Microsoft Teams for live lessons in Hwb

Microsoft Teams is a collaborative platform that provides practitioners and learners a central space for virtual lessons, group work, assignment submissions and real-time feedback, helping maintain connection and continuity in learning regardless of location.

All school staff and learners with Hwb accounts have access to Microsoft Teams.

This guidance highlights key points for schools using Microsoft Teams to support learning continuity through live lessons. Practitioners and school leaders should explore dedicated Microsoft Teams training pathways for step-by-step support and full practical implementation.

How to access Microsoft Teams in Hwb

There are 2 ways to access Microsoft Teams from the Hwb website.

Log in and click the Outlook app on the Hwb dashboard. Open the Microsoft waffle (the grid of squares in the top-left corner) and select Teams.
Log in and click the Microsoft 365 app on the Hwb dashboard. Select Apps from the menu on the left-hand side. Then open Teams.

To access Microsoft Teams outside of the Hwb website, open teams.microsoft.com and sign in using a Hwb account. Check the top right corner of the screen to ensure that Teams is signed into a Hwb account and not a personal Microsoft account.

Language settings

For practitioners and learners in Welsh medium schools, Welsh will be selected as the default language. For those in English medium schools, English will be selected by default. Learn how to change your language settings.

Data assurances

Schools should consider whether a new Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is needed, or if their current DPIA should be updated.
Microsoft Teams through Hwb adheres to privacy and security commitments, including UK GDPR.
Data is encrypted at rest and in transit in Microsoft 365 and stored within the Hwb tenant.
Microsoft Teams through Hwb respects the permissions and access controls set within Hwb Microsoft 365.
Meeting recordings expire after 60 days, unless extended by the meeting organiser. Once deleted, the recording goes to the recycle bin which has a retention period of 93 days, unless manually deleted.

Formats for live lessons

When planning live lessons using Microsoft Teams, practitioners can choose from 3 formats:

Each format offers different levels of interaction, control and audience size.

Selecting the right format helps ensure the session meets the needs of learners and the objectives of the lesson.

Lessons can be pre-recorded using Teams or PowerPoint to re-record as necessary and allow flexible access for learners.

Teams meetings

A Teams meeting allows practitioners to deliver live lessons with interaction and participation from learners. Practitioners and learners can use video, audio, chat and screen sharing.

Discover how to implement Microsoft Teams meetings for live lessons, including guidance on scheduling, accessibility features and strategies to boost learner engagement.

Key considerations when using Microsoft Teams meetings for live lessons

Ensure that all staff read and adhere to the Delivering online learning: safeguarding principles and practice.

Ensure only authorised participants can join the meeting. It is possible for non-Hwb accounts to request to join a Teams meeting if the meeting details have been shared. If a practitioner does not recognise an account, they should reject the request to join the meeting.

Use lobby settings, mute controls and spotlighting to manage the session effectively.

Use features such as breakout rooms, reactions, raise hands, focus mode and spotlight to encourage participation and engagement.

Use accessibility tools such as live captions to suits the needs of all learners.

Live lessons can be recorded if appropriate and shared with learners who missed it. If the live lesson is being recorded, always inform all participants. Recordings in Teams are automatically saved to OneDrive or SharePoint, depending on the meeting type. Exceptions are:

1:1 and group calls: recordings are saved to the OneDrive of the user who selected Record
Channel meetings. Recordings are saved to the SharePoint site under Recordings

It is the responsibility of the practitioner, as the meeting organiser to manage recordings safely and securely. Read Recording lessons and sessions: important UK GDPR considerations for further information.

Teams webinars

A Teams webinar is a structured online session designed for presenting to larger groups of up to 1,000 participants. It allows practitioners to manage registration, control audience interaction and deliver content in a more formal, presentation-style format.

Learn how to implement Microsoft Teams webinars, including step-by-step guidance on scheduling and managing webinars.

Key considerations when using Microsoft Teams webinars

Ensure that all staff read and adhere to the Delivering online learning: Safeguarding principles and practice guidance.
Assign presenters and co-organisers to manage content and interaction.
Attendees join in a view-only mode unless interaction is enabled (for example, moderated Q and A, polls and chat).
Always inform learners if the session is being recorded.
Recordings capture audio, video, shared content (such as slides or screen sharing) and live captions if enabled. It does not record private chats or breakout rooms.
If the webinar is scheduled outside of a Teams channel, the recording is saved to the organiser’s OneDrive. If scheduled within a Teams channel, it’s saved to the channel’s SharePoint folder under ‘Recordings.’
After the webinar ends, a link to the recording appears in the meeting chat and can be shared with learners who attended. Find out more about managing webinar recordings.
Organisers can manage permissions to control who can view or download the recording.

Teams town halls

A Teams town hall is a large-scale virtual event in Microsoft Teams designed for structured communication with up to 10,000 attendees. It’s ideal for school-wide announcements, assemblies or guest lectures, offering features like moderated Q and A, controlled presenter roles and audience engagement tools.

Learn how to implement Microsoft Teams town halls effectively, including step-by-step guidance on how to schedule and manage a town hall using Microsoft Teams.

Key considerations for using Microsoft Teams town halls to deliver live lessons

Ensure that all staff read and adhere to the Delivering online learning: safeguarding principles and practice.
Learners join in view-only mode by default so there is limited learner interaction.
Use moderated Q&A or polls to enable structured engagement.
Assign presenters and producers in advance to manage content, transitions and moderation.
Consider accessibility needs for example, captions, readable fonts, visual clarity.
By default, Town Hall recordings are saved to OneDrive for the organiser. Learn about managing and sharing town hall recordings.