Irlam > COVID-19 > Learning from Home > Learning from Home FAQ's

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?

In the event of students being asked to work remotely they will be expected to start accessing their learning via Microsoft Teams from day 1. Further details of the plans for the move to remote education can be viewed here in the ICA learning contingency plan
What will the provision for remote education involve at Irlam and Cadishead Academy?

All pupils will access lessons remotely via Microsoft Teams and must follow their school timetable - you will be notified if your child fails to attend these online lessons.

Click here for a video reminder of how to access Microsoft Teams or here for written instructions. Please remember to refer to our school website for further support.

Students must be online for 08:45 every morning to attend registration - this is essential for assisting them in being prepared for the day and for their form teacher to conduct well-being checks.
How long will my child’s work take them to complete each day?

Following a slightly shorter form period students will be following their normal timetable so all students will be required to complete tasks online from 8:45am – 10:40am, from 10:55am to 12:35pm and from 13:10pm – 14:50pm each day.

Students may also receive homework tasks at the discretion of their teacher.
Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?

In so far as it is possible, all departments will be following the originally planned curriculum for the duration of home learning. Where this is not possible e.g. because it requires specialist software or equipment, alternative activities will be provided.

If this should become necessary, the long term plans on the website here will be updated to reflect that change.
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?

All of the students have been taught how to use Office.com to access Microsoft Teams which is where all of their online lessons will take place.

There are also reminder instructions in their planner for them to use as a reference guide.

For further information and support please watch this instructional video: https://youtu.be/YqLPHKNlPNw.
My child has forgotten their password what can I do to help them?

In the event that your child has forgotten their password please email stating the name of the student and their year group and informing the team of the password issue.

The technicians will then reset the password and you will be contacted as soon as it is available.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?

In the event that your child does not have a device please email stating the name of the student and their year group and informing the team of the lack of device, alternatively you can call reception in the usual way. Your child will then be added to a waiting list to borrow a chromebook and you will be contacted as soon as one is available to borrow.

Alternatively, should you prefer not to wait or for your child to own their own device outright ICA has negotiated a discount with Green IT as outlined below:
How do I apply for increased mobile data for my child during home learning?

Schools, trusts and local authorities can request mobile data increases for children and young people who:

· do not have fixed broadband at home

· cannot afford additional data for their devices

· are experiencing disruption to their face-to-face education

Children with access to a mobile phone on one of the following networks might be able to benefit: Three, Smarty, Virgin Mobile, EE, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile. Other providers may join the scheme at a later stage, but we are not able to apply to any other provider on your behalf at this time.

Please email [email protected] to request access to the scheme if you think you are eligible and would like Irlam and Cadishead Academy to apply on your behalf.
My child is unable to access their home learning due to illness what should I do?

Although most children are not required to attend the Academy, it is still important that parents/carers inform us if your child tests positive for Covid-19. We can inform teachers if a student is not able to attend online lessons or complete work due to illness. In such a situation, please inform us by contacting or 0161 537 0660.
How will you work with me to support my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with SEND, may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:
- Our teachers will make their online lessons as accessible as possible
- Our SENDCo and the SEND team will continue to adapt resources and provide personalised support so that pupils with SEND can access their learning
- If pupils are unable to learn online because of special educational needs we will provide printed paper packs
- If you would like to discuss this further please contact our SENDCo
My child requires coloured paper as part of their normal working practices. How can I set this up for them on our device at home?

If you are using a computer with Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7 Vista or XP then you can download a free piece of software called “Colorveil” to setup a virtual coloured overlay on screen for your child. They use this software in lessons where they use computers and also have instructions on how to use it in their planner. https://www.aurelitec.com/colorveil/windows/download/

Alternatively, if your child is using a chromebook follow the following steps:

1. At the bottom right, select the time.

2. Select Settings .

3. In the 'Device' section, select Displays.

4. Under 'Night Light', turn on Night Light.

5. Under 'Colour temperature', adjust the colour.
I have a safeguarding concern, how do I report it?

I would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of the additional support still available to you on the Academy Website.

You may wish to consider using the information found on the ICA Academy Safeguarding page, this includes many useful safeguarding links which can be found by clicking this HERE.

Alternatively, you may prefer to contact ICA’s Safeguarding Team directly on . 

If you would prefer you can contact Heads of Year or Form Teachers if you have any Safeguarding concern regarding yours or any other child that attends our Academy and they will inform the Safeguarding Team.
Either me or my partner is a critical worker, can my child come into school during the lockdown?

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 4 January 2021, only children of critical workers and vulnerable children are eligible to attend the Academy. To minimise the spread of infection, parents/carers who are critical workers are urged to only request this provision if it is absolutely essential and their children are unable to engage with remote learning at home. Any requests should be made to a child’s Head of Year who will then discuss the request with the Senior Leadership Team. Parents/carers may be asked for simple evidence that they are a key worker.

If eligibility is confirmed, students must arrive at 8:45 am (no later) in full ICA uniform. Students will be supervised by Cover Supervisors and Teaching Assistants and will access remote lessons on Teams. Students must engage with these lessons and follow the ICA Behaviour policy – parents/carers must collect students if they are unable to follow our simple rules.

To reiterate though, parents/carers who are critical workers should keep their children at home if they can.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
Where small numbers of pupils self-isolate, they will still be provided with the work that pupils in school are undertaking. This will be through a combination of the following:
- Selected lessons taking place in school will be streamed through Microsoft Teams so that they can be accessed at home.
- Lesson recordings with accompanying activities will be provided
- Specific activities will be provided by teachers
Pupils should also still complete homework activities as they will be undertaking work on the same topics as pupils in school
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?

Every lesson the class teacher will take a live register and your child's attendance will be recorded on our school systems.

If your child misses a live lesson you will receive an email from the teacher advising you of which lesson has been missed.

If a pattern of non-attendance at live lessons develops then you will receive further contact from our pastoral team.

Please report all absences to the school absence line in the normal way.

Teachers will also be monitoring the work submitted by students and you will receive an email if we have concerns about the volume or quality of work being submitted.
How will my child be taught remotely?

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

o live teaching (online lessons)

o recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recordings made by teachers)

o printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)

o textbooks and reading books pupils have at home

o commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?

It is our expectation that your child will follow their timetable and access live lessons through teams at the allocated timeslots. You can help your child with this by encouraging them to stick to a routine at home.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?

Staff at ICA will be marking in line with school policy – daily lesson feedback tends to be immediate in virtual lessons with teachers using a range of AfL techniques; including quizzes, whole class feedback, Microsoft forms, interactive mini-whiteboards, to name just a few.

Additionally, students’ work will receive an in-depth response using: WWW (what went well) and EBI (even better if) in the same manner they would in their classwork books for our virtual lessons. For core subjects, in-depth marking takes place a minimum of twice per half term and non-core once per half term. In-depth marking will be in line with the Department’s Long Term Plan to ensure feedback is given on assessed pieces that assist staff in driving future planning.

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