Important Update: Remote Teaching from 6th January
An important update regarding Remote Teaching from 6th January
Dear all,
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night, I am writing to confirm that all students will switch to online learning from Wednesday 6th January. I am sorry for the flurry of communication while the government has constantly changed its plans in the last few weks.
I have included below some guidance on our online learning provision, which I would ask you take a few minutes to remind yourself of. As you will hopefully know already, we set five hours of video-based lessons every day throughout 2020’s lockdown, and we will do the same this time. I am absolutely determined to make sure this lockdown does not damage your child’s education.
Most of our students completed all of these lessons every day, and made great progress as a result, so please encourage your children to do the same this time.
We can also offer support if you are struggling to access the lessons, or don’t have enough devices for your children to access the internet. There are further details below, but please don’t hesitate to email [email protected].
Families who are eligible for Free School Meals will receive vouchers for the equivalent amount during lockdown. We will be in touch later this week with further details. If your circumstances have changed, and you think you may now be eligible for Free School Meals, please visit www.hphigh.co.uk/fsm
Children of key workers who are unable to remain at home are still able to attend school as per my previous letter. If you need to register your child for this provision, please email [email protected]
Additionally, mass testing of all students will not be taking place. Students coming in for Key Worker provision will be tested during the day. Please refer to previous messages if you need to give consent.
I know that students who were due to sit exams this year will be particularly anxious, and I will be writing separately to all Year 11 and 13 students and their families today
Please also note that vocational exams scheduled for Year 11, 12 and 13 this month will go ahead – we will contact affected students directly today with further information.
Finally, I’d like to share with you what I discussed with staff this morning. There’s an old saying – it’s always darkest before the dawn. This is where we are now. I know that many of you, and your children, will be bitterly disappointed to be going back into lockdown, after sacrificing so much in 2020. But this time, there is light ahead. With vaccinations being rolled out, I hope that we can look forward to getting back to normal in a few months.
In the meantime, we have your childrens’ backs. We will do everything we can to make sure they continue to learn, and we will all get through this together.
With best wishes to you and your families,
Mr Farmbrough
Headteacher
Frequently Asked Questions
Below, we’ve compiled the most common questions about remote learning. There is more information on the technical support part of our website, which can be accessed here.
How can I get to Google Classroom?
There are two main ways:
- On a computer, by going to classroom.google.com
- On a phone or tablet, by downloading Google Classroom from the App Store
How do I logon to Google Classroom?
1. Go to classroom.google.com and click “Go to Classroom”
2. Enter your username and click Next. This is the username that you use to log into computers in school, for example [email protected] (the first three letters of your surname, the first three letters of your first name, a dot, and the year you joined HP)
3. Enter your password and click Next. This is the password that you use to log into computers in school.
4. If there is a welcome message, read it and click Accept.
5. Click “I'm A Student”, then click “Get Started”.
If this doesn’t work – or you are asked to enter a code, you are probably logged in to a different google account (this accounted for most of our technical queries last year). You can change your account by going to accounts.google.com/AccountChooser
What devices work best for Google Classroom?
We recommend using a laptop or computer if possible. Phones and tablets are helpful for taking photos and watching videos, but a larger screen and a physical keyboard are advantages. If you are looking to purchase a device, we recommend Google Chromebooks; they are relatively cheap and simple laptops, but work very well with Google Classroom. There is no need to purchase a more expensive device.
We do have a limited number of devices we can loan to students. Please email [email protected]. Please note, we do not have enough devices for all students, so please also consider whether any friends or relatives have old devices they may be able to lend you.
Which lessons should be completed?
Once you have logged on to Google Classroom, you will see all of your classes. If a lesson is due to be completed that day, the class will show a lesson which is labelled “due today”.
You can also click on “To Do” to see all lessons which you have not yet completed.
Please note, lessons will not appear until 08:00 on the day you should complete them.
Homework (consisting of Hegarty/Sparx, Tassomai, Bedrock and Low Stakes Quizzes) should also be completed as normal
Which subjects are set each day?
For now, please follow your normal timetable.
From Monday 11th, this may change slightly; you will be able to view your updated timetable by clicking here.
How do I complete my lesson?
Once students have found their lessons, they will need to complete three tasks before the lessons is considered complete:
- Complete a Low Stakes Quiz. This is normally an online quiz, with results going directly to the teacher.
- Watch the main video lesson. During this lesson, students will be asked to either complete work in their books and upload a photograph of this work, or complete the work as a Google Doc which they save online.
- Complete an Exit Ticket. This is usually a second online quiz, so that the teacher can assess their progress in the lesson.
Where should students complete work?
For now, students should work on paper / complete lessons electronically on Google Docs.
From Monday 11th January, students will be able to come to school to pick up a home learning pack consisting of spare exercise books, a planner, and knowledge organisers. Details will be confirmed nearer the time.
As a parent, how can I see how my child is getting on?
Most feedback will be left on Google Classroom, rather than sent directly to parents.
Parents have the option to sign up as a Guardian. This lets you see the work your child has submitted for yourself. If you haven’t already signed up, you will receive an invite on Wednesday 6th January.
We will also contact you regularly by phone for a more general update on your child's progress.
If you don’t receive this, please email [email protected]
I've been told that my child hasn't completed their work, but they say they have!
We can only see what work is submitted to us. Most of the time, if a student believes they have submitted work but the teacher hasn’t received anything, it comes from one of the mistakes below. Please check whether they have made any of the following mistakes?
- Most commonly, it is because a student has clicked the “Mark as Done” button on a lesson, but has forgotten to upload the evidence of their work.
- It may also be because they have, by mistake, uploaded a blank document instead of a photograph of their work / their work completed electronically.
- The student has not completed all three elements of the lesson (LSQ, Uploading work, Exit Ticket)
How can I contact staff or get more help?
Most staff will be working from home, so please do not call the school. You can either contact staff through Google Classroom, or directly via email.
If it is a technical query (e.g. unable to logon), please email [email protected]
For queries about the work, please email your child’s teacher.