Surely, repeating this school year is the only way?

[YardleyX]

In what world would it ever have been thought an option to just finish school for the year in March, and then carry on to the next year as though nothing’s happened?!??

Some schools have worked exceptionally hard to continue educating during the pandemic, but official line from the government is that the “curriculum is suspended”.

Therefore, unless the entire curriculum is being re-written, all the way up to and including A level, how can there possibly be an expectation for every child in the country to just ‘move on’ in September?

Year 11 and Year 13 could move on. Impact would therefore be no schools have a Year 11 this year, and some provision needs to be made in order to accommodate this years Reception intake.

Hardly ideal, but better than an entire generation of children falling so far behind, and in lots of cases probably never catching up.

Kids have already done 2/3rds of the year. I know my dds school has given plenty of work. Teams calls every day, with work to hand in. Other dd is getting worksheets off the website, there’s plenty for them to do.
I’m with @Rosehip10

Btw, I’m in the ‘kids should be back at school by now or soon’ camp. They can recap on some stuff and teachers can see what gaps there are.

I think the answer may be to have all children taught in pods of 15 for the rest of next year (via substitute teachers being recruited & others)

In which classrooms? And what do you mean by ‘others’?

I think let the kids go back into their current year until October half term (assuming all schools go back in September), let the new reception kids start after half term too so they have 6 weeks to finish their current year. Probably loads of flaws in that plan but a lot of primary kids will want to spend a bit if time with their teacher before starting a new year and that teacher knows them.

More sensible. Although not sure full classes will be possible even in September.

I'm starting to think the biggest danger is the "Lost Generation" hysteria.

that sums it up perfectly.

@Fishfingersandwichplease that's a great idea. Send it in to the govt.

No that doesn't work cos no year can deal with a bulge year its too much pressure on the system and puts all the kids back one year which just is not necessary.

They need to prune the curriculum to allow for the teaching time left and then reduce what they are examined on. You will still get comparative grading.

THE most important thing is to decide now and work on that basis

Yes I agree with ghrblost generation hysteria.

Still trying to hear from others what will they miss that is so fundamental it will harm their job prospects years down the line.

Fishfingersandwichplease I kind of like your thinking but think its probably not much different from moving kids up and letting the new teacher refresh what they should have learned.

I did ask the question to my sons school if they'd consider keeping kids with same teachers just to make it easier esp for kids and teachers to get to know one another. But I was told you'd think that would be logical but it's easier said than done with staff coming and going.

Restarting a whole year for the sake of three months without school (and yeah, it would have been three rather than four because of the school holidays) is a ludicrous notion and it would hold many pupils back unnecessarily, they’d forever be a year behind!

My DC are bright and capable so they have done pretty well with homeschooling tbh, there’s no way they need to restart the school year for the sake of three lost school months.

I did ask the question to my sons school if they'd consider keeping kids with same teachers

one of our local schools has already changed all the teachers last week when the kids came back. Parents who posted on social media about it were not happy, because it was even more upsetting for the kids. Same teachers in the school.

I think the worry is about the DC who really do need the teaching in school to ensure they make good progress. This is possibly around 25% of children. PP children are closely monitored in school and many of these DC are missing out. The older they are, the less time they have to catch up.

MN can be a bubble of well motivated children who are very bright. Other DC simply don’t have the best of things at home and there are categories such as child carers and those in care who very much struggle with educational outcomes. It’s these DC and others who have just zoned out of learning where there is great concern and it’s justified. The older DC will definitely have their options clipped. Many could also be BAME children and I don’t want more children to not meet their potential.

Children need to be in full time education by law.
It’s their right as well as a legal requirement. Some schools have really let some kids down by not keeping in touch with kids and finding out how that legal obligation could be fulfilled.

Yes. And parents get fined for taking them out of school. Every day used to matter. Now it seems months and months don’t matter.

I think something else some are forgetting is it's going to take a while for kids to get back into a regular routine. My pairs and actually my own body clock is all over the place. I find myself knackered by 6pm, but I go to bed at 10pm and can't sleep until 2am even if I turn my phone off. I've even cut out coffee to see if it helped but no. Likewise, my kids are staying in bed until 10am, and my daughter is basically spending most of her time in her room in bed on her phone watching YouTube or on her laptop at her desk. Neither really want to go for a walk, I've managed to get them out a few times but my son was petrified in case we bumped into a busy place as he was convinced the virus was like a toxic cloud (he's not shielding but low risk due to asthma). My daughter days she doesn't see the point, they can't go anywhere. They can't go shopping, or to a cafe or on the swings even. She misses the cinema and days out.
We are ways out as a family usually.

It's going to take a while to get back to school mindset, of going to bed at 9pm and being up at 7am, sitting in school all day. Routine is hard to do when you have nothing to plan towards.

That's going to have an effect on their ability to catch up, not to mention the psychological effects, the changes in school layout, one way systems, not being able to sit and have a laugh with friends.
It's a gigantic headfuck for some adults.

@Fishfingersandwichplease so where do the children who are supposed to start reception go until the end of October?

There is no good option just the least worst. It's the reality of the situation like this.

Yes. And parents get fined for taking them out of school. Every day used to matter. Now it seems months and months don’t matter

I have seen absolutely no one say that it doesn't matter. Not even the government.

I'm a school Governor with a link role for Attendance. Obviously this special role is defunct right now and just doing general 'governor stuff'. In normal times yes, we had to chase families and literally go to their houses and ring doorbells because they parents couldn't be arsed to get out of bed and get their dcs to school. We didn't have EWO for shits and giggles.

Normal school attendance issues and fines and a global pandemic are incomparable situations.

@LadyofTheManners then perhaps when you know they are going back you should make them get back into a routine weeks before. seriously why is this even an issue and they should be ready to get back raring to go and not disrupting whatever school time they get because they still need to get back into a routine.

Honestly what point are parents going to parent

Why can't education carry on from where it was before lockdown & the school year be moved to Christmas to Christmas? Let Y11 & Y13 do their exams in November/ December, new intakes in primary start in January, let preschool age children have 1 term extra in preschool & children starting preschool start a term later?

Because doing exams in Nov / Dec as opposed to May / June effectively means they aren't able to move on to Uni / College in September.

It has the same effect as repeating the full year.

To be fair, what's the point of sticking to a school routine when there's no school? For once the children can enjoy longer evenings because they don't have to get up, they work just as well later in the day, don't get me started on teens. It makes the work day easier for parents too as we have a few hours of peace first thing in the morning.

It would be such a waste to put the kids to bed early when you don't need to and they'd miss most of the afternoons and light evenings!

They need to prune the curriculum

Impossible as schools don't teach the subjects in any specific order.

@LadyofTheManners

I think something else some are forgetting is it's going to take a while for kids to get back into a regular routine. My pairs and actually my own body clock is all over the place. I find myself knackered by 6pm, but I go to bed at 10pm and can't sleep until 2am even if I turn my phone off. I've even cut out coffee to see if it helped but no. Likewise, my kids are staying in bed until 10am, and my daughter is basically spending most of her time in her room in bed on her phone watching YouTube or on her laptop at her desk. Neither really want to go for a walk, I've managed to get them out a few times but my son was petrified in case we bumped into a busy place as he was convinced the virus was like a toxic cloud (he's not shielding but low risk due to asthma). My daughter days she doesn't see the point, they can't go anywhere. They can't go shopping, or to a cafe or on the swings even. She misses the cinema and days out. We are ways out as a family usually.

It's going to take a while to get back to school mindset, of going to bed at 9pm and being up at 7am, sitting in school all day. Routine is hard to do when you have nothing to plan towards.

That's going to have an effect on their ability to catch up, not to mention the psychological effects, the changes in school layout, one way systems, not being able to sit and have a laugh with friends.
It's a gigantic headfuck for some adults.

How old are they? It isn't rocket science. You say right you're going back to school in 3 weeks, let's get our routine sorted. You wake them up at 9. 30 then 9 then 8.30 then 8 then 7.30 then 7 and thry will adjust their bedtimes. You tell them they're not allowed back to bed until bedtime. You adjust meal times to what they'll be when you're all back at school and work. Why aren't they helping around the house with chores? Do school set any work?

Geting them back into routine is surely the same as every summer holidays.

Surely getting them back into routine should only take a few days. Can't be any worse than jetlag when people lose/ gain 8/9 hours.

@Homemadeandfromscratch

To be fair, what's the point of sticking to a school routine when there's no school? For once the children can enjoy longer evenings because they don't have to get up, they work just as well later in the day, don't get me started on teens. It makes the work day easier for parents too as we have a few hours of peace first thing in the morning.

It would be such a waste to put the kids to bed early when you don't need to and they'd miss most of the afternoons and light evenings!

Which is fine with no end in sight, but it's lazy parenting imo to declare on August 31st they need to be up at 6am, in uniform and fully back in routine. It might not matter atm although I'd question the effect or might have on their MH but it's not like you're deciding on a Sunday they're all returning to school with no notice