‘Teachers must run summer schools to help pupils to catch up’

[DNAshelicase]

...said the children’s commissioner. Uhmm no hun. I’m a teacher and have already worked through Easter and half term for free, contrary to popular belief we are not paid for holidays. If I’ll be paid handsomely for overtime I’d consider it but tbh I need a break. Wouldn’t get into the profession if we didn’t care about the kids but they aren’t more important than our own kids, the suggestion is a piss take.

There used to be summer school paid for by the government for PP kids. It was great fun. Staff could volunteer and we did lots of exciting things to prepare them for high school. Government cut the funding.

Sorry I should also add, that's for my daughter prep school where online provision has been good. My sons prep where they've furloughed most of the staff (which I think is appalling when they're still charging 80% fees), sweated the socks off a few and generally been crap with random online lessons. Well they can cover the overtime for those teachers who are willing to do some summer schooling. (And some are more than happy to).

You will he given plenty of valid reasons if you do that, especially as you cannot compare Secondary to Primary age groups.

What sort of reasons? The majority of teachers on these threads suggest this sort of thing is happening

The inconsistency is a real shame

Speak to the government. Curriculum was suspended, schools did what was best a) for them, b) their community (the majority of it).

Taking into account what technology was available for both providers of lessons, and children at home.

Personally I think anyone who was furloughed should only have had 50% of their salary, not been allowed to move further away than their house than 5 miles (we can't see them enjoying themselves), and the rest of the money should have gone to buy technology for children who don't have it, and wifi connections.

@AllTheUserNamesAreTaken

You will he given plenty of valid reasons if you do that, especially as you cannot compare Secondary to Primary age groups.

What sort of reasons? The majority of teachers on these threads suggest this sort of thing is happening

Good question but if you have seen the myriad of threads you mention, you would also have seen the myriad of reasons, to be fair.

To reiterate them, some reasons include:

1. Teachers have already been doing lots of ‘invisible’ tasks such as, gathering evidence to get qualification data for Year 11 and Year 13, planning lessons that can be taught remotely, creating resources, marking work, checking on vulnerable children, completing safeguarding referrals, writing school reports, in school minding key worker children, writing new schemes of work and policies for the COVID-19 world, delivering free school meals to students...

1. Some are delivering live video lessons yes but most most are not doing this, due to unsafe platforms, such as Zoom, the inappropriateness of it for some ages/classes like your Primary aged children, and due some safeguarding reasons that some schools are just hoping for the best or pushing the liability into the individual teacher shamefully.

1. Some of the safeguarding issues include the vulnerability of teachers’ images or voices being used to create online memes (at best) or pornographic material (at worst) by downloading and manipulating the clips, protections of both staff and students who may be hiding from dangerous individuals known to them, the possibility that abuse may happen live online in front of other children, the possibility that some children may appear on camera either undressed or performing indecent acts. In addition, the platform Zoom does not have end to end encryption (like Whats App does) and there have been many news stories of Zoom customer data being sold on the dark web for a penny. Not every school spent their budget prior to September on expensive platforms like Office 365 (which schools need to host Microsoft Teams) or the Google Suite (for Google Classroom) which averages about £6 to £9 per student per month (£9,000 per month for my school for example) as many schools might have earmarked that money for SEND support or repairing old buildings and did not expect a pandemic. In addition, the government’s promised initiate of laptops for students (just Year 10s) has not actually materialised for most.

1. Future reasons are also going to include more and more staff having to physically be in school rather than on rota and therefore, the demands of remote learning will be even more limited.

1. Many many parents do not actually want live lessons because it means they have to follow a set schedule that just does not fit in to their home circumstances: many need to have their bandwidth and computing devices for daylight work hours and appreciate that their children can work in there evenings or the weekend using the materials provided by their teachers. Also, for larger families, space, tech and time means they all cannot be following a live lesson timetable. It is why, for those requiring video based led lessons, the government put a lot of money into the Oak National Academy.

@FrenchSeal still waiting to hear what you do for a living...

@HopeClearwater

I'm a solicitor- so I've been working pretty much as normal from home for months now. If we didn't do so, our clients would simply go elsewhere- similar to private schools which are offering live online lessons.

Because state schools have no incentive to retain custom, their teachers can do very little and get away with it. Which is what seems to have been happening.

Not RTFT... as Ive worked 13 hours today, and still not finished.

Has anyone suggested us teachers should only be getting 80% pay yet as were doing fuck all?

@FrenchSeal Lovely. Not in employment law, I trust? Your understanding of teachers’ hours, pay and holidays leaves something to be desired despite the helpful explanations on this thread. We do have something in common though - I have a law degree too.

Thought you might ignore my post FrenchSeal. Speaks volumes.

Interesting thread. I've learnt quite a bit, thank you.

From a purely selfish perspective, I don't want schools open over the summer. I want teachers involved in planning.

A minority of kids currently returning to school. I am struggling to see how it will be school as normal by September.

My kids, touch wood, are doing ok. Lots are not (based on an unscientific read of MN threads). Current situation sounds massively stressful for staff.

I would like to think that 6 weeks will allow for planning. To get something better in place for September. Until we can be 'normal'.

@PheasantPlucker1. Oh it's better than that..go read- you'll giggle yourself to sleep.

Let's see...we've had "take a voluntary 20% pay cut and the money could buy lovely treats for the NHS" - I think that was one.

Oh yes - we should all just get paid £10 an hour and any bonus would be based on exam results and if parents approved of us. I think they were onto a winner there tbh what with the recruitment and retention crisis...

Umm...we should obviously volunteer to teach all summer. That goes without saying! As we've done nothing so far. And the usual twits who can neither comprehend that we're not paid for holidays but are going to inform us (incorrectly) that they know all about how much teachers get paid.

My child has been provided with online lessons following a timetable from day 1 of lockdown. This is in a state school in England. Their teachers have been teaching online lessons and looking after the keyworker or vulnerable students in school every day since school closed. I want the students to have a break and staff too so they are refreshed and prepared for a September start, whatever that looks like. I'd also like some time with my kids when they arent doing school work so a summer break would be more than welcomed here!

I would like to think that 6 weeks will allow for planning

Er....that's working, you know.

All teachers do it, but cannot be required to.

@whoosit

The issue is that your DC's school is the exception. Most state schools have been offering very little provision and most teachers have been doing very little.

I don't see why teachers who have been working really very few hours for 3 months need or deserve a holiday that virtually every other worker could only dream of.

Most state schools have been offering very little provision and most teachers have been doing very little

And your evidence for this is....?

@FrenchSeal - ignoring all evidence to the contrary again with your latest post. Like hell are you a solicitor!

Honestly, the bullshit some posters come out with is laughable.

Don't bother anymore, Chloe and penguins.

Step away, @echt.

Poster is a GF. And a little bit dim...

FrenchSeal is very new to MN. , so don't expect any evidence-based arguments any time soon.

I know what you mean, BlessYourCottonSocks, but I do enjoy biting a goady newbie. :o