‘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.

Nope, I wouldn’t send my children over summer holidays. I want my children to enjoy the summer off and don’t expect teachers holidays to be changed. Children can ‘catch up’ after summer or, shock horror, the system could be changed to adapt to cover what was missed or prioritise what needs to be taught.

Er yes actually @KrakowDawn that is what we've done thanks. That doesn't overcome the issue that he's not being taught by qualified teachers, especially in maths where the school uses the Singapore maths system which I've never studied.

If I was being uncharitable if say.... If teaching is so straightforward that an unqualified parent like me can do it, why do we need teachers?

I suspect my experience is similar to yours, @ChocolateCard. And yes, it does make me sad to hear about all the excellent work some teachers and schools are doing.

I've taught many a revision day at Easter and may half term for gcse and a level. There is nothing on earth like the resentment of those kids who want to be at home but have been. Sent in by. Parents. Imagine that over the summer.

If your teaching contract states term time only then that is how you are paid otherwise it is full year.
Teachers (Teachers pay and conditions Sept 2019) are contracted to work 190 teaching days plus 5 other day ie inset..
I am employed 37 hours per week full year and don’t complain that I am not paid for weekends,
Support staff often have term time only contracts.

@neighneigh and @ChocolateCard, you seem.to be very much in the minority in that your DCs' schools aren't providing distance learning. Perhaps you feel strongly enough about it to consider changing schools. That would be a better solution than extrapolating from your own experiences to generalise about a whole profession on Mumsnet (though as always, Mumsnet seems happy enough for you to do so).

No teachers need the rest and so do some of the kids who have been working ,, and we might even have a bit more normal in summer which kids haven't had for a while either and don't think we can under estimate that

Helpful!

My son is year 10 so I am slightly concerned on impact on gcse next year but think he's copes with missing this ans wouldn't want to do summer school and if I know. If if we are more back to normal in sept onwards then I'm confident his school will do all they can to catch up as they often run after school and on holidays for the gcse years in their own time

I have a y5 son too and could have written her post. Perhaps it’s a North Yorkshire thing.
My older two have a full programme of work but no support for SEN ds1. So out of my 3 children only one is getting anything resembling adequate provision.
I have always liked and admired ds2’s class teacher and he loves her and I can’t believe how little response he has had to the work he has done. Often he doesn’t even get a Seesaw like. I prefer to believe she is busy with key workers’ children- she doesn’t have kids of her own to look after- but in that case it’s a management problem, as she should be timetabled with some time for her own class.
I have a teacher friend who tells me he has been spending ages contacting kids who didn’t engage with the work, by phone and email. Lucky them - we have had none of that.
I have another teacher friend who has posted a lot on Facebook about how much time she has been spending at the beach. So no, not all teachers are working harder than usual.

Sorry, that should say NeighNeigh’s post.

@Wheezyfreespirit

If your teaching contract states term time only then that is how you are paid otherwise it is full year. Teachers (Teachers pay and conditions Sept 2019) are contracted to work 190 teaching days plus 5 other day ie inset.. I am employed 37 hours per week full year and don’t complain that I am not paid for weekends, Support staff often have term time only contracts.

Yes... I'm only paid for 195 days. Which means I am not working in the summer holidays as I am not paid for it. Like you wouldn't be expected to work on a weekend, because you are not paid for it.

Wheezy no you don't complain that you aren't paid for weekends, but you might complain if you were suddenly told you had to!
I would volunteer to go in in the summer but I don't appreciate being summoned. I've worked ruddy hard the past few weeks, like most people in other jobs have. I could only offer a little time as I don't have the childcare to go in all summer. I also always put the children I teach before my own family and this summer I would like to prioritise my dd, if I can.

I am torn on the whole home learning thing. I know from personal experience that there are many fantastic teachers responding admirably to this challenge and who have gone above and beyond for their students. Our lockdown has been a tale of two halves with my Y7 DS being supported brilliantly by his school who have been overwhelmingly positive and pro-active. Unfortunately my Y5 DS has not been so lucky and I am saddened and worried by the lack of contact and provision being posted by his school. We were sent a list of links to online education sites and left to crack on. For 9 weeks and counting. Just abysmal. After emailing the Head, they are apparently “relaunching” their online learning programme this week. So far it consists of links to the Oak Academy and nothing else - still no opportunity for feedback from his teacher which frankly, by this stage, is poor.

I’d love mine to catch up over summer, let’s face it. It’s not going to be a normal summer holiday is it.

However, I also know most teachers need the break and need to regroup before whatever September brings.

1. Teachers need a break , do they want them to work Literally non stop since December until the following October? They’d be working for way less than minimum wage aswell.
2. I have an autistic son who counts on the school holidays to get him through the school year, there’s no way he would ever work during the summer holidays and tbh I wouldn’t want him too, this is unfortuntley something outside anyone’s control and kids shouldn’t be expected to change thier routine around more than it has, they’ve already had to sacrifice enough when they don’t even totally understand.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

It doesn't sound like she's been brilliant however she may have been doing a lot of keyworker days which require fu attention on the students in school. Lots of primary schools have struggled to get staff in to work due to teacher childcare being shut and vulnerable family members. Primary staff bodies are usually much smaller than secondary schools. However the teachers at home should have been picking up her work. Have you spoken to her about it?

Wheezy I don't really understand your post. Teachers are paid for 195 days a year. This does NOT include the holidays. Would you start working weekends for free?

@WoollyMollyMonkey oh dear, someone else who knows nothing about teaching. If you’re on a permanent contract the pay is annualised. Look it up if the word is too hard for you. I’m not working through my summer holidays for nothing. I get paid bog all as it is.

WoollyMollyMonkey

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

Muppet

@ChocolateCard if you don't have work for your Year 5, use the oak national academy. Type it into google- there's 5 weeks of work there. It's really useful for my year 2

I know it's a separate issue, but does anyone have any clue what will happen if holiday clubs are not open over the summer holidays? I'm thinking it's currently looking unlikely but who knows. My children are in keyworker provision as I'm a single parent nurse. I actually don't know what I'm meant to do over the summer holidays if holiday care provision is not available?

The children's commissioner is ridiculous.

She wants the children to 'catchup'in summer schools (so no long summer break at all?).

Then announces that of course she doesn'teexpect teachers to actuallybbe teaching at these summer schools, and opines that perhaps social workers could run them.

I'veffollowed a few of the children's commissioner's brainwaves over the years, and there seems to be an underlying belief that children are safer anywhere but with their parents.

@milkysmum the lack of childcare provision also worries me. DH and I are both keyworkers in a hospital and I have no idea currently what we are going to do with the
DC over the summer. Our usual holiday cover isn’t open to school children. It worries me.

Have to admit I presumed a teachers contract was better than a teaching assistant but 195 days is 39 weeks so the same

The only difference might me if you see an advert for a teaching assistant it could be 19k pro rata, so 19k is a council wage for that grade working properly full time for 47 weeks not 39 weeks so a teaching assistant will only get a percentage of the 19k

Is that the same for a teacher advert or is the salary advertised already based on 195 days?

My DC's would genuinely love to attend some school over the summer. DD won't work at home and is transitioning to secondary in Sept, she's barely picked up a pen since March. And the only break they need is from this house.

But I know it's up to the teachers. It's been a crazy few weeks for them and I don't blame them wanting some down time.