Home Learning

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LGfL learning resources are a combination of commercially produced ‘off the shelf’ and internally produced resources in partnership with key strategic partners or created by the internal LGfL (Inspire) Curriculum Team. There is a significant amount of topic-based material featuring experts in their field via online video delivery which can be watched from home. There are an increasing number of augmented and virtual reality resources which work if installed separately on mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones. NB - links and guidance are contained within specific learning resources and can be accessed from the ‘menu’ tab within the resource. For further insights into how Augmented and Virtual Reality work and how it can be used to aid learning, see the AR/VR channel on LGfL TV.

Access controls have been temporarily removed but the licences have not changed and remain for authorised users as before. Authorised users in this context are any pupils or members of staff in an LGfL school.

You can be assured that any learning resources featuring the LGfL and London Grid for Learning logos are safe and appropriate for teachers to use in the delivery of the national curriculum.

However, it is worth keeping in mind the portfolio is designed to be used by qualified teachers as part of their daily approach to supporting teaching and learning in a school context. Some resources have material that some parents may consider unsuitable for a child to be using unsupervised at home, particularly parents of primary school age.

Here is a list of resources where parental supervision would be advised

Some content providers have not been able to change access to their resources for commercial reasons, including:

• Audio Network

• Cyber Pass

• EAL / YP

Other resources require a login to function adequately and alternative arrangements are not feasible at this point in time because a login is the only realistic way of providing personalised access to the resources to support home learning. These platforms are:

• J2e

• Busy Things

Both J2e and Busy Things offer a wide range of curriculum linked activities and creative tools for primary age children. If schools have implemented USO logins both these platforms offer a wide, comprehensive, engaging and relevant suite of activities which allow children to explore and refine their skills in the context of home learning.

The LGfL USO is the way to access the BusyThings platform for teachers and pupils, anytime, anywhere. Guidance on how to implement the LGfL USO to access the platform can be found here.

The optimal way to access the J2e platform is via the LGfL USO log in. If a school has not set this up but would like to for pupils, then click here for guidance.

If it is not possible to implement the LGfL USO during school closure, there is an alternative approach that has been developed exclusively for LGfL school pupils which allows individuals to create their own J2e account which can subsequently be linked back into their school J2e portal when normal school resumes. The method of ‘self-provisioning’ can be found here

J2e has produced a distance learning guide which can be viewed here

No – many resources in the LGfL content portfolio are designed to support developing teachers' understanding of topics and themes within the context of delivering the national curriculum.

Busythings and J2e offer a considerable number of useful tools and activities for primary schools

The following resources offer engaging expert video, Augmented and Virtual Reality experiences (additional Apple-based hardware and software required)

• Fossils and Dinosaurs

• Ancient Egypt

• Sigurd and the Dragon

• Space Adventures

• The Romans in London

• The Tudors in London

• The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace

• iDig – Archaeology resource

• Polar Exploration

• World War 1

• Maya

The LGfL (Inspire) Curriculum Team advises teachers to continue to use existing online platforms and ways of working rather than take on too many new technologies at a time of school closure. The rationale for this is that at this pressured time for teachers, children and parents, existing platforms and ways of working will be better understood and not require training / support. It helps allow the focus to be on defined learning outcomes rather than then extensive new features within unfamiliar online platforms. Using existing resources also minimises safeguarding mistakes online such as those which could occur with unfamiliar systems that have a plethora of sophisticated collaborative features.