With the latest government guidelines published on January 1, Somerhill must remain closed to pupils from Reception upwards until 18 January, at which point this will be reviewed. As outlined in our previous 'Somerhill: In Readiness' document, we will commence school via the Home Learning Programme from Thursday 7 January.

Reception - Year 2

Reception to Year 2 will continue their education online and via Tapestry. You will receive TEAM invitations from your class teachers who will deliver lessons and support online throughout the day.

Your child will be taught by their class teacher, supported by the TA. Lessons will include maths, english, phonics and the creative curriculum. For those unable to access the online sessions, recordings will be available after the event.

We are very aware that home learning has its challenges and we plan to offer selections of activities and lessons and you are welcome to choose as little or as much as you want to do. There is no pressure to do it all or attend all live sessions.

Class teachers will start the day with a meet and greet at 9am and they will end the day at 3.15pm on TEAMS so that your child can, if you wish, check in with their teacher. There will also be two recorded assemblies a week and opportunities for hot chocolate online catch-ups and class TEAM social lunches.

Reception classes will also have online lessons; however, we appreciate they will need more support with TEAMS. Core subjects will be delivered live and recorded so you can access at your leisure. Your teachers will be available online to support you as parents and carers with more activity-based learning.

The Timetable

All core lessons will have a teacher and TA present to assist in a virtual classroom. Woodland and PE will be also be offered as activities. Further activity challenge cards and links to support online learning will be available via our website home learning portal.

There are workshops to support parents as well as pre-recorded curriculum guidance for phonics, handwriting, reading and maths. There are also pre-recorded story banks for all age groups.

Please see timetables for each year group below.

RECEPTION

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

Children need plenty of outdoor time as well as opportunities for independent learning. The school model of timetabled lessons doesn’t work so well, when every lesson has to be an online learning experience, with young children forcibly glued to a screen all day. Therefore, in order to fit around parents’ busy schedules and to provide the right balance, all live TEAMS lessons will be recorded so they can also be accessed at your convenience.

This will mean that in a day, you may find that your child has two or three live sessions to log into, which may not run consecutively.

PDF SPP TIMETABLES

Learning Packs

Pre-Prep children will be provided with:

• Exercise books
• Handwriting books
• Abacus workbook
• A4 Whiteboards and markers (show me boards)

We will be in touch with more detail regarding collection of the packs.

Tapestry

Tapestry is an excellent way to upload your photographic evidence and creative curriculum work for your teachers to feed back to your children. You will be able to upload work to Tapestry for marking and feedback.

Learning Support

All learning support and teaching assistants will continue to support classes. To ensure appropriate safeguarding of individuals, there will be recorded 1:1 sessions and small group sessions will be organised in order to continue specific interventions with those children who are currently receiving support. This support will continue to be with a familiar learning support teacher or assistant.

Welfare of Pupils

Your child’s welfare matters enormously to us. In order for your child to have quality time talking through their learning and wellbeing with their class teacher, they will have access to PAWS (Pastoral and Wellbeing Sessions) during the week. If a child needs more time to talk with their class teacher, this can be arranged.

The school counsellor remains a part of the Somerhill team. If for any reason you felt your child was struggling with self-isolation or lockdown, then please contact your child’s teacher regarding more specialised support.

IT Support

Whilst your child's Form Teacher is the first port of call for anything regarding their learning, for IT glitches and support, please direct your query to our friendly IT team via portaladmin@somerhill.org, not the Form Teacher.

Next Steps

• TEAM links will be organised by your class teacher
• Resources and activities will be online
• Abacus and Purple Mash and our E reading scheme is available

If you are finding it difficult to access any part of the programme, please contact your child's Form teacher. This learning is not 'cover' lessons, or filling in. It is a direct continuation of their usual scheme of work from school, delivered online.

Looking Ahead

At this stage, we cannot know how long this lockdown restriction may be enforced. The Senior Leadership Team at Somerhill will assess and review lockdown learning. Modifications can and will be made if it is necessary. We have to be prepared for the possibility of an extension to the lockdown period.

We have every confidence that children will make the most of their Home Learning Programme and we very much look forward to welcoming them back as soon as it is safe to do so.

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