Secondary school provisions during Covid19

[BarbaraBeez]

I have two boys who are at Whitgift School in Croydon. Like all schools, Whitgift has obvious had to adapt quickly to a difficult new environment and they are running lessons and setting homework. And I appreciate life is more difficult for the teachers. However, given we’ve hardly seen any reduction in school fees I can’t help think they should be doing better. About 30% of lessons are being replaced with assignments which are just sent out by email, and my son in L6 studying language A levels has yet to have a single piece of marked homework returned to him since mid March. Am I expecting too much?

[FredaFrogspawn]

Contact them and ask for what you want. What do you want exactly? (That’s not meant to be in a confrontational tone by the way.)

[lazylinguist]

That's not great tbh. My dc are at our local state secondary and are getting plenty of work and feedback.

[BarbaraBeez]

@FredaFrogspawn I was hoping that all lessons on their existing timetable would be taught during lockdown. They make it work for some lessons, via Teams, and some teachers are really diligent. But I think too many are being replaced by assignments being set. We pay for teaching: I could otherwise just buy a book of exercises online. And I think the teachers should mark homework and call the boys to talk it through when there are issues. When I have suggested this the response seems to be that it’s too much to ask because the teachers are stressed.

[LoopyGremlin]

Many of the teachers may be trying to balance working with the care and homeschooling of their own children. There’s not a chance in hell I could teach all my 22 lessons a week.

[SeasonFinale]

Hi we are at an indie too and really impressed that all work set has been marked and full feedback given within 2 days of being received. DS has assignments set which he uploads back to one note, some prerecorded sessions and some zoom sessions.

[Aramox]

No feedback or teaching at all here (grammar). Most privates seem to be doing better though, so maybe you have higher expectations.

[BarbaraBeez]

@LoopyGremlin I do appreciate that it must be incredibly difficult right now for some teachers who, as you say, just can’t focus completely on the job because of other pressures. I don’t blame them at all. But the school will know if it has many teachers in that situation, and surely they shouldn’t be selling their service at just about the same price knowing they can’t provide that service at anything like the same level if that’s the case. I hope that doesn’t sound unreasonable.

[LoopyGremlin]

@BarbaraBeez If you are unhappy with what is being provided then by all means ask for a reduction in fees. But it’s not the school’s fault and and the viability of the school might be put at risk. Friends of mine who teach in the private sector tell me the fees in their school are not being reduced because the finances are already fairly precarious.