Virus will further highlight the education gap between middle class & others....

[peppersneezes000]

Read an article that said the middle class children will not suffer during the extended school break at all & would continue to thrive at home. Disadvantaged children will suffer more both socially & educationally especially those in receipt of free school meals.
Dh argues many middle class parents will be working from home with deadlines to meet etc so the middle class children are also at a disadvantage.
I'll try to find the link.

Cheri well yes but pupil premium isn't for low income families as a whole, it's for children whose parents get unemployment or disability benefits. I earn just above minimum wage and get working tax credits so we are a low income family but my DS doesn't get pupil premium because I work. I don't consider him disadvantaged because I didn't do well in school. I think it's down to the individual attitudes of the parents.

I think in general, yes this is true. Of course there’ll be anomalies; families who are struggling but still want the best for their kids or families who are used to the nanny doing all the parenting while they focus on their high flying careers.

But in general middle class children will, as always be at an advantage.

Take our family for example. We’re probably lower middle class and I’ve spent well over £100 probably more like £200 before the lockdown on workbooks, art supplies, new stationery, books, jigsaw puzzles, a new football etc. DS has access to his own MacBook, IPad and IPhone so he can access Google Classroom and any apps. We have a printer so we can print off other resources. DH and I are both WFH so DS has had more attention than ever during our breaks and I’ve sat with him while he does his school work and I do my work. We haven’t had to worry about losing money so far. I’m a qualified teacher (although work as a HLTA directly for the council so WFH) and I’ve worked in year 6 before so I know the curriculum. I’m able to help him with maths, grammar etc and I’ve been able to help him to start on some year 7 work. I’ve researched online lessons that he can access. We have a big garden with a trampoline, football goal, different sports equipment and understand the importance of exercise and bothering to get out with DS and play with him and we’ve done Joe Wicks every morning. I prepare us all 3 healthy meals a day and provide snacks. We’ve done lots of quizzes with family and friends over what’s app video or face party etc and played more board games than ever before. I’m not trying to stealth boast, this is just how it is.

Compare that to (worst case scenario) some children who’ve been sat in front of the TV for 2 weeks already, with parents who are worried sick about money, who might be drinking/ taking drugs (or withdrawing), who aren’t able to even begin to help with school work, who don’t have access to a computer, printer or possibly even WIFI and it’s easy to see how he gaps will quickly widen.

I also agree that the 11+ scores will be skewed, DS goes this year but my sister is mainly doing 11+ work with her DD who is in year 5.

So presumably then, the writer of that article thinks that all working class children are disadvantaged.

How very insulting and patronising.

There's been argument for extending pp to cover more children but the government won't / can't fund it. Using benefits is an easy way to create a cohort.

The thing about FSM and PP is that when it first came out it did sound very insulting to the parents of those kids that they might be disadvantaged when it came to education simply because their parents are lower earners.

But when you look at the attainment data, PP students, and especially FSM students perform well below non-PP students on average. There is something in the measure.

People who take offence with ‘well my kids get FSM and I am rigorously homeschooling them’ (which is an entirely understandable reaction) risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Of course there are also children in middle class homes in horrendous circumstances, but on average, family income has some protective effect on education.

Yes the gap from school will make the education gap bigger. However an interesed stay at home parent will be of much more use to a child than a high flying work at home due to the pandemic parent so who knows how that will pan out either..

So many variables here - but I’d say in our household we have two frantic parents trying to do their work and little child-focussed time. Both parents are more than capable of teaching KS2 and KS3!! Between us we have degrees spanning everything from history to science to maths & economics - doesn’t help much when you have conference calls all day long!

This is my big worry - some people don't realise that there are children without the access to the internet, to printing and resources, with space to work

I'm working from home, but I can still answer a question if my daughter ask one - actually she's done nothing so will have her own issues but that's another thread ...

I hope the widening gap is monitored and I know on the work I do well be trying our best to narrow itv

@anothernotherone there is been random research studies which argued about the "London effect". So I agree with you that children need parents who are engaged in their education.

A few of my friends' tutor - a mixture of voluntary and paid - and they always point out it's the parents' engagement not their money which makes a difference.

As an NHS worker, my kids are at childcare all day playing, and once or twice a week I do some homework with them. Then on a Saturday I'm exhausted and doing washing etc. And on Sunday try to enjoys some family time and get them to do school work. It's shit. I'm tired. The kids are stressed that they'll get covid at childcare, after all they were rightly told that gone was safest. I wish I could be at home with them.

Yes I agree, I’m fortunate to be able to afford private schooling and have booked my children a tutor already for next term expecting them to not go back till sept,

Such self congratulation couched in pseudo concern about the under privileged. Many of you are teachers. Have you no empathy?

Pinkhousesarebest

Why do you think that the fortunate can not care about the ‘underprivileged?‘ Most of the ‘underprivileged’ are supported by charities funded by the privileged. Imagine if we just left it to the state?

Think it depends more on a) how many kids you have [we have 2 primary school age and a disabled 2yo] and b) if you are WFH or not [I am - 3 days per week, DP is furloughed] and c) How academic your kids are [DC1 loves to do home / school work/ read, DC2 not so much]

I'd be interested to see if this widens the sex attainment gap as well. Anecdotally girls tend to be more willing to work independently on written tasks, to 'sit down and get on quietly' if you will. I wonder if that will have an impact?

So many variables, haven't found the link yet. I didn't imagine it as I discussed with dh at the time!

Obviously all children are disadvantaged by 6 months off school.

Not necessarily- many children find school stressful and will actually benefit from spending time at home with family and having some relaxation from a rigid schedule.

Others will face a huge loss of the protective factors that school provide and I’m genuinely saddened by that knowledge. Some kids are safe at school and not at home and that’s awful to think about.

The long term effects of this pandemic are so awful to consider... and tbh most children’s education is not high ranking on that list at all.

I'm not sure as many mc families have both parents working. Certainly in my area very few mums do not work at all. I'm having difficulty with trying to educate a 6 yo & entertain the very active 2 yo.

I too bought a ton of workbooks, crafts, garden toys & we have spare laptop & ipads but I'm struggling with juggling both dc.

@Neednewwellies

I would call 2 people earning 35k a year wealthy. It depends which circles you travel in. Many financially middle class people don’t consider themselves well off, when in reality they are. Yes, they’re not millionaires but are much better off than most people living in the U.K. and that it taken for granted.

@Noti23, I wouldn’t say they were poor but I absolutely wouldn’t say they were wealthy.
I honestly don’t think anyone considers a couple where one is a teacher and the other a nurse, wealthy. And yes, I appreciate it’s not the same as living on minimum wage but the average UK salary for a full time worker is just above 30k. In this case both parents warned between 30-35k so average salary or just above. This does not constitute wealth at all.

earned

What do you mean by disadvantaged? I come from an area where there is no middle class, just working class / unemployed and sometimes 90% of the school are on free school meals. Yet the local secondary school produces the most prospective A Level students than other schools as the parents are very invested. This is an immigrant / refugee area

Grumpyhood, that's interesting. I think alot of immigrants & refugees

place a value on education as a whole. My area has a large Eastern European & Asian community whose kids go to the local school & education is taken extremely seriously.