SMC Study -Learning from Home Spring Term 2021

2nd January 2021

Following the government announcement of a further period of national lockdown it has been confirmed that schools will remain closed to the vast majority of students until at least February 22^nd (after Spring half term). During this period, we are committed to providing all students with a full remote curriculum which follows their established timetable throughout the week.

Remote learning

This will include a blend of significant live teaching each day for all years with staggered opportunities to work away from a device through structured independent activities. The proportion of live teaching will relate to your child’s stage of education and the subjects they study. Our aim is to engage children in their learning with an appropriately balanced provision, which effectively promotes relevant knowledge and skill acquisition across the curriculum. Assessment and feedback will continue in line with established expectations but there may be some adjustments to the way particular tasks are completed or shared and individual teachers will guide students accordingly. There are opportunities provided for tailored physical activity to promote health and wellbeing and a suite of additional support is available through our community SMC Study area (guidance for how to access this can be found below). All students will also receive regular contact with personal tutors who will provide a further point of access for families to seek any advice, guidance or support as required.

All pupils have received training in the use of our online platform and the majority will have some experience of engaging with it at home over the course of the pandemic. If you are new to the process, instructions for getting started can be found in the documents at the bottom of this page along with the relevant guidance for use of the remote platform. If there is any reason why your child is struggling to access meaningfully with our remote offer, then please get in touch with their Year Office at the earliest opportunity so that we can support you in addressing specific barriers.

On site provision for the children of critical workers and vulnerable pupils

For those parents who work in critical sectors (list here), children can be supervised in school to complete the same work as their peers when it is not possible for them to supported at home. Arrangements will be consistent with previous periods of remote learning. It is important to note that there will be no school transport available and therefore, arrangements will need to be made for children to safely arrive at school no earlier than 8:15am and leave the site by 3:35pm.

If you require access to this provision to support your role as a critical worker, please complete the latest electronic form (link here) to provide details. If you have missed the deadline for submission of the latest booking form or there are any changes to your circumstances after places have been confirmed, please contact admin@smchull.org .

Free School Meals

Parents/carers of pupils eligible for Free School Meals will receive vouchers via e-mail if their children remain at home. Post-16 students will receive these in the same way as during the recent rota system. Alternatively, where pupils are attending school there will be an appropriate food offer available at the start of the day as well as break and lunch times.

External examinations and controlled assessment

All planned external examinations and controlled assessments have been cancelled at St Mary’s College in the interests of the safety and well-being of our community. We are waiting on guidance from the government and awarding bodies on arrangements for students affected and will communicate with you directly in due course. We have been reassured that no student will be disadvantaged by the cancellation of examinations and external assessments during the national lockdown.

Who to contact?

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with our online learning at home, please email helpdesk@smchull.org or you can telephone the school on 01482 851136 where your query will be passed on to the relevant year team.

If you have any questions or queries about the remote learning, or have any concerns about your child, please do not hesitate to contact the year teams on the emails below:

• Year7Office@smchull.org
• Year8Office@smchull.org
• Year9Office@smchull.org
• Year10Office@smchull.org
• Year11Office@smchull.org
• SM6Team@smchull.org