School Contact

[beepbeep]

This is NOT a school bashing thread!!!

I was wondering what contact people had been having from schools and what we should be expecting as reasonable?

I have 3 children (2 at secondary yrs 7&8, 1 at primary- yr5). The secondary approach has been VERY different at the secondary to the primary.

Secondary - phone calls from form tutors, emails from head of year. Daily contact & encouragement from different teachers when homework is handed in or when the children have had queries via 'show my homework app'. Some teachers have emailed in response to queries & been really supportive of the children's work as well as being concerned for their wellbeing.

Primary - using Google Classroom. Homework (other than English is to go onto websites and find work). English has been 3 week project so nothing to hand in. Queried something with teacher on Google Classroom - only way of contacting them 3 weeks ago - no response. DD had maybe 3 at most 1 line comments on her work. No other contact, no phone call, email or anything for 7 weeks.

I realised last night that she could have been under the patio for 7 weeks & they wouldn't have known!!!!

DD is getting quite upset about all the contact her siblings are getting, she waiting for assessment by CAHMS and getting quite anxious about the situation at times.

DH & I are doing the best we can, he is a frontline key worker so doing all sorts of random shifts and I am also a key worker, working full time but mostly from home (luckily I'm able to be flexible around DH's shifts).

I have emailed the head of the Primary to ask for some more support, but I am wondering what would be reasonable to expect? The difference between the primary & secondary approaches are pretty extreme!

[PumpkinP]

I haven’t heard from my kids primary school at all. But I’m happy with that. If I needed anything I would call them.

[CMOTDibbler]

Ds is at secondary, and has had one phone call - no personal emails at all. One bit of feedback on work submitted. He literally uploads work as instructed and it goes into a black hole. Theres been 4 live lessons so far

[Bigfishylittlefishy]

No set work from my kids primary school and I am more than happy with that. My nephews teacher asked him to make a rocket, and my sister emailed back saying my nephew really enjoyed making the rocket. Teacher then asked for a photograph of said rocket!

Except said rocket had never been made in the first place .

In fairness to my sister she’s a mental health nurse and is absolutely snowed under working from home.

[Starlightstarbright1]

My Ds secondary , has only had responses to emails he has sent and work set on google classroom.

He does some so I guess they know he is alive and functioning.

[wendz86]

Year 4 child using google classroom . Teacher comments back on most work . Also zoom call once a week .

Reception child . Using tapestry and film a story each day for children to watch . Comment on what we post and zoom call once a week . I also received an email asking how we were getting on and a nice reply .

Would say their school are doing very well .

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

I’m a teacher. We’re doing what your secondary students are receiving.

The emails from my students are just lovely. So many are still cute. I answer them all.

[Alicemovedtothecity]

Primary school child - school has a platform set up and the children receive work everyday on it - to be far I personally think it’s too much as we struggle to do all the work set - teachers message child and ask how they are getting on everyday and also ask for pieces of work to be sent over to see how they are getting on etc
I’m finding it very hard going

[BunsyGirl]

For those receiving little or no work from the school or no feedback on work submitted, what are the teachers in those schools actually doing? I genuinely don’t understand why some schools are providing a lot of support and others are not.

[Saoirse7]

BunsyGirl

No two schools are the same. Very few teachers in my experience are supplied with a laptop so if a teacher doesn't have a laptop how are they supposed to do any sort of remote learning?

Also, no guidance at all has been given as to what is expected of teachers so how are we supposed to know what to provide?

FWIW I spend hours each week sending remote learning to my primary school class with a regular engagement rate of 6/32 pupils. There would be some uproar if teachers asked WTF parents are doing

Also, primary and secondary can't be compared. Most secondary schools engaged in some form of remote/online learning before this. My class haven't as I have 1 computer (my teacher computer) to share between 32 pupils and myself.

[BunsyGirl]

@Saoirse7 What about computers in the schools. Why can’t the teachers go into school and set the work from there?

As far as a lack of guidance, why would teachers see that as a reason for setting no work whatsoever? As educated, professional people why would they not use their own initiative and provide some work based on the current curriculum?

Also, you haven’t answered my query as to what they are doing at the moment if they aren’t setting and marking work?

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

Primary. Get a weekly message each week with a list of 'suggested' work. I'm using the Maths. There is nothing to submit (we get the answers to the Maths home)

I get them to read daily (what they want). I encourage them to write in their reading diaries. We do regular handwriting. Maths is daily. They watch Bitesize Daily. We make stuff, bake, play games, run around the garden.

Im pretty happy without Zoom lessons or stuff like that. However I would have appreciated the odd phone call to just check everything is ok. I don't think anyone has physically seen my children in weeks as we don't live in town. Neighbour might have seen them out the window...

[Saoirse7]

I am setting and correcting work, I am rewriting planners to fit in with remote learning. My school are providing a full remote curriculum.

I was only suggesting reasons as to why some might not be providing work. As I said though, there are many more schools providing sufficient work than those that aren't. People need to contact their actual school, rather than question what teachers are doing all day.

Teachers unless providing care for KW children are not supposed to be in school. With many providing care for their own kids.

[MrAlyhakinsMassiveYacht]

Exactly the same here - secondary have called (each form tutor) plus emails plus comment on the work they have submitted. Primary are using Google classroom but there's little feedback and DD could have been under the patio for weeks now.

[EachDubh]

I do a daily story and check in video, inutially i set 5 pieces of lit, num and daily work from the wider curriculum. That has been reduced slightly to accommodate parents needs, however if a parents asks for specific work or extra they get it, all work is responded to and mrked if needed. We reply to parents with 24h even when not working and department heads phone every few weeks to check in. We are primary based.
My dd get 1 piece lit, num daily and a weekly grid. All work commented on within 24h and small videos fron teacher every couple of weeks.

[Bubbletwix]

Primary school. Weekly (ish) phone call from class teacher. Messages from Headteacher for the children. Reading daily strongly encouraged and links to e books etc given. Some English, maths and topic work set for each week (mainly worksheets), much better after half term once they’d had a chance to see what had and hadn’t worked at first. Can submit work by email if you want, and feedback will be given, but no chasing or pressure on parents or children. Lots of suggestions for websites, log ins for various apps and links to other resources available. A few videos on class website of teachers reading them a story etc. Additional contact being made with some children with Sen, difficult circumstances etc and school has delivered packs of printed materials, art supplies and in some cases food where necessary for particular children. I believe some have been able to borrow the school iPads etc. Basically, with little notice or support they’ve tried hard despite being a situation where they probably can’t win, they’ve taken feedback on board and I have no complaints. It in no way replaces physical school but within the current constraints they’ve done their best and that’s all anyone can do right now. I personally don’t want livestream online teaching and a structured daily school timetable, it doesn’t work for my KS1 children.

[BunsyGirl]

@Saoirse7 I don’t need to contact my school as my children get two live Skype lessons per day (English and Maths) plus a PowerPoint/pre-recorded video in a third subject. Submitted work is usually marked with 24 hours. There is also a weekly pastoral call where the children get a chance to contribute.

I think I have a right to question what those teachers that are not setting work are doing at the moment. All taxpayers have that right.

[Saoirse7]

I'm a taxpayer as well so I pay as much as you do so you can retract that goady statement for a start

So you are saying that your daughter is getting sufficient work then what actually is your problem? You seem to just be in to do a bit of shit stirring.

As I've said, those getting 'no work' need to contact their school. I can assure you that is very much in the minority. People only sound off when they have something to complain about. You don't see threads and threads commending the majority of teachers for the excellent support and resources they have given.

There's threads on here complaining about the following:
-Too much work
-Not enough work
-No contact

• Too much contact

-No marking
-Too much feedback

Teachers can't win and goady, baiting threads like this don't help.

[Cabinfever10]

Ds has asd and adhd and is main streamed at primary school.

He has zoom type contact with his support worker and teacher daily (all students are getting this too but he is getting it above and beyond the neuro typical students). He has all his work on his laptop, all his work was always done on a laptop and they were able to just send it home with him for the duration. I am also having weekly phone calls with staff (by agreement) and can email at anytime.

I have been very fortunate that his school has been amazing and I couldn't ask for more help or support from them. I do realise that very few schools are set up so well. From conversation with the school they have basically taken the system that they set up for children like my ds (very inclusive school) and expanded it to the entire school of 400+ students through the online portal that we use on days where he can't physically attend (when not on lockdown) this has aloud a sort of virtual classroom which let's the kids interact with each other and the teacher.

[Deelish75]

I have two dc in primary. DS is Yr6 and DD is YrR. We've been getting generic emails from school. For lessons school are using Google classroom.
I'm leaving DS to get on with it, I know he's having regular chats with his teacher and class through the classroom comments section. His head of year (three classes in Yr6) text this week to say DS would receive a phone call to see how they are, but we never recieved the phone call and then I recieved a text from his class teacher apologising for not calling, so don't know what's going on.

I've been helping DD with her work daily, have spoken to her teacher through the class comments section regarding schoolwork.

[andweallsingalong]

Year 4 primary. Bundle of work sent home on the last day. Then nothing until after Easter. Then weekly emails with suggested work. No phone calls. Lovely video from the teachers with clip from each at home put together :-)

[beepbeep]

I do think there should be a minimum expectation from the schools, even if it's just a phone call each 2 weeks. I don't think it's too much to expect. We don't have email addresses or anyway of contacting teachers and they haven't responded to the message I wrote on Google Classroom.
I understand it's not easy for everyone, but some schools / teachers seem to be doing so well and some seem to be doing nothing. If there were minimum guidelines for schools it would mean pupils would at least get something?

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

I think I have a right to question what those teachers that are not setting work are doing at the moment. All taxpayers have that right.

You have the right to contact your children's school if you are not happy with what they are providing. Since you say you are, what business is it of yours what other teachers in other schools are doing or not doing?

[Eminybob]

Year 1 - daily maths abs English (maths from white rose site, English often bbc bite size but sometimes other writing tasks. Some topic work every so often, science and phse.
Teacher responds to all work submitted but there isn’t any pressure to submit anything.
We use an app called class dojo for all communication, and ds can earn “dojo points”
The head has done a couple of assemblies and story times.
There are zoom dance classes and we did a show and tell last week.
So overall I’d say pretty good.

[Saoirse7]

Beepbeep, no teachers have access to work phones though, you do know that? Are they supposed to just just their personal devices and pay for this? Your teachers should be responding via email though if you have sent messages.

I agree from a teachers point of view there should be guidelines set though.

[YouLando]

Primary here, Y6.

Lots of links and resources added to each year group page, for maths, English, science, and lots of other areas like art etc. Paper packs of worksheets and some SATs stuff came home on the last day of school.

So, there is a lot of stuff to look at, online and otherwise. However, there has been not a single piece of work set by an actual teacher, no personal communication at all (only the weekly newsletter sent to all parents). It's really been a free-for-all in terms of picking out what to get DD to do. She started off as well-motivated and enthusiastic, and is a very well engaged child at school, but in the last week she's really running out of motivation and I can't blame her.