What is your school doing to support learning?

[alwayswantchocolate]

I have a year 4 and a year 6 in different schools. Each school has put links on their website to various site like twinkl, the maths factor, etc, for us to use but no guidance on what exactly they should be covering. They also did a few pdfs when schools first broke up. That is it.

I have heard from other mums that their schools are doing virtual classrooms, asking for work to be submitted to be marked, setting work for them, etc.

What are other schools doing? As someone who is attempting to WFH, my day is a nightmare. I'm constantly scrabbling around trying to keep them occupied with something vaguely educational, while trying to do a full time job, then spending my evening looking for things for the following day.

I am shattered. And feeling a bit miffed by how little our two schools are doing compared to what mums with children at other schools are telling me... are they exaggerating???

[Dontlickthetrolley]

Ours have set up a Google classroom (Y3 and Y4) and are sending work, although very little in the last 2 weeks as it's holiday. Y3 is sending far more work than Y4 but also being asked to do bug club, time table rock star and scratch coding.

[manicinsomniac]

Normal school timetable being followed via Microsoft Teams for years 5, 6, 7 and 8 - including assembly, tutor time, one to one lessons, extra curricular clubs etc. Not quite as much for Year 4 and below but still about 3 lessons a day.

But we're a private school so we have to.

And I'm not sure it's in the children's best interests. I've only had 3 lessons today and I'm weirdly tired. They're more intense than real lessons due to the confusion and lack of response from many. If I'm tired after 3 as an adult, the children must be exhausted after 5 or 6. My daughters are ok with it so far but they're not tech savvy and don't like sitting still. They are going to tire of it very fast, I'm sure.

[Dontlickthetrolley]

Work is also being marked and house points awarded!

[CrocodileFrock]

My Yr4's school are setting and marking work online during term-time. if their are any problems, DD can message her teacher on google classroom or I can email the school directly if there are any particular issues.

(Normal state primary school if that makes any difference!)

[TubereuseNordlys]

I think I'm genuinely in a real life Groundhog Day.

How can the OP have failed to see the incredible number of identical threads?

[Pieceofpurplesky]

Just what I was thinking tub. Will await the 'why can't teachers use zoom' and 'teachers shouldn't be being paid' comments that will no doubt be along with some competitive parent stories

[gingajewel]

Nothing! They had work packs sent home with them but my eldest finished hers within a week, I am also wfh and trying to keep her education going, it’s so so hard!

[GoldenKelpie]

Teachers at my school are providing online teaching every day (though not through easter holidays). Children's engagement and progress is being monitored. Parents of any children not engaging are personally contacted to see if there are problems with getting online. Additionally, all P1-3 children received home-school packs before they left the school or these were personally delivered to those already self isolating. Teachers are sharing ideas and online resources every day in order to support all children's learning. Teachers begin the day at 9am with a "good morning who is everyone doing?" and daily challenges, and continues from there.

[alwayswantchocolate]

Thanks so much to those that provided helpful comments! This is as I expected... sigh! I will keep my fingers crossed for some improvement after the Easter holidays...

[wendz86]

Year 4 child - provided work books and then setting tasks every day on blog including maths , guided reading and some sort of topic work . They are moving to google classroom after Easter so will have to submit work .

Reception child - 4 tasks set each day in tapestry . Workbooks were given but only for extra work but my little one loves them .

Tbh it’s quite hard for me to help them do all the work and work myself but we did our best before Easter .

[Vanannabananna]

Literally bugger all.

Luckily we live next door to two wonderful primary school teachers who’ve given us everything we need ideas why.

My husband is a secondary school teacher and he’s teaching his normal timetable (minus the 11) remotely.

[alwayswantchocolate]

It's very hit and miss it seems. I think there should be a standard set and all schools meet it, as otherwise some children are missing out on their (proper) education while others aren't!

[NailsNeedDoing]

It’s likely that your school will do more online from Monday after the Easter holidays would have finished.

The schools that didn’t rush in to doing online lessons have done the right thing imo, and having taken the time to think about what is and isn’t likely to work well, they will probably be of better quality. There has been a lot to think about and some children will either be advantaged or disadvantaged on lockdown learning based on what their parents are willing and able to provide. Schools have to be mindful that what they provide doesn’t add to any disadvantage.

State schools that have provided work online so far aren’t supposed to be teaching anything new anyway, only setting work based on what has already been taught, so your child shouldn’t have missed out on anything so far.

[Natsku]

So much (not UK though, where I am they seem to be handling distance very well). 9 year old DD's teacher sets work each day, some that's done in her workbooks or in a notebook and some online. Also handicrafts work is set (they took their materials home from school - this week she is doing sewing) which DD has to take pictures of when finished and send to her teacher via whatsapp at the end of each day and she gets feedback the same day. Her teacher also video calls once a week to check how she is doing, if she finding it easy or difficult, that kind of thing. She has office hours between 9 and 1 each day that students can call her if they are stuck on their work.

The school also gave out food bags last week which had things like meat, pasta, eggs, porridge, cheese, and they'll give out more bags next month.

[UndertheCedartree]

On the last day of school each DC came home with an A4 notebook, a pencil and 2 library books. Their notebooks had all their login details - Bug Club, My Maths, TT Rockstars and Espresso. They have also added the Maths Factor for them to use. 3 times a week they put some suggestions for work for each year group. One day is a topic, another day is a writing prompt and some hands on maths and the third day is something creative. The PE teachers are giving them a challenge everyday on Twitter and the teachers are uploading video messages to the school/their class and responding to tweets from the DC. The school has made it clear the priority is for the DC to be healthy and happy and not to stress about the school work - it is only suggestions and entirely optional.

[UndertheCedartree]

Just remembered her maths workbook came home too.

[mummyof2boys30]

Nothing. A pack send home on last day. Not as much as a Facebook post or text message since

[livingthegoodlife]

We a pdf sheet per class posted each day online before 9am which includes activities for English and maths, a different subject rotates eg sometimes history/RE/science etc. Also includes pe ideas and mindfulness.

I base my whole day around the sheets and then supplement with twinkl activities and extra reading. We are pretty busy from 9am to 2.30. then play time then TV time.

[SansaSnark]

I would wait and see what happens after Easter before complaining too much- it was very tricky getting things set up before Easter, and schools had to agree on a strategy.

The school I teach in (albeit secondary) has got a much more unified strategy after Easter, because we had more time to think about and plan things.

I think the difficulty with a unified strategy is that it would have to be accessible for all children, and so would probably be of a lower standard than some parents would like. Many of the students I teach have a smart phone to access the internet and that is it. Some have limited amounts of internet. Some aren't able to access things like Microsoft Teams/Google Classroom, let alone live streamed lessons. Having a unified strategy would have to accommodate these children.

There's also a lot of parents struggling with the amount of work being sent home, and a significant minority of students just not engaging at all- so a unified strategy would presumably mean trying to force these students to work, which their parents may not want?

Also, this would mean schools would have to provide all teachers with the relevant IT equipment, which is a problem in some cases.

I do think schools should be setting work for students who want it, and be responsive to emails where possible. However, it's hard enough to get a class of Y8 students all on Teams and understanding how to use it- let along a class of Y3 students!

If you're concerned about the work being set once term starts back up, then email the school and see what response you get?