To be sick of school directly undermining me

We use Numberblocks at school. It is actually part of the National Mastering Numbers program. We also show a CBBC story at home time to keep the children engaged as we show children out.

Central Bedfordshire?

I don’t think it’s right but it’s becoming normal, more and more schools are using technology in favour of old fashioned books and textbooks. By the time they reach high school it’s ridiculous how much they do online, all homework, lots of lessons on computers it’s sad how the world is changing!

I agree with you re ebooks and disagree with the idea that they are also books. They are not, yes there is also reading involved but there is reading involved in scrolling on a phone too. Even if it's good content in the ebook there is something very different about swiping and turning a page. On one hand educators harp on about sensory experiences then at the same time we take these experiences away. Reading a real book has a weight, it requires a certain posture, it requires light and varies depending on where you go, it has a smell, the pages have a texture. The words and meanings might be the same but the experience is very different. In a world where so much time is spent on screen with no sensory element, I feel it is more important than ever that children read real books or at least a combination of the two.

I don’t think this is typical at all. I wouldn’t be worried about the e-books; my kids have had those and they’re great because they’re very interactive and can check that the child has understood what they’re reading. Likewise the odd session of Numberblocks or Alphablocks on a wet day or for a few minutes from time to time - fine.

But I wouldn’t be happy about YouTube with ads, and definitely not with apps where they can “friend” and message people. And in general I don’t like them having too much screen time - certainly wouldn’t want each child to have an iPad!

Id definitely be questioning it.

Teacher here and I don't know any school that gives every school and iPad!

The eBooks....we are forced to use a phonics scheme (we can choose from a list) and every child needs a book matched with their phonics phase/sound they are learning. You either have them all on the same and need 30 of each book which isn't reasonable due to cost. It they are all on different and it's a minefield as they get lost, damaged it borrowed by another class never mind the time to sort and match the right book to the right child. Having them online and able to assign the right book to the right child almost instantly is amazing and will really help their reading develop quickly.

I now teach an SEN class and mine do have their own iPad but over the school day probably use it for 30 mins. 5 mins maths, use of speech to text or voice recording to record their work (some have physical disabilities) or snapping a quick pic of a practical activity they have done. They have ed shed which is an app for spelling practice. They all have different spellings so this way they can have individualised activities at the correct level.

It might be worth bearing in mind that 5 year olds aren’t always the most reliable narrators. What may have been 5 minutes of Twinkle/Floppy’s Phonics/YouTube whilst the class transitions to lunch or another activity can easily be reported back by a 5 year old as an entire lesson. During a phonics lesson on the carpet, it’s far easier to display books on an electronic whiteboard, rather than rely on a class of 25-30 small children to look at 1 book held up by the teacher.

How much screen time do you estimate at school per day? Because everything you have listed are completely normal activities in my school, the only difference is that we are returning to paper books from tablet ones this year. But we use YouTube for PE, Music and occasional downtime. However it's a handful of lessons a week, not all day everyday.

It's likely they are doing lots of paper based activities too, and your daughter is excited by the tablet so talks about that?

I would be looking for another school too. Not only is it lazy teaching, who knows what damage using screens at such a young age does to children’s eyes.

There’s new legislation out for reception children that they shouldn’t have more than an hours screen time a day. So go in and question it.

Tell the school to do a bit of research into why Sweden has returned schools to reading books on paper.

If she doesn't get to read books on paper, move schools.

Its very sad to hear. The research on technology in the classroom is 100% clear. An increase in technology correlates to a lowering of average outcomes.

To be honest, in education research/academic circles, "An IPAD for every child!" is so 2010s... it feels dated now as an idea, because its proven time and time again to be ineffective. More and more schools, as well as nations are pushing back away from the blanket application of apps and technology in learning.

There is still a place for specialized technology classes, and digital boards, educational videos etc. But individual "learning" on devices at a young age, in class time, is ineffective teaching and nothing more.

Not typical and incredibly poor, lazy teaching.

I would absolutely be ‘that’ parent and scrutinising everything that was happening as well as challenging the school on their methods. I’d be livid about books on an iPad rather than physical books with pages. I’d also be looking for an alternative school.

I think your reaction is completely OTT.

it's another bloody ebook they scroll through on the ipad.
But ebooks are books. Reading them is still reading them. Yes, there's value to tangible books for reading too, but I assume she does that as well.

As long as the overall environment has plenty of active play, discussion, use of physical resources and outdoor time, as well as the online / e-resources like YouTube, e-books and similar, I don't see a problem.

I always try to focus on the purpose and learning need - screens in themselves are not 'bad', it's disproportionately spending time on the screen, at the loss of another skill or useful task, with a negative outcome, that is the issue.

I don't think that's necessarily true - teachers are busy people and don't have time to pore over research reports and new government initiatives. They just do what their SLT tells them.

And the OP has said she lives in a part of the UK (Scotland?) where you go to your nearest school and there's not a lot of choice so she can't just move schools.

Oxford Reading Tree for example have books online that the child can read, or listen to and be asked recall and comprehension questions. It means that they engage more deeply with the texts than on their own on the occasions that the teacher or TA isn't reading one to one with them.

Make sure she has access to plenty of real books at home.

This happened at our school. Suddenly my year 2 was handed an iPad. Every single piece of work is done on the iPads. The whole school is in special measures for handwriting.
There is no alternative school.
That child has gone on to an amazing secondary school, where they automatically enroll kids from that primary, into a handwriting intervention.
The primary school had the gall to invite me to a “play” session where they gave a presentation about “children these days have too much screen time, averaging 5 hours a
day” but when questioned, they didn’t understand my screen time objections over their iPad use….

I think its the way things are. My dc are uni age now, and even they had I Pads at primary school. I know because I was on the PTA doing the fundraising to get some. You have to get ahead, find some keeping up with the kids type resources, so you understand and can supervise home I Pad use. Ask school for an information evening explaining how, what and why they are using screens. Honestly, if you don't let them keep up they get left behind.
Emailing won't come in until later, the teachers will email or upload resources, and if they are doing their jobs properly will have spy apps installed, so they can track activity.
Edited to say, we didn't allow tech upstairs. No phones, TV, I Pads, Laptops in bedrooms, only in the family areas of the homes. Passwords were always shared.

I don't think this is typical either. And with YouTube, surely they should be using a paid-for version so there are no ads? It's only about £12 a month I think? I don't see the difference between watching a YouTube video and a TV video - except for the ads. And the messaging shouldn't be switched on at all.

The one good thing OP is that the social media ban is coming in and although there will be exceptions for education (the devil will be in the detail) the local authority/schools will have to reassess what they are doing. In your shoes I would monitor the announcements from Ofcom and the government, and then contact the school/council again with concerns once we know more about what the new rules will contain (there was another announcement yesterday).