Independent Work FAQs
We have received a large number of questions with regards to independent working during the school closure. In order to bring some clarity the following FAQ’s have been put together. The list will be amended with more information where necessary, so we would ask that you keep checking over the next few days and weeks. For those students who were in school last week, this information has already been relayed to them by their form tutors and they have all been provided a short guide on how to access the resources.
What work does my Son / Daughter have to complete?
All work has been uploaded to the Independent Work area for all Year groups and students have been provided with a copy of a short guide on how to access these resources plus parents were also e-mailed a copy earlier in the week. The guide can also be found within the Independent Work link above.
Year 7 and Year 8 work has been set as per their form class timetable. Students do not have to follow their timetable and can choose to work in any order they wish. i.e. Complete all English work first, then Maths etc. We are not expecting students to sit at their computer from 9:00 until 3:00.
For all other year groups, work has been set per subject. Students will know which subjects they study and again, can choose to complete in any order they wish.
The work currently set will take students up to what normally would have been the Easter half term i.e. two weeks. More work will be set for after Easter, but the current work will still be available to view just incase students didn’t get everything finished. We appreciate that the health of our students and staff comes first and that all students may not get all work completed in the two week window, but they will still have access to the work from previous fortnightly assignments to go back to at any time.
Work can be completed electronically, in student work books or on paper.
What do I do when I complete the work?
At this stage, please save all your work until your teachers request the work to be sent onto them. Some staff have already indicated within the independent work diaries to e-mail these across to them as soon as you have finished.
My Son / Daughter does not know their logon details.
The logon details to RM Unify are the same details that your Son / Daughter would normally use within school each day whilst using the computers. i.e. their username will look something like 16jones.b and their normal password.
A large number of students appear to be using the wrong address for RM Unify. Please use https://stbedes.rmunify.com not https://www.rmunify.com
For access to MyMaths, students will have been provided with these logon details earlier in the year and also a reminder during their Maths lessons over the last week.
If for whatever reason, students have ‘forgotten’ these details, please e-mail ithelpdesk@stbedes.durham.sch.uk
My Son / Daughter does not have access to a computer
All students who were in school were surveyed at the start of last week with the following questions:
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Do you have access to a Computer, Laptop or Tablet at home?
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Do you have access to the internet at home?
We required a simple yes / no to both questions. For those students who answered no to question one, we have been able to loan them a school device in order for them to be able to access the work. We believe that all students should now have access to their own computer or a school computer and therefore took the decision to provide all independent work electronically. Around 30 devices have now been made available to students and unfortunately the school no longer has devices to loan.
Does school still provide free copies of Microsoft Office for home?
Yes, we do. If you follow the link below and instructions within the guide this provides a step-by-step guide on how to install office onto personal devices.
What if my Son / Daughter gets stuck with the work that has been set?
We ask all students to be resilient and attempt the work that has been set themselves initially – all work should be accessible for all students as this has been set based on the ability of the class. If students are continuing to struggle, they could they ask their friends for support and their classroom teachers may be e-mailed where necessary. We would ask that all students do not expect an immediate response from teaching staff, as although all staff will be remote working at times throughout the week – we need to take into account their own health conditions at this time with regards to self-isolation etc.
For all other IT related issues, who can I contact?
We would ask that you provide as much detail as possible with regards to any IT issues you may be having with accessing any systems that the school either provides or signposts students too. If you could include screenshots or error messages that would also be useful. Please e-mail any issues to ithelpdesk@stbedes.durham.sch.uk
FAQ Updated: 23rd March 2020