Are we just lucky or is this usual? Maths GCSE

But ours aren't teaching, it's extra revision. Especially helpful for those that struggle with motivation, or get distracted easily at home. It's something ours did pre Covid but, to be fair to year 11s, they haven't had 5 maths lessons etc a week for 5 years. A couple of those school years were quite disrupted!

My DC school has after school classes for everyone - lots of clashes, so you pick what you need (energy or Macbeth? Circle theorems or deserts?).
No Saturdays but Easter sessions were well attended.
The school probably is worried, as people upthread have suggested, and I think they found that doing it last year gave a real boost to grades.
Likewise no study leave, there are a number of kids in the catchment who might struggle to find a place to study at home, and who really need these teacher-led sessions.

DD’s school they have drop in ‘clinics’ that are run by teachers with sixth form help. The teachers are very approachable and the girls are not backward in asking for help if they think they need it. It isn’t on a timetable as such, more an always available thing. This is a high achieving grammar .

A friend who has a DS at a comp gets ‘interventions’ for her son and this includes study after school, during half terms and Easter. I haven’t a clue how it is funded. She had a younger DS who got the same pre-Covid.

I work in an academy and we ran Easter sessions through the holidays in all GCSE subjects. The teachers were paid for these from the Covid catch up budget.

I used to teach. We ran this kind of thing after school multiple days a week for years 10/11, during half term and Easter break for maths and other key subjects.
I'm so happy to hear you and your child are finding it useful because often it was poorly attended - you might invite thirty and get five show up. Of course you would give those five everything you'd got because they were the ones who'd bothered to give up their free time to do maths.
I hope your child gets the result they are working for and deserve OP, it sounds like they are putting a massive effort in and deserve to be rewarded by the examiner. Good luck.

My dd gets 1 hour 1:1 with a year 12/13 each Saturday for maths (school also offer English). Year 12 get paid from school and something to put on ucas form and kids get targeted help so a win win.

Can't they teach children during the usual school hours? You know, five maths lessons a week for five years of secondary school...

❤️

Teachers often get paid for this, but not always

It’s normal for my DD’s old school. They run GCSE Saturday school every week after Xmas each year and have an additional revision period by subject 4 days a week.

They get good results despite area not being high achieving.

Nothing would happen. Nobody would be made to at my school. Subjects do share it out; there is never enough uptake to need multiple teachers per subject.

That's not necessarily true.

There's pressure from children and parents to do them, as well as all sorts of other reasons.

@bundleofbabyboy - that sounds fantastic. Please (if you can) email the teachers/school to say thank you and you appreciate it- it means so much when we hear it!

The government offered and shouted about how brilliant they were " Post Covid Catch Up Funding"

This was targeted interventions for students who met very specific criteria (GSCE grades/lived in an area of extreme deprivation). The sessions could only have max 5 students per teacher. And the payment £25 an hour for a maximum of 3 hours. Nothing taken into account for the planning/prep. Some of our teachers did sessions to help specific students. They did not do it for the money (quite a few of them are donating it/using it for resources insteaf). A lot of the students who were invited didn't show up. The majority of our teachers ran unpaid sessions instead (or as well) which were open to the whole class.
Every single subject in our Sixth form has intervention/revision sessions running on top of normal lessons. And does every year.

This is why we need to look after teachers.
This is why teachers in England are standing, mouth agape, at the vast differing pay between them and Scottish teachers.

They would be looking for other jobs! Made to feel like they weren’t team players and bullied out usually!

It shouldn’t be needed. If kids have worked hard in the curriculum time available there should be no need for regular revision sessions.

Those poor maths teachers will have no doubt been bullied and coerced into giving up their Saturday mornings for weeks on end. Wouldn’t happen to a Geography teacher! The pressure on English and Maths teachers (who get paid exactly the same as other subject teachers) at this time of year is immense. They should be enjoying time with their families at weekends!

I'm not sure I'd call it lucky, so much as a sign that the school don't think they've gotten the kids ready for exams!

It is completely normal for teachers to be doing masses of unpaid overtime, setting up, planning and running voluntary lessons before school, after school, lunch times, weekends, half terms and bank holidays

What would happen if the teachers didn’t ‘volunteer’?

No, it’s because the teachers are castigated into doing this! A teacher could earn £40+ an hour if they privately tutored a GCSE student, the school leaders expect them to do it for free out of their contracted hours and if they push back and don’t agree to, their card is well and truly marked.
parents who think it’s great may well be the same ones who criticise teachers for striking for better pay and conditions!

Not all schools will be paying for all revision sessions, though some will be. But even if paid, you still have to find the staff willing to work overtime, as it can't be made compulsory for staff.

Last year I ran two after school revision sessions a week - the one open to all I didn't get paid for.

I do think more and more schools are doing similar, especially this year, but I'm not sure it's a good idea long term as it can lead to teachers and students becoming burnt out.

Not Saturday school, but we do offer after school revision for a hour per week per subject and sessions during Easter and May half term holidays. Teachers are not paid; it's voluntary.

Pizza will be offered closer to the exams, ie next week onwards.

In yr11 DS had lunchtime (cookies provided, please bring lunch) and after-school (differentiated by target/ aspirational grade) sessions. Parents were “invited” to send their children. It’s a comprehensive in a deprived area, very hot on stuff like this. Must parents ensure the kids go. The school results reflect this.

Now in yr13, DS had Easter holiday sessions. Also a couple of conferences in London to boost enthusiasm and frequent working lunches. Pizza seems to be involved.

My Year 11 has had revision sessions on various subjects after school Monday to Thursday since September. The school also ran Easter sessions, one 2 hour session per subject. He also did a residential maths weekend at a PGL so mixing revision with activities and being away from home. All abilities could go but we had to pay for that one.

We aren't in a deprived area. I am impressed the teachers have done it and hope they have been paid as it's a great commitment to the kids.

Not the Saturdays but after school, before school, full days during Easter holidays for both Y11 and T13.
It is all unpaid.
It is all voluntary by the teachers.
It is because the teacher care.