Parents - Frequently asked Questions
School Absences
Sickness
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please report their absence BY 9am using the Studybugs APP.
This is the quickest and most efficient way to let us know of your child's absence and will give you information on how to care for each illness, as the app is designed by the NHS.
If you do not have access to a mobile device, please call the school office, select option 1 and leave a message.
01268 474177
Please also read the document below for more information:
Self Care Information for Children's Illnesses
Holidays During Term-Time
Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to their educational progress. Parents/carers HAVE NO ENTITLEMENT to take a child out of school during term time, however you may apply to the school for leave of absence in exceptional circumstances.
The school understands that work commitments may mean that some families have no alternative but to take their annual family holiday during term-time. We therefore, advise you that holidays taken in June and July are the least disruptive to your child’s education.
Agreement to each request is at the discretion of the Head Teacher, acting on behalf of the Governing Body (Pupil Registration Regulations 2006). If the absence is not authorised, and the leave is taken, the matter will be referred to the Local Authority who may issue a Penalty Notice for £160 (or £80 if paid within 21 days) to each parent/carer for each child taken out of school. Failure to submit a leave of absence request will result in the absence being unauthorised and a referral to the Local Authority who may again issue a Penalty Notice as above.
Requests for leave of absence during May or the first three weeks of September will be unauthorised and may result in a fine being issued .
To request a leave of absence from school, please download and complete the form below and return it to admin@leechapel.essex.sch.uk at least two weeks in advance of the start date of your requested period of absence.
Payments
Making Payments
All payments to school should be made via www.schoolmoney.co.uk This is a much easier to navigate secure service which will allow you to pay for Trips, Dinners, Breakfast Club and Teatime club.
You will have been sent a login by email or text, if you have mislaid it please contact the office. It is important that you keep us up to date if you change email or telephone number, so we can contact you for this service.
For families who only have mobile access to the internet, there is a computer for use in the reception area of the school, where payments can be made. If you need help accessing it, please contact the school office.
Remote Learning
What is taught to pupils at home?
A pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching.
What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?
All children in years R-6 will be provided with login for Google Classroom where they will be added to a ‘virtual’ class and teachers will deliver a combination of ‘live’ and pre-recorded lessons
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?
Children who are being taught remotely, will receive broadly the same curriculum as those in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, where it is difficult to replicate the classroom teaching, adjustments will be made, e.g. PE and Computing.
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:
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Key Stage 1 (Three hours) |
There will be hour long ‘live’ lessons each day for Maths, English and a Foundation Subject/Phonics, each with a task to complete. |
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Key Stage 2 (Four hours) |
There will be hour long ‘live’ lessons each day for Maths, English and a Foundation Subject, each with a task to complete. In addition there will be further lessons such as ‘Big Read’ set for the children each day. In addition, there is a further Big Read lesson set DAILY for all of Juniors. Big Read, is a reading comprehension lesson whereby children read an extract and then answer questions. Each text is age appropriate taken from their recommended reading list at school. The comprehension activity also caters to all learners as each piece is accompanied by a video whereby, they can listen to the text while reading it themselves. |
Accessing Remote Learning
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
All lessons will be delivered via Google Classroom, this is where children can join ‘live’ lessons, view recordings of lessons, complete work and review their feedback from teachers. In addition, children will have access to a number of subscribed sites, as listed later on.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We will take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:
- Where children do not have a device we will, according to supply, provide a laptop on loan. These will be distributed in priority order to these in receipt of Free School Meals, looked after children and those identified as vulnerable.
- Where families have limited access to the internet we will, according to supply, provide additional mobile data SIM cards or a 4G router.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
- ‘Live’ and recorded lessons via Google Classroom
- Logins to access to Discovery Espresso, TT Rockstars, Spelling Shed, MyMaths, Oxford Reading Buddy, Purple Mash and Busy Things
- Resources available on Oak Academy, BBC Bite size and other recommended websites listed at https://www.leechapel.essex.sch.uk/Pupils/Websites-and-APPS/
Engagement & Feedback
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
Pupils are expected to access either the ‘live’ lessons daily or watch the recordings of these lessons, complete and submit all associated work.
To support your child’s learning we expect parents to set routines to ensure that children are ready for lessons
Please refer to the ‘Acceptable Use Agreement’ for ‘live’ lessons for full details of child and parent/carer expectations.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
Teachers are responsible for their virtual class; they will keep a register of those accessing lessons and completing work. All work submitted will be marked and feedback given.
Where children are not engaged in the remote learning offer, parents will be contacted by telephone and email to discuss the reasons.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
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 digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
- During ‘live’ lessons teachers will offer verbal feedback
- All work submitted will be marked and feedback given.
- Work will be set in a variety of ways, including quizzes, multiple choice documents and written pieces.
Additional support for pupils with particular needs
How will you work with me to help my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
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:
- All pupils will be assigned to a virtual class according to ability Teachers will
be alerted to SEND pupils in their class.
- Support in delivering appropriate content will be given by the Inclusion Manager
Remote education for self-isolating pupils
Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
Where the school is open to all and an individual child needs to self-isolate, parents will be directed to the resources available on the remote learning page of the school website.
For full details of our provision, please see the schools Remote Learning Policy, available here: https://www.leechapel.essex.sch.uk/Policies/
