Meet the DfE Remote Learning Expectations with LbQ!

The DfE has recently published a list of expectations for schools during the latest national lockdown. That’s another whole set of responsibilities on top of a workload that is constantly evolving, changing and growing.

Don’t fear though, as LbQ is here to make sure that you are well-equipped to meet all of these expectations. Below we detail the expectations and how we can help:

1) Set assignments so that pupils have meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects.

LbQ allows you to set daily assignments and see how your pupils are doing in real time! Ensuring that pupils have meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects.

Though our system is not a replacement for great teaching, it is a wonderful accompaniment and can be used as an introduction, plenary or review. Our resource cover maths, English, and science as well as cross-curricular reads covering geography and history. We create content that is relevant to everyday life – black history, women in science, climate change, pupils emotions during the pandemic.

2) Primary schools should ensure pupils have three hours' work a day, on average, across the cohort. Secondary schools should ensure students have four hours' work a day, with more for those working towards formal qualifications this year.

With LbQ you can set lessons that cover the minimum amount of work required for your pupils in minutes, whether that be three hours for Primary, or four hours for Secondary.

LbQ also works wonderfully alongside MS Teams, Zoom and Google Classroom. Our Question Sets have approximately 30 questions, which is much longer than the standard worksheet. You can set three Question Sets running simultaneously, and there is no limit to how many sets you can run in a day! Children can access set at a time of the day that’s convenient and still fulfill the DfE quota.

3) Provide frequent, clear explanations of new content, delivered by a teacher or through high-quality curriculum resources or videos.

With LbQ, the teacher remains in control. They can carry on their teaching with high-quality digital resources that are aligned with the national curriculum.

Again, LbQ works wonderfully with other delivery and messaging systems such as Seesaw, MS Teams and Zoom. LbQ also offers immediate and constructive feedback to every pupil's answer – rather like having a teacher on their shoulder. Our Question Sets are scaffolded, so pupils build up knowledge and skills from basic understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Our resources support and stretch learners so they fully understand a concept before moving on.

4) Have systems for checking, at least weekly, whether pupils are engaging with their work, and inform parents immediately where engagement is a concern.

Teachers can see on their live Results Matrix when each child logs on and how they are progressing. Children who do not log in, or don’t complete questions are easily identified and teachers can intervene as appropriate.

5) Gauge how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum using questions and other suitable tasks.

As LbQ automatically marks the work and saves the results, teachers have clear evidence of what their pupil’s have learned, where any gaps might be and what they might focus on next.

LbQ also has Question Sets that cover ‘End of Topic’ and ‘Ready to Progress’ so we make it as easy as possible for our teachers to ascertain whether their children are ready to move on with their knowledge and skill.

6) Provide feedback, at least weekly, using “digitally facilitated or whole-class feedback where appropriate".

We have instant feedback! Each LbQ question provides instant, constructive feedback straight to the learner. Feedback is also delivered by the teachers using LbQ. Using the information from the Results Matrix, teachers can see who needs their help and why.

7) Enable teachers to adjust the pace or difficulty of what is being taught in response to questions or assessments, including, where necessary, revising material or simplifying explanations to ensure pupils’ understanding.

LbQ Questions Sets are scaffolded to ensure that every pupil moves at a pace that suits them, whilst our teacher matrix helps teachers identify gaps in learning before they go unnoticed.

Central to the design of LbQ was the principle that teachers should be in control – not algorithms. LbQ gives teachers the information they need to make decisions about their class and every pupil in it.

Effective Remote Learning

Addressing these expectations is a priority, but remote learning is at its most effective when it works for both the teacher and the pupil.

However, providing effective remote learning is easier said than done. There are a number of barriers to overcome:

You can see how LbQ helps you overcome these barriers to remote learning success here.

With the right teaching tools, remote learning can be seen as an exciting new educational frontier, as opposed to a daunting, new problem.