Remote Learning

At Hillcrest Primary School, we understand that unexpected school closures, for example due to severe weather such as snow or other unforeseen circumstances, can create challenges for families.

If we need to close the school, we want parents and carers to know what to expect and how we will support children to continue their learning at home.

What happens if the school closes?

Day 1 – No work expectations

If the school is closed for the first day, there will be no expectation for children to complete schoolwork. We recognise that families may need time to make alternative arrangements, and our priority is everyone's safety and wellbeing.

Day 2 onwards – Home learning

If the closure continues into a second day, we will provide children with a timetable of suggested activities and learning tasks.

This will be shared with parents and carers by 8:55am via:

Email
Tapestry (where appropriate)
The school website

The timetable will aim to follow the structure of a normal school day and reflect the curriculum learning taking place in school as closely as possible.

What will home learning look like?

Activities will be appropriate to children's ages and stages of learning.

EYFS and Year 1: Children will be provided with simple, practical English and Maths activities that can be completed at home.
Years 1–6: Children will be able to access familiar online learning platforms, including Times Table Rock Stars (TTRS), Numbots and MyMaths.
All year groups: Children may also be directed towards relevant lessons from Oak National Academy.

We will also encourage children to:

Spend time reading books at home, including school reading books.
Listen to stories online, for example through CBBC or Storyline Online.
Practise spellings and times tables.
Enjoy practical learning opportunities and activities at home.

You will not be expected to print worksheets or other resources. Activities will be designed so that children can access and complete them using resources commonly available at home.

Sharing children's learning

We would love to see what children have been working on!

When we share the home learning timetable, we will also provide the relevant email addresses for parents and carers to send examples of completed work.

This might include:

Photographs of completed activities.
Written work or examples in books.
Typed responses or other evidence of learning.

For children in EYFS and Year 1, Tapestry will also be used to share learning and examples of children's work.

Staff will monitor emails and Tapestry messages between 8:55am and 3:30pm, responding to queries and celebrating children's efforts. If you send work after 3:30pm, staff will respond by 8:30am the following morning.

How can parents support?

We appreciate that every family's circumstances are different, and we do not expect parents and carers to replicate a normal school day or act as teachers.

The suggested timetable is there to provide structure and guidance. We encourage families to:

Follow the timetable as far as is practical.
Support children to have a go at the suggested activities.
Make time for reading, playing and enjoying other activities.
Get in touch with school if you have any questions or difficulties accessing the learning.

Please remember that we understand children may not be able to complete every activity. We value their effort, engagement and enthusiasm.

What if the school closure is longer-term?

The arrangements outlined above are designed primarily for short-term closures, such as those caused by severe weather.

In the event of a prolonged school closure, such as the national lockdowns experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Hillcrest would provide a much more substantial remote learning package.

This would include a more comprehensive programme of learning, with additional guidance and support for pupils and families to help maintain continuity of education over an extended period.