Parent Support – FAQs

Q: How can my child work when they don’t have a laptop?

A: Our provision is web-based and device neutral so it can be accessed on any internet enabled device e.g. smartphones, tablets and even games consoles.

Q: Why has my child not received a laptop?

A: Following the digital access survey of all our students, we have allocated laptops on a loan basis according to who needs it most. Parents will be contacted if your child has been allocated a laptop for loan.

Q: Can my child have access to data?

A: Once we have allocated all laptops, we will look at the digital access survey and make arrangements to support families where we can. A form has been created to collect information from Parents/Carers or students who do not have enough data on their mobile phone to enable them to access their remote learning. This can be accessed on the link below.

Request to increase data allowances on mobile devices to support student’s remote learning – The Radclyffe School

Q: Can my child work on paper?

A: Yes! Our provision should feel like a normal lesson with students watching their lessons on a device and writing in an exercise book/on paper.

Q: Can my child receive a paper pack instead?

A: Before we move a student onto the list to receive paper work we must be sure that we have explored all the options available as they quality of teacher input and feedback is much higher with the online learning. Remote education is accessible for students on any internet enabled device at any time. They can use smart phones, iPads, tablets, games consoles, laptops or computers.

Q: What should it look like when my child is learning at home?

A: They should have their device and an exercise book/paper to follow the lessons and complete the work. They should then complete the Microsoft Form quiz and take a photograph of their work to email to their teachers.

Q: How are teachers checking work?

A: Teachers are checking work is completed through Frog, results from the Microsoft Form quiz and emailed classwork. Teachers will be following up on missed work through emails and phone calls.

Q: How will my child receive feedback?

A: Teachers will provide feedback in a variety of ways. This may include: written comments through emails, a recording or comments on the Microsoft Form quiz.

Q: Why aren’t all the lessons live?

A: We still have large numbers of students who are sharing devices so a pre-recorded lesson ensures equality of access as they can be accessed at any time. The pre-recorded lessons are high quality and provide the normal structure of a lesson in school including opportunities for practice and self-assessment. Teachers are available during the day to offer feedback and support students. They can be contacted by email.

Live lessons have a lot of advantages but are not always the most effective. The research shows that teaching quality is more important than how lessons are delivered. However, we are introducing some live events to help offer the reassurance of having a specialist teacher ‘in the room’, whole class feedback, further expert explanations and answer questions.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/eef-blog-live-teaching-and-pre-recorded-video-lessons/

Q: Where is my Free School Meals voucher?

A: We are now using a system called SchoolVouchers.com to issue vouchers to parents. Vouchers are issued to the Priority 1 contact on Cloud School in the vast majority of cases. Links to the vouchers will be sent to the priority 1 contact’s email address and/or mobile number depending on the details we have stored in Cloud School. We cannot change the details of where the voucher has been sent after it has been issued.

Q: How much are the Free School Meals vouchers worth?

A: The value for the weekly vouchers is £12. This is the value that we were told to issue the vouchers for by Oldham Council.

Q: How do I redeem my Free School Meals voucher?

A: When you receive a link to redeem the voucher, clicking on the link will ask you to enter your email address or mobile number. If the email address is not recognised on the SchoolVouchers.com system it will ask you to enter your name and a mobile number.

A new link will be sent to your email address/mobile number. This link will allow you to access a page to choose the supermarket you would like the voucher for. You can choose from Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Morrisons, Iceland or Waitrose.

Once you choose the supermarket and select “Redeem”, the voucher will then be requested by the system. The voucher sometimes is issued immediately, at other times it can take up to 24 hours for the voucher to be created. You can log back in to schoolvouchers.com again to check for the voucher if it is not created immediately.

In order to use the voucher in a supermarket, get the voucher barcode scanned at the till when you pay for your shopping. If the barcode is not readable, the barcode number and pin can also be entered manually.