‘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.

I think actually the fundamental problem is that there have been hard working teachers who have done online teaching, who have been speaking to families, who have kept their classes vaguely up to speed. But I'm afraid my school has done none of that. Small school of about 125 pupils, north Yorkshire. My son has literally not spoken to a member of staff since the closure. We use Seesaw to post pictures of the work he's done from their worksheets (emailed weekly) and all we get is a "like". I am a huge fan of our school and the teachers but for a year five to have not a single moment of official teaching is really poor. A friend whose son really struggles with basic work has had fuck all help too. The attitude (in fact words from head teacher) are "we'll get them back up to speed when they return". How?! What about the next year's curriculum?

So while some can argue they've been working hard, I'm afraid others can't. I'd advocate for an extra hour after school, to finish at 4pm, for the first few months on return at least, at schools like ours.

But you do get paid for holidays, teachers are on a 52 week contract.

Teachers are only paid for the number of working days per year, it's just spread out into 12 monthly pay checks.

@ChocolateCard

Primary School in Bridgend, South Wales.

Literally not taught a thing to their Year 5’s since 20th March.

And what have you done about this? Made contact with the school and asked them? Or just thought you'd ride it out and vent here on MN and tar the entire teaching profession of half a million teachers with the same brush?

@WoollyMollyMonkey

Of course it should be voluntary. But you do get paid for holidays, teachers are on a 52 week contract. It’s support staff who aren’t paid for the whole year, they are normally on 39 working weeks contract plus 6 weeks paid holidays.

I love the way some posters so confidently state absolute horseshit when they clearly have no idea about teachers' contracts.

But you do get paid for holidays, teachers are on a 52 week contract.

Oh, ffs, not this again! How about educating yourself (by reading one of the gazillion threads on here, for a start) that because someone gets their salary spread out over 12 months, does NOT mean they are paid for every one of those months.

Teaching primary children from 9 - 4 would be awful. They would be shattered and no decent learning would be taking place by that time.

I would not want my children taking part. They need a break too - relentless.
And I say this as a parent of y9s who are meant to be taking a couple of GCSE exams in y9 and 10.

Oh. Must they? That's nice, dear... 🍪

I think Wales have a different ruling, but my friends in Colwyn Bay have had work from school to do daily. I couldn't say what, but I know they've been busy. Sounds like it's an individual school, lots of people have complained about different levels of work issued, but a school/LA can only do what they are able to.

I'd advocate for an extra hour after school, to finish at 4pm, for the first few months on return at least, at schools like ours

I bet you would. That's an hour's free childcare.

It should be voluntary, could they not ask retired teachers to volunteer as they did with the NHS?

Hi @Myhipsdontlie oh do bore off. I don't need it for childcare, I work from home as a freelance so it wouldn't make a difference for me to fetch him at 3 or 4. I would like my son to be, you know, taught? He's year five and an extra hour would be fine. I did it at that age, my school finished at 4pm

I imagine a lot of retired teachers (like me) have read what is being said about teachers in the press and social media.

Why on earth volunteer to be subjected to the sort of abuse we see here every day?

Nope. Fuck off to the far side....

Take it up with the school, please.

There is already a teacher shortage and retention problem.

You have to wonder when people will realise that piling pressure on teachers might not be the best plan for education in the UK.

A level students won't get years to catch up. Extra summer intensives would be amazing. There might even be interest in doing a week or so by some teachers, if it paid enough (replace lost income from marking), or pay university grads/final year to do something. I doubt there's time to organise it now though. We could have planned this from March. No point saying 'teachers must' because 'teachers don't have to'

Absolutely, yes it has been taken up with the school.

They have replied stating that they have no intention of trying to teach in a remote capacity; that they wish us well, and that they look forward to seeing us when schools are able to re-open safely.

And no, absolutely not tarring all teachers with the same brush. I have stated that hearing about excellent, hard-working teachers just makes me even sadder about the state of my children’s education.

Or imagine this, neighneigh you look at the curriculum for Y5, work out which bits your son hasn't covered and actually go over that with him yourself. Presumably you've not worked seven days a week since he stopped attending school?
Isn't that what you do anyway as a parent?

Where did you see this OP and do you have a link? Because I saw the children's commissioner interviewed on Sky this morning and she specifically said schools should open using holiday club providers/extra curricular type people and perhaps supply teachers, She spoke about utilising the school premises to give children somewhere to go and some enrichment and a chance to catch up. Kaye Burley said 'I'm sure teachers will pleased to hear you're not expecting them all to work through the summer,' or words to that effect and she said something like 'haha no, but we need to look at using the school buildings etc'

It's a shame you've started what might turn into a teacher-bashing thread based on something that isn't even factual.

I have obviously been teaching teenagers too long. When anyone tells me what to do I take a typical teenage stance of 'no chance'.

Can’t see pupils who haven’t been engaging now will engage in Summer school. If Summer school does run it will probably be filled with pupils who have already engaged and will then get further ahead.

^ This. The pupils that we had back in today were the ones who had been engaging well, the parents who had decided not to send their child in were the ones who hadn't got their children to engage with the work at all during lockdown and who needed to be in most. The gap will widen more now rather than lessen.

An ex is a teacher, he has worked through easter, bank holidays and halfterm for free so keyworker and vulnerable children can attend school. Despite me hating the man, to then expect him to also work for free over the summer holidays is ludicrous.

We've been setting and marking remote work but I wouldn't say we've been working our arses off.

I'm sure most of my colleagues would volunteer to do a bit in the holidays to catch up the GCSE kids that haven't been able to get it done at home. The question is would those kids turn up?

Whether we'd have the budget to safely open the school site would probably be a question as well.

It's not just teachers though. Support staff would be needed. I clean in a school. My last full week off was February half term. I've been in most days as half of my team are classed as vulnerable. This would be a step too far for me. I need a break, so do teachers!