take place via Teams or through hard copy material posted home. If students are ill or require other arrangements, parents should contact the school as per our normal absence reporting policy. All online learning timetables are available on the website here.

Parent Expectations

• Where possible make sure pupils have a suitable space to work from.
• Help with developing a routine at home e.g. following the pupil timetable.
• Allow pupils access to wifi and devices during the day to support pupil progress.
• Support with school expectations related to live lessons and remote learning.
• Contact the school if the pupil is unwell and cannot take part in the school day, as per our attendance policy.
• Parents should not interact with teaching staff during live lessons - and should be aware that all lessons will be recorded.

Pupils will be monitored by their form tutors, subject teachers and Heads of Year and this will follow our usual whole school behavioural policy.

All pupils are expected to follow their current timetable and they should access work and assignments via Teams. During every live lesson, an attendance register will be taken during the first 5 minutes of the lesson.

Parents will be informed of non-attendance during this time and the pupil will have an unauthorised absence. Unless the school has been informed prior to the lesson, using the attendance policy.

If engagement becomes a concern a phone call home will take place. If, however, the pupil is not engaging in multiple subjects, then a member of SLT will phone home to inform parents and carers and address the matter seeking to support and enable improved engagement.

Arena Academy is committed to monitoring our Remote Education provision and will use different tools for monitoring such as:

• data on student engagement from digital learning platforms – Teams and Insight
• feedback from students, parents, and teachers help us understand how the plan is impacting student,
• family and teacher experiences, and to provide information on what we can do to support.

Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children.

For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via Teams and other digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others.

Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:

• During live online lessons pupils will have the opportunity for immediate oral feedback and have the opportunity to respond through their own questions or responses to questions, just like they do in the normal school environment. Not every piece of work is formally assessed or receives feedback, but all pieces returned are used by the teacher to plan future teaching.
• Activities, assignments and quizzes will be set on a regular basis to keep track of knowledge and understanding, and progress being made.
• When feedback has been given electronically, it is expected that pupils respond to this feedback to inform the subject teacher of their knowledge and understanding.
• Automatic marking of some tasks will also be collated and the results of this will reflect immediate feedback for each pupil.
• Sometimes, we will ask students to take tests in test conditions. We ask you to encourage students to stick to this, as we need accurate information on what students have learnt. This allows us to adapt our teaching to support those who do not yet understand the work.

Students should continue to reach out to teachers for help and clarifications in their usual way of communicating with their teacher. Counselling support and learning support provision will continue.

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 in the following ways:

If you have a student who is on our SEND register, they will have a member of the welfare team who will be in regular personal contact.

• Work for these students will be suitably adapted by class teachers.
• SEND students who do not have the resources at home to access materials online will be prioritised when we loan out devices for school use.
• Students who receive additional support for EAL or Learning Support, will continue to do so. each student's provision is student specific - please reach out to the SEND Team for any queries.

In many respects, individual students isolating will have the same experience as when they are isolating in a group.

They will still be expected to be online at the start of lessons, and they will follow the same curriculum as those in school to ensure they do not fall behind.

Work will still be set on Teams and will need to be submitted on Teams as well. However, due to the time demands of producing individual resources for both students in school and those at home, there may be some difference in the type of support made available.

Please remember, students are encouraged to contact the teacher via email or Teams if they need any help in understanding their work.