(Part 1 of a series of informative blogs)

As we enter lockdown 3 with most students and teachers now in a home learning environment (with exceptions of key workers etc.), the requirement to provide a robust home remote learning platform for students is key. As the Government Guidelines state:

“Your school or college will make appropriate arrangements for you to be able to continue your education at home.” This is similar for pupils with SEND, where the government guidance states: “Schools should work collaboratively with families, putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils with SEND can successfully access remote education alongside their peers”. Therefore, schools might need to think of bespoke and creative ways to support children with SEND remotely.

There are several areas to be considered when providing remote learning for pupils these include:

  • Statutory obligations and expectations
  • Safeguarding
  • Good teaching practices and resources
  • Getting help with technology
  • Supporting with SEND
  • Support for recovery and catch up

Let us take a closer look at Getting help with Technology:

The government have been issuing free laptops and tablets to schools across the country, ensuring that disadvantaged children are able to continue learning now that face to face learning is disrupted.

With a requirement to maintain learning allocating these devices as quickly as possible is key, however before this can be done, they will need to be configured to work with the school’s platforms and virtual teaching medium whether ZOOM Microsoft teams or Google Classroom.

The Minefield of Laptops and Tablet Configuration

Do the devices have DFE settings installed already or not?

  • Depending on your answer they will need to be configured differently, DFE settings provide a ‘one size fits all’ solution designed to block harmful content.
  • Devices without DFE safeguarding settings installed will have the manufacturers factory settings and can be configured to the schools our standards, with your preferred software and settings

How will you manage the settings and software?

  • If you are using Microsoft devices, they will come with Windows 10 Education operating system already installed including antivirus software, content filtering and remote management settings already in place.

These are two examples of where effective ICT support will enable your school to respond quickly and effectively during this ever-changing time. The key here is to remove the headaches and as mentioned previously enable the teachers to teach and the learners to learn.

Find out how we can work collaboratively with you to find the right solution for your teachers and students…. For more info email pipthomas@azteq.com

Our next Blog will focus on how to manage remote Learning from a technology perspective.