Information for parents and carers tosupport children’s emotional health,wellbeing and learning at home

Powys DistanceLearning Plan

www.powys.gov.uk

education@powys.gov.uk

01597 826422

twitter.com/powyseducation

facebook.com/PowysEducation

Dear Parents / Carers,

First of all, I would like to say a hugethank you for all the work you are doingin supporting your children with theirlearning at home.

Your children have now been at home forsix weeks, and it is possible that thecurrent arrangements may continue forthe foreseeable future.

The Education Minister has made itclear that until it is safe to reopenschools, they will remain closed.

Therefore, we have to find different waysof delivering teaching and learning. Thisis a challenge for us all. The WelshGovernment has issued guidance for allparents which can be found on thefollowing link:

https://gov.wales/covid-19-guidance-parents-and-carers-support-families-stay-safe-healthy-and-learning

There is also a support page on theWelsh Government’s Hwb, the digitalplatform for learning and teaching inWales.

The Hwb provides you with guidance andplaces to find activities for your childrento do that are safe. You will need yourchild’s username and password to accessHwb, you will then be able to access thelink: https://hwb.gov.wales/distance-learning/distance-learning-tools-through-hwb/parents-and-carers/

We are working very hard with ourschools to ensure all learners areequipped for distance learning. I would like to thank our headteachers,teachers and support staff for the workthey are doing in preparing for distancelearning as well as their invaluable workin the emergency childcare hubs. It is stillearly days for this new way of workingand you as parents, your children, andteachers alike are rebalancing, finding anew rhythm, and essentially still makingthe changes in these unprecedentedtime. With each week that passes thischange will feel more like the new normfor us all. By working together - parents, children,headteachers, teachers, governors,elected members and officers at thecouncil, we can ensure that your childrenare safe, well and enjoying their learningduring this time. Once again, thank you for all you aredoing. Keep safe.

Message from Cllr Phyl Davies Cabinet Member for Education and Property

You are there to parent – to provide your children with a safe andhealthy environment in which they can work on what their teachersare sending them

You can support your children to learn just by being there and by givingthem your encouragement, you do not need to act as home tutors

You are not expected to cover the normal school day, give support andguidance to your children as and when it is appropriate during the day

Be guided by what the school is setting for your child. Teachers will beensuring that tasks set are age and ability appropriate, and withinreasonable time limits

Let your children do things on their own as well – encourage them to beindependent, particularly as they get older, such as in upper primaryand secondary school

You know your children best and know the time and support they need

Talk to your child about the work they’ve been doing and take aninterest in what they’ve been learning

Learning is not all online - there are lots of things that your childrencan do in the house and garden that will help them learn - from books,drawing and other creative activities, to cooking and gardening,television and radio

Not every day needs to be the same – make distance learning work foryou

Remember that your children are learning all the time, and being inschool is just part of that

If you have any concerns about your child and their distance learning,you should contact your school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please be reassured we are not expecting you to home schoolyour children during this period - you cannot take on theteacher role or deliver the school day in your ownhome:

Sharing andcollaborating It is important that schoolswork together to create suitablelearning resources, as well as share relevantresources and good practice with eachother.

Teaching All schools are ensuringthat teachers and teachingassistants are committed to thePowys Distance Learning Plan. Forexample, by preparing appropriatelearning materials, monitoring work andfeeding back to pupils as well ascontinually reviewing what is in place. This will be carried out mainly through aprogramme of online distance learning andwill help to develop digital teaching skillsusing a variety of tools.

We have been working closely with Welsh Government, ESTYN, our regional partners,headteachers and school staff to develop this new way of learning. We have put together a Distance Learning Plan which sets out the way forward for learningduring the coronavirus outbreak. We are providing a range of learning opportunities acrossthe curriculum for all of our children and young people and are working hard to ensure thatthey can quickly catch up when our schools reopen.

Connectivity It is important that we makesure all pupils can continuelearning by having access to a PC / laptop /tablet, as well as the relevant software andconnectivity. An audit of learners who are having difficultywith access to learning has been carried outand plans put in place to mitigate any issues.For example, by issuing laptops and otherdevices and providing support forconnectivity.

Learning and learners Schools are working hard to review theircurriculum plans to ensure that thereare planned learning opportunities forall pupils. The local authority and theERW region are supporting schools withtheir planning. This is to make sure thatit is consistent with the curriculumrequirements of the national Continuityof Learning plan.

Powys Distance Learning Plan

The plan includes:

Wellbeing The wellbeing of pupils and staff is a keypriority. Schools will check in regularlywith learners and their families, especiallypupils with Additional Learning Needs,vulnerable children and harder to reachgroups. 

Communications Effective communication is important,and schools / teachers will be keeping inregular contact with families during thistime.

Leadership andManagement Effective leadership and management arevital to delivering this plan, as well as interms of making sure schools continue tofunction during this period and for whenthe time comes forschools to reopen. There is also a range ofweb-based training thatschool staff can accessto continue to improvetheir skills and knowledge.

Further advice / support If you have any issues or concerns inrelation to your children’s continuedlearning, your school and teachersremain your first point of contact. Yourhead teacher will be able to give usfeedback and if there is any additionalsupport needed, we can look into it. We would urge parents to please stay intouch with their schools, let them knowhow you are getting on and send somephotos too. We also want to thank you for yoursupport and co-operation at this time, weknow it isn’t easy especially when you areworking or have to care for others too.

Distance learning support Distance learning support on Hwbincludes a range of tool and resources tohelp you with learning activities as well aslinks to advice on health and wellbeing. It is suitable for use from nursery ageonwards. Your child will have been givena login and shown how to use it in school.If you have young children, you will havereceived login details and information onhow to access Hwb from home. A number of support videos have alsobeen developed to help parents usingHwb, including getting started withlogging in and how to use the range ofdistance learning tools available.

Welsh Government - Stay Safe, Stay Learning Welsh Government has published information on its Stay Safe, Stay Learning:Continuity of Learning plan on its website. This includes further guidance and advicefor parents during the coronavirus pandemic.