Why can private schools manage it?

[Mymymydelilahwhywhywhydeliah]

I am aware there has been a lot of teacher bashing going on so I will ask for no teacher bashing or generalisations of a whole profession. But I wanted to ask with regards to teaching via zoom or similar specifically about the safeguarding element , I am aware not every child has access to the internet etc, why private schools manage to teach via zoom with no issues why there is such a safeguarding risk doing it with state schools? Genuine question.

More likely to be signed up to google classroom and can therefore do it via google meet not zoom.

Smaller class decreases the risk.

Pupils/parents have more to lose so less likely to misbehave/supervise.

Starting point of a better attitude to learning/respect for the teacher combined with an ability to deal more robustly with any breeches of protocol.

Well, there are 3 issues really. The safeguarding risk's are that a child may appear on the zoom channel inappropriately clad/in bed etc or that someone may record the video, doctor it and distribute it, so the teacher appears to be doing something inappropriate. I would imagine the chances of both of these are reduced in private schools (due to the much higher risk of being expelled and potentially higher parent oversight), but in general I think private schools are forcing their teachers into sucking up those risks, rather than sayiong not to do it.

More to the point, probably all private school pupils have access to laptops/broadband connections/somewhere to study while a good number of state school pupils lack at least some of those things. SO is there really a point in teaching something to a class of children when only 5 or the 30 can access the lesson and it will need to be repeated properly again later?

I don't know, but my dd hasn't had a day off full timetable for past 6 weeks, since she came home (boarder)
She finishes today as Y11.
They were up and running on teams for class lessons and Skype for 1 to 1 lessons.
I can't see as there's an issue if the whole class on online.

Not safeguarding related, but my primary class is already struggling to access the website where we put up classwork, particularly if they have siblings in secondary who use the laptop all day. I teach in a reasonably affluent area. They would not be able to access live lessons. Also, 90% of teaching primary is marking work as you go and helping correct mistakes. The input at the start, the bit you could video, is not necessarily the crucial bit.

Oh, and for what it's worth I am definitely working my contracted hours (which are part time) at present putting work online and answering emails. However I do this mainly in the evening/at nap time as my pre schoolers nursery closed.

I am not supplied with a laptop so I would be using my own equipment. That's a safeguarding risk.

That's me being fortunate enough to have my own equipment, many others don't.

In Singapore, someone hacked into a school zoom stream and showed the children porn.

Also it is much easier to say
‘Not doing it, safeguarding’

Than
‘Not doing it, half of you don’t even have a laptop never mind one with a camera you can use all day yourself at home and even if you did we don’t trust you not to either flash the teacher, turn up in your boxers or edit the teacher into a tiktok video’.

It’s primarily access to tech that’s the answer. Independent school kids almost all have their own device if not two to work from that’s simply not true for the majority of school pupils.

Different cohorts, different softwares, different teachers with different equipment - different safeguarding issues.

Of the private schools I know of, no-one is using the visual component. They are using Showbie, or Teams, or Zoom, but voice or text only. So no issue with safeguarding from that point of view.

These schools are/were already very tech savvy already though, and all students have ipads or laptops, a requirement for lessons prior to lockdown. So also much easier for them to switch/continue learning in that way. Everything was already set up, and the children were used to using technology.

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Parents with children at fee-paying schools want to see that they are getting something for their money, so SLT has directed teachers to use Zoom/Teams to teach, even though there are some safeguarding issues. They are even teaching Y11s and Y13s who would ordinyhavr home on study leave by now do they can justify charging the fees.

The teachers are all issued with decent tech to use for teaching. These children all have access to laptops/macbooks, etc and decent WiFi, and are already in small classes so it is easy to make it work.

Simple
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There are a significant number of famolies with no wifi, only mobile data, no PC, no laptop. Staff would need school issue laptops not allowed to use their own.

I'm not sure that just because private schools do it, that means that it is the right way. There are safeguarding issues with zoom as a platform.

However it is mainly a lack of access to technology, we have two laptops, I need one, which leaves one between three children.

Zoom is alright for a 1:1, but difficult with more and teams is an absolute nightmare to work with.

Dc at prep no zooming or online live classes going on here.

Poor remaining form teacher has enough has enough on her plate.

Yet again. There is no evidence that zoom is better educationally than any other online platforms.

None. This has been repeated on many many threads. Parents seem to view it as The Best Way.
You cannot compare middle class well off students with access to real time laptops with the hundred variables of a wide socio economic demographic of students.

I teach kids in deprived homes, in refugee centres, in women's refuge centres, in secure homes, in foster homes, in hospital, in large families where they have to be carers for younger siblings or indeed parents, in other words from every imaginable background and home situation.

Zoom would seriously let these students down.
Private schools are privileged.
Can you see this?

20% of state school pupils do not have access to the internet at home / have access to their own computer.

Well statistically I suppose the chances of an adverse event occuring goes up the more people are involved. So as most independent schools have less pupils than most state schools the risks are probably a bit smaller.
But I also think that the state sector tends to be more risk averse. There are lots of reasons why that may be and I realise that I am probably grossly over generalising. But it is something I have noticed, both from personal experience and from talking to friends.

20% of state school pupils do not have access to the internet at home / have access to their own computer.

Is that their own personal computer or a family one?

I teach in a private school - fully timetabled days with live lessons on Google Meet. It's extremely hard work but in a weird, brain foggy kind of way. I am, on the whole, very grateful and for the most part enjoying it.

It is largely contextual. We needed to show we could adapt quickly and continue the education parents are paying for. The last two state schools I worked in, there's no way live online lessons would be feasible. This would be due to behaviour, safeguarding, and both having a high proportion of disadvantaged/PP students, living in tiny flats with their families. Lots of my friends working in state schools are recording lessons instead, for example full hour lessons of them narrating powerpoints. I think that's great too but it becomes an admin nightmare, chasing students for sub-par work so you don't return with enormous attainment gaps between pupils.

I don't think hours a d hours of online lessons is good for young children and am surprised by the number of people that automatically assume that because private schools are doing it, it is automatically the best approach. I much prefer how our school is setting and marking work. I would hate my primary aged children to be tethered to Zoom all day.

Wealthier families with more tech.

Independent schools generally being able to ignore the advice that state schools are given (in this case the advice that live video lessons are unsafe).

Also, independent schools being absolutely desperate to do anything and everything to convince parents that it's worth their while to continue paying the fees.

My dc are at a state school doing non-live lessons. The provision has been excellent. I also work part time for a private school. It is facing potential financial ruin. They are doing live lessons, which are going kind of ok, but there have been quite a few "How do I stop the kids from muting me?!" questions. And these are motivated private school kids with very invested parents. The school has now already stepped back on the amount of live teaching they're doing.

Live lessons with the average state comprehensive class of 30 would be a total nightmare.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 for all colleagues whether state or independent.