This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
Click to go to the relevant section:
Study Program
Apprenticeships
English & At Risk/SEN
Maths & SDP
Staying Safe Online
The remote curriculum: 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?
Your child can expect full timetabled lessons to take place as per timetable. The tutor will send a link for each session to the group and the online session will begin and end at the times on your child’s timetable. In the session, learning will be developed in accordance with selected course units, tasks and work targets will be agreed and time will be allocated for students to complete set work. This will be marked and graded as is usual.
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?
We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, where specialist equipment is needed that is unlikely to be available at home, teachers have instead selected units that learners can complete at home with basic ICT and internet. Teachers are striving to select the most useful and practically based units that can be delivered online but as many creative arts rely on working in teams and with specialist equipment, this will produce a different experience for students than they would have had in-person.
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
Secondary school-aged pupils working towards formal qualifications this year on study programmes will continue to study for approximately 15 hours per week on tutor led learning.
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Google Classroom is an online platform that allows tutors to upload assignments, resources and templates to each student as well as enabling students to store and submit work for marking and reeive/store feedback. It is well worth parents/guardians familiarising yourselves with your learner’s Google Classroom area so you can view their feedback and progress tracker and support them accordingly.
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. BCT is committed to providing laptops, chromebooks and wifi enabling equipment to any student who does not have access to this at home. Students and parents can report any shortfall of equipment to darren.peers@bigcreative.education or elaine.smith@bigcreative.education. Course resources will continue to be provided on google classroom with all work being required to be completed digitally with no requirement for printing at home.
How will my child be taught remotely?
- live teaching (online lessons)
- recorded teaching (e.g. video/audio recordings made by teachers)
- commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
- long-term project work and/or internet research activities (as per the schools full opening guidance, schools full opening guidance, schools are expected to avoid an over-reliance on these approaches)
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
- As 16-19 year olds, learners will be expected to log on and take part in their online lessons without adult supervision unless there are High Needs support requirements.
- However, as young adults learners would of course benefit from parent/adult input and interest in their ongoing work, so we would encourage parents/guardians to be as actively engaged with the learner’s work as possible
- Where there are any barriers to the learners making progress with online learning, or their attendance for timetabled online lessons, it is expected that parents/guardians contact bctstudentservices@bigcreative.education
- All learners have access to a Progress Tracker which is held in their google classroom area. It is desirable that parents/guardians familiarise themselves both with this tracker as well as the feedback that tutors leave so that you can support your learner to keep on top of and improve their work as well as initiative discussions with the tutor yourself where you feel there are concerns.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
- If learners are not attending online classes, they and their parents where applicable will be contacted as soon as possible on the day to ascertain the reason for absence. As is usual, parents will be notified and involved in progress discussions regarding any learners causing concern with attendance or their work progress.
- Course tutors will update each student’s progress via the course trackers with grades input as they are marked and students causing concern denoted on the tracker and discussed with AJ Kwame to decide on appropriate action. At this stage, the tutor in the first instance will contact parents/guardians to let them know of the concerns and initiate the action plan with parents informed of how they can help the learner get back on track with their attendance and work
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:
- Assessment against unit criteria will take place throughout the unit delivery with student’s formal work marked within 10 working days of its submission.
- There will be ongoing learning checks of learning undertaken by teachers on learning as it is delivered to ensure understanding is achieved.
- Work will be marked formatively as a unit progresses with both verbal and written feedback as appropriate left to help the student improve their work and grades.
- At the end of a unit work will be marked summatively, with a final grade awarded and a formal feedback statement highlighting what the student has done well and what could be improved in future projects.
- Google classroom will be used as the digital platform where all work is submitted and marked and feedback left.
- All units are sampled by another teacher to ensure that the grades awarded are accurate and fair.
- You can request the BCT assessment policy for full details on assessment at BCT. Online learning will continue to follow the policy in full.
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:
- The High Needs Manager will contact the parents of all identified learners to discuss how best to support the individual learner. This could involve the student attending college as normal for supervised sessions or the creation of a learning agreement with you as parent and the tutor so that the learner is supported at home with any additional equipment provided.
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?
Learners who are self-isolating can access their work remotely on google classroom and work from home to develop and submit work for assessment. Tutors will be contactable on email and will make every effort to contact any self-isolating student working remotely to support them with their studies.
The remote curriculum: 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?
Apprentices can expect full timetabled lessons to take place as per timetable. The tutor will send a link for each session to the group and the online session will begin and end at the times on your child’s timetable. In the session, learning will be developed in accordance with selected course units, tasks and work targets will be agreed and time will be allocated for students to complete set work. This will be marked and graded as is usual.
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?
We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, where specialist equipment is needed that is unlikely to be available at home, teachers have instead selected units that learners can complete at home with basic ICT and internet. Teachers are striving to select the most useful and practically based units that can be delivered online but as many creative arts rely on working in teams and with specialist equipment, this will produce a different experience for students than they would have had in-person.
How long can I expect work set by the college to take an apprentice each day?
Apprentices will continue to study for approximately 6.5 hours bi-weekly on tutor led learning.
How will apprentices access any online remote education you are providing?
- Google Classroom
- Google Meet
- Zoom
If apprentices have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
BCT is committed to providing laptops, chromebooks and wifi enabling equipment to any Apprentices who do not have access to this at home. Apprentices or parents can report any shortfall of equipment to their tutor or directly to kate.hammond@bigcreative.education or karl.davis@bigcreative.education
Course resources will continue to be provided on google classroom with all work being required to be completed digitally with no requirement for printing at home.
How will apprentices be taught remotely?
- live teaching (online lessons)
- recorded teaching (e.g. video/audio recordings made by teachers)
- commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
- long-term project work and/or internet research activities/ work placement related activities
What are your expectations for apprenticeship engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
- As 16-19 year old learners will be expected to log on and take part in their online lessons without adult supervision unless there are High Needs support requirements.
- However, as young adults learners would of course benefit from parent/adult input and interest in their ongoing work, so we would encourage parents/guardians to be as actively engaged with the learner’s work as possible
Where there are any barriers to the learners making progress with online learning, or their attendance for timetabled online lessons, it is expected that Apprentices or parents/guardians contact the course tutor in the first instance but can also contact kate.hammond@bigcreative.education - All learners have access to a Progress Tracker which is held in their google classroom area. It is desirable that Apprentices check the tracker as well as the feedback that tutors leave so that they are supported and the learner can keep on top of and improve their work as well as initiate discussions with the tutor yourself where they feel there are concerns.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
- If learners are not attending online classes, they and their parents where applicable will be contacted as soon as possible on the day to ascertain the reason for absence. As is usual, parents will be notified and involved in progress discussions regarding any learners causing concern with attendance or their work progress.
- Course tutors will update each student’s progress via the course trackers with grades input as they are marked and students causing concern denoted on the tracker and discussed with AJ Kwame to decide on appropriate action. At this stage, the tutor in the first instance will contact parents/guardians to let them know of the concerns and initiate the action plan with parents informed of how they can help the learner get back on track with their attendance and work
How will you assess apprentices work and progress?
- Assessment against unit criteria will take place throughout the unit delivery with learners formal work marked within 10 working days of its submission.
- There will be ongoing learning checks of learning undertaken by tutors on learning as it is delivered to ensure understanding is achieved.
- Work will be marked formatively as a unit progresses with both verbal and written feedback as appropriate left to help the student improve their work..
- At the end of a unit work will be marked summatively, with a final grade awarded and a formal feedback statement highlighting what the learner has done well and what could be improved in future projects.
- Google classroom will be used as the digital platform where all work is submitted and marked and feedback left.
- All units are sampled by an internal Verifier to ensure that the grades and feedback is awarded are accurate and fair.
- You can request the BCT assessment policy for full details on assessment at BCT. Online learning will continue to follow the policy in full.
How will you work with apprentices who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
We recognise that some learner, for example some learners 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.
The High Needs Manager will contact the Apprentices of all identified learners to discuss how best to support the individual learner. This could involve the student attending college as normal for supervised sessions or the creation of a learning agreement with the Apprentice and the tutor so that the learner is supported at home with any additional equipment provided.
Remote education for self-isolating pupils
Where individual apprentices need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in college, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching learners both at home and in school.
If an Apprentice is not in college because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
Learners who are self-isolating can access their work remotely on google classroom and work from home to develop and submit work for assessment. Tutors will be contactable on email and will make every effort to contact any self-isolating learner working remotely to support them with their studies.
The remote curriculum: 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?
Your young person will receive communication from their lead vocational tutor Peter or Ruth about how to access online provision and links to directly connect to live lessons. Your young person will be expected to log on according to their usual timetable – all lesson times and durations will remain the same as on site provision.
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?
Your young person will continue to follow the same vocational curriculum where possible. Amendments to the scheme of work, delivery, and qualification aim may be necessary due to practical considerations such as resources and group assessment. All efforts will be made to select modules and assesments units that contribute to stretch and challenge learners, as well as interest and engage them online.
GCSE English language and Functional skills content will remain the same, with an emphasis placed on tweaking delivery in order to support learners remotely. Learners will have one to one access to their English tutors daily between 4pm and 5pm whereby they can book a tutorial slot to receive additional support with completing class work.
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
English learners on GCSE & Functional Skills aims: 1 hour
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
- If you are using online tools or digital platforms, either for delivery or for assessment, please share the names of these resources.
- Google Classroom
- Google Meets
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. BCT is committed to providing laptops, chromebooks and wifi enabling equipment to any student who does not have access to this at home. Students and parents can report any shortfall of equipment to darren.peers@bigcreative.education or elaine.smith@bigcreative.education. Course resources will continue to be provided on google classroom with all work being required to be completed digitally with no requirement for printing at home.
How will my child be taught remotely?
- Real time lessons delivered by lead tutor
- Assignments set on Google Classroom with deadlines, assignments submitted via this portal and feedback received via this portal too (English)
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
In this section, please set out briefly:
- Learners should log in on time for all lessons and communicate with staff if they are unable to log in for any reason
- Parents/Carers should support and encourage learners with SEN/EHCP’s to log in and access remote learning
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
- Deadlines will be set via Google Classroom – learners will be required to submit their completed work by the deadline
- If your young person’s tutor has any concerns regarding their work, lack of engagement or progress they will contact you via phone call and/or email
- Parents/Carers can contact the lead English tutors for feedback via email on their young person’s progress – Ruth.roberts@bigcreative.education Peter.venables@bigcreative.education
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:
- Feedback will be given via Google Classroom in the form of marks and annotation
Verbal feedback can be provided to learners during one to one booked slots
Feedback can also be sent to learners via email - Speaking and listening exams can take place online via Google Meets – GCSE exams are not required to be recorded, Functional skills exams are required to be recorded and stored
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:
SEND
The SENCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead will communicate with all parents and carers regarding their young person who holds an EHCP or is classed as SEN, LAC, or vulnerable. Learners under these categories are classed as vulnerable under the government definition; they will be given the option to attend and receive on site provision – this provision will be heavily condensed and details will be provided to parents and carers prior to their young person attending
EHCP learners will receive direct contact from their support tutors in the form of an email, SMS or phone call at the beginning of each lesson, where they will be prompted to log in to the virtual lessons on time.
A one to one ‘Hangout’ will be set up with a designated support tutor for EHCP learners whereby they will receive tailored and individualised support with their work
Parents/Carers of learners with SEN/EHCP can contact the SENCO or Assistant SENCO for feedback regarding their young person’s progress and support needs Zainab.jenkins@bigcreative.education Savanna.king@bigcreative.education
Safeguarding and wellbeing
It is important for staff to be aware of any safeguarding concerns and acknowledge that these may stem from the home environment; a learner may also make a dis-closure during an online session. Concerns may arise when:
a staff member sees or hears something worrying during an online lesson
a learner discloses abuse during a phone call or via email
Staff members who have concerns for learners will report this to the Designated Safeguarding Lead for further investigation / reporting.
If you have safeguarding concerns for your young person please contact our Des-ignated Safeguarding Lead Amina Sheta:
email: amina.sheta@bigcreative.education
mobile: 07429 776 721
Online Safety
Big Creative Training have produced a letter detailing how to stay safe online. This includes how to report hurtful content and how to set up parental restrictions on home WIFI.
To view this document click here – safety online
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?
Learners who are self-isolating can access their work remotely on google classroom and work from home to develop and submit work for assessment. Tutors will be contactable on email and will make every effort to contact any self-isolating student working remotely to support them with their studies.
The remote curriculum: 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?
- Students all have accounts on Google Classroom. Maths and Self development sessions will move online with immediate effect and google hangout links will be sent by the tutors for the lessons of the day.
- The tutors will post new tasks onto the google classroom and will ask for work to be submitted via the classroom by a specified date.
- Maths work will be set on My maths following the online 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?
Please see below some statements that may be helpful. In this section, please delete all statements that do not apply, and add details if appropriate:
- We teach the same maths and self development curriculum remotely as we do in school.
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
We would expect that students log onto their lessons according to their usual timetable.
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
All information will be available via Google Classroom.
Maths students will be required to complete the work set, via My maths.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
In this section, please provide high-level information (where applicable, and ensuring parents know how to contact the school for further details) about:
- If your young person needs a laptop, please contact bctstudentservices@bigcreative.education
- If you do not have an internet connection please contact bctstudentservices@bigcreative.education
How will my child be taught remotely?
- live teaching (online lessons) for Maths and Self Development programme lessons
- commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
- Online platform My maths for maths students
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
Students are expected to follow their usual timetable and attend all sessions. We expect parents/carers to encourage their young person to attend the sessions and complete the work set.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
- Students will be marked into a register for each session on their timetable, if students are not attending lessons then a member of the student services team will call the student/parent in the same way as they do when we are operating an onsite provision.
- Attendance and punctuality will still be monitored and students and parents will be contacted when there is concern for their engagement.
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:
- Self Development sessions will be marked following submission of work onto Google Classroom.
- Maths work will be automatically marked on my maths and the teachers will review the work completed and provide feedback each week.
- Pupils will receive feedback within a week of submitted work.
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:
- Pupils with SEND will receive the same support as they do within the college via phone or online support during their lessons
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?
Learners who are self-isolating can access their work remotely on google classroom and work from home to develop and submit work for assessment. Tutors will be contactable on email and will make every effort to contact any self-isolating student working remotely to support them with their studies.
Online lessons
Some learners have been asked to access their lessons from home using Google Classroom – an online platform where learners can meet virtually with their tutors and peers. This has been arranged in order to mitigate the risk of covid-19 and ensure that classrooms do not exceed the maximum capacity. It is important for botutors and learners to treat their online lessons as they would if they were to physically attend college.
Expectations of learners accessing online lessons
It is important that learners ensure they are accessing their online lessons in an appropriate manner, we are asking learners to:
- Ensure there is a neutral background if on a video session
- Ensure they are appropriately dressed and ready for the session
- Ensure learners are situated in a quiet space to minimise disruption to the online class from background noise etc.
- Respect their peers and tutors when using the internet to access their online lessons and maintain professional boundaries
- Attend all online classes on time; bursary payments may be effected by lateness and absence of online lessons
Tutors and staff will:
- Ensure contact with learners is kept within college times (9:20-17:00)
- Use company mobiles/ email addresses to contact learners or their parents/carers
- Ensure that when delivering lessons online, their background is neutral and lessons are delivered in a private and quiet space
Setting up WIFI parental restrictions
We encourage parents/carers to set up filters on their WIFI at home to ensure that inappropriate content is not being accessed by devises used by children in the home. Guidance on how to set up parental controls on WIFI from different providers (BT, Sky, Virgin Media, Talk Talk) can be found here: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers/parental-controls-offered-your-home-internet-provider
Government guidance on supporting your child’s education
The government has provided guidance for parents/carers on how to support their child’s education during the coronavirus pandemic. This also includes advice and guidance on supporting your child’s mental health and wellbeing during these challenging times: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19
Child Protection and wellbeing
It is important for staff to be aware of any safeguarding concerns and acknowledge that these may stem from the home environment; a learner may also make a disclosure during an online session. Concerns may arise when:
• a staff member sees or hears something worrying during an online lesson
• a learner discloses abuse during a phone call or via email
Staff members who have concerns for learners will report this to the Designated Safeguarding Lead for further investigation / reporting.
We are currently in unprecedented times and with people confined to their homes due to the global pandemic, we are using the internet more now than perhaps ever before.
We are using online services for many reasons; to access work, research the latest developments or simply to socialise via one of the many popular apps such as HouseParty, Instagram and Zoom.
It is important that we all do our best to use the internet safely and are aware of how to report any untoward or inappropriate content found online. Below are some tips to help you stay safe online throughout the coronavirus pandemic:
Video chat apps
There has been a recent surge of the use of video chat and live-streaming apps since the population are spending more time at home. These apps can be a great way to stay connected to your most loved ones, however, there are also some dangers to using these apps.
It is important to remember that live streams can be screen-recorded and stored on devices- ensure you are acting responsibly and appropriately when socialising using these apps.
Are you using HouseParty or other popular apps to chat with your friends or others online? Ensure you know how to protect yourself by reading NetAware’s guide on staying safe whilst using these apps:
HouseParty: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/houseparty/
Reporting hurtful or inappropriate content online
If, during your online journey you stumble across some upsetting content, it is important that you are aware of how to report the post or profile. You must initially report this content directly to the app (e.g: report a profile or post directly to Instagram via the ‘report’ link).
If you are the victim of online bullying and/or harassment it is also important to report this to the app as well as blocking the profile in which the messages are coming from. We also encourage internet users to report any inappropriate, illegal, explicit, identifying or distressing content to CEOP through their website.
It is important to think carefully about any personal information that might be shared – given many of us will be confined to our homes, boredom could set in and people could find they lower their guard with regards to social media.
You must never share your personal information online with strangers; when you post a photo, video or information online, it’s worth thinking about the type of information that you may be sharing and who has access to view what you have posted.
You can find more information and advice about sharing information online at Childnet.
To speak to a member of staff regarding online safety or to share a safeguarding concern please contact:
Amina Sheta (designated safeguarding lead – DSL)
amina.sheta@bigcreative.education
07429 776 721
Ben Jolly (deputy DSL)
ben.jolly@bigcreative.education
07834 182 380
Useful Links
https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
