Important information for pupils and parents/carers on remote learning using Microsoft Teams

 
We encourage all pupils to begin familiarising themselves with Microsoft Teams from Monday 20 April. Although Class Charts will remain our main learning platform for the time being, we envisage moving all remote learning to Microsoft Teams in the near future.

During this pilot of Microsoft Teams, when staff and pupils gain experience and working knowledge of the application, the chat, posting, and video call functions will be disabled to allow teachers to support pupils in a safe and structured way. We will review pupils’ use of Microsoft Teams by end of week beginning Monday 27 April with a view to determining the date when all learning can be set using Microsoft Teams.

To help prepare for using Microsoft Teams, please take some time to watch the training links below. If you have any questions, please also read the help documents in Microsoft Teams. If you still require help and support with IT access please email helpdesk@garthhillcollege.com

For Parents/Carers:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/distance-learning-with-office-365-guidance-for- parents-and-guardians-89d514f9-bf5e-4374-a731-a75d38ddd588?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

For Pupils:

Signing into Microsoft Teams: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/remote-learning-with- office-365-for-students-eea3ee92-ba42-4217-90d4-155f9a5477e4

Working as a team: 4 short video clips: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/true-teamwork- in-microsoft-teams-c724a033-092c-4ccd-96af-286a29a0757e

Assignments: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/review-return-and-turn-in-assignments- using-the-feedback-loop-63e5efdd-be09-47f0-87ea-e8e4bcb45aa4

We will keep you updated on the progress of this pilot and plans to move all learning to Microsoft Teams.

How can my child access MS teams on our Apple computer/phone/iPad/device?

MS teams can be accessed using the Webmail link on the website. Once your child has logged into Office 365, all Microsoft applications are free for use and can be found on the top left 9 dots, titled app launcher of any Microsoft Office web page.  

My child is unable to access Microsoft Teams.

Please watch this short guidance video: Garth Hill College Website, webmail and MS Teams

Alternatively, please email helpdesk@garthhillcollege.com

Some work is set on Class Charts, some on MS Teams – which should I use?

All work is being set on both Class Charts and MS Teams. This is duplicated so that families can choose the best platform to suit their own personal circumstances.  We would, however, encourage you to use and submit work on Microsoft Teams as this allows for a better interaction and communication with pupil and teacher.

Can I access the sessions on other devices?

The posting facility for sessions can be accessed via a smart phone – students can download the APP and then follow the same instructions to join sessions.

How should my child complete and submit work?

Your child can complete the work in their book, on paper, or using any Microsoft Application. These are all free and available once you have logged into Office 365. Once the work is complete it should be uploaded to MS Teams using the following guidance document:

Handing in an Assignment

Regarding the Microsoft Teams additional support timetable, does this mean there is only one teacher available to support the whole cohort at that time e.g. year 8 English is Thursday 9.15-10.15?

One or two teachers are available per Team but students should email their subject teacher if they require any more support. Please remember that some teachers may be on shift in College.

If my child cannot access the support at that time, what should they do?

Microsoft Teams is set up by subjects and year groups so staff who are allocated to teach a class will be available to engage with students.  The questions asked by each student are stored on the “chat” with the teacher response so that all students can access the support.

Can my child contact a member of staff at a different time to the lesson timetabled on MS teams?

Staff will be available on MS Teams at different points throughout the school day.  MS teams sends a notification to the member of staff that a message has been received and staff will endeavour to respond as soon as possible. Students can also contact their teachers via email.

Please note: FOR SAFEGUARDING PURPOSES, STUDENTS MUST ONLY CONTACT TEACHERS USING THEIR SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESS.  Staff have been advised not to respond to personal email addresses.

Does my child have to attend all the timetabled live support sessions? Does my child have to be present in all of the sessions?

Not necessarily. You may have an alternate schedule or still using the original school timetable.  If students need help, these are the times available to ask questions, and join the subject chat forum. We recommend students communicate as frequently as possible with their teachers.

My child is finding it very difficult to access all the workbooks/PPTs/documents being sent.

As the process of home learning develops, staff are becoming more familiar with resources to support learning. All staff have been asked to ensure that work is appropriately differentiated. If this is not the case please email the class teacher who will be able to provide further support.

My child is finding it difficult to complete all of the work in the 60 minutes?

• As a College we have asked staff to set work which typically should last 60 minutes. Your child may take longer to complete some of the work. They should do as much as they can in 60 minutes but if they prefer to divide it into two 30-minute sessions, that may help.
• Assessments should be completed in line with all department assessment schedules and submitted to the teacher.

My child is finding it difficult to access the work as the content is very ‘heavy’. Are there are other resources which could be used to support the learning?

• Where possible, staff will reference resources other than PowerPoints workbooks to support the learning taking place.
• Oak Academy has provided resources nationally for all cohorts from Reception through to Year 10. They offer a variety of online lessons which can support learning: Https://www.thenational.academy/onlineclassroom ; BBC Bitesize has also relaunched its site with some excellent online resources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize.  

Please follow the work set by GHC staff as the topics available as they may not all link with our current curriculum.

My child is concerned that he/she will be in trouble if they do not complete the work.

• Our main priority is to support your child in accessing and engaging with the work. We will follow up to ascertain what is preventing them from accessing the work and provide support if necessary.
• We are very grateful to parents/carers for all the support and encouragement you are providing and understand the challenges that you may be facing.
• Please do let us know of any concerns by emailing your child’s Head of House or Form Tutor.

Will my child receive feedback on work completed?

• Where possible, activities set have included mini-quizzes and tests to ensure that students receive immediate feedback. Some PowerPoints will also include answers so that students can self-assess.
• Longer project activities and the work set in line with assessment schedules will have deadline dates and feedback will be provided when these are submitted.
• Some tasks will have specific submission dates so that staff can feedback. This will be dependent on the subject.
• Staff would be very happy to receive photos of work to review, although there is a free scanning app which could support this (Microsoft Office Lens - PDF Scanner).
• Only assessment in line with the schedules will have particular feedback in the form of WWW and Go green activities set. All other work submitted will be acknowledged.

How often should my child log onto MS Teams?

• All students should observe the MS teams additional support timetable for the year group and aim to be available for these sessions. Students can log on at any time during the school hours of 9:00-3:00 if they want to post to a member of staff and ask for help. Staff receive a notification a message has been sent and will know to respond.

How can my child submit work on MS teams?

• Guidance on how to submit work on MS teams can be found at the following link and the ‘how to’ video' link can be found in the bulletin dated Friday 15.05.20.