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.

I have 3 primary aged dc and they have all been set work and followed the curriculum and have not missed out at home. They are also woken at 7am daily and follow the class timetable. All 3 schools told us to do this from the start. Socially and behaviourally they have gone backwards occasionally but not educationally and all 3 have massively improved their IT and independent work skills. Most of their friends are exactly the same. Fully appreciate their classes are full of privileged kids with motivated largely professional parents (I would say 70 per cent also educated to university degree level). None of these kids are going to need help to catch up on the curriculum, maybe what will be needed is extra hands next year eg TAS to help kids who didn’t engage as much during this time period. Good teachers know who needs help. Our teachers can tell now from the work uploaded who has engaged and who hasn’t and this should let them plan ahead if government allows more deprived schools an extra budget for additional staff.

@Blackbear19

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.

I suggested 3 weeks as pp seemed to think it was such an onerous task

Our primary school have specifically asked pupils NOT to submit any work that they’ve done.

So, I have no idea how those teachers are going to work out who’s got a lot of catching up to do and who hasn’t 🤷‍♀️

I think next school year should run to Dec 2021 (with public exams in Dec rather than June - I have a current year 10 so this is a super sore point). Then we switch to a calendar school year permanently (like New Zealand). This buys us 6 months next year to catch up and allows the Universities to start in January 2021 physically (so they don't get huge numbers deferring).
Oh and do something about the antiquated massively long summer break with the associated learning loss whilst they are at it.
I can but dream!

As an attendance governor it would have been absolutely appropriate to phone families who are poor attendees to see how they were getting on. It really isn’t good enough to leave the most vulnerable to their own devices when you know full well their outcomes will be adversely affected.

The pandemic has made it worse for thousands of children but making excuses is just not acceptable and all schools could have asked governors to help out - especially if they were already doing operational activities anyway. Just because school isn’t in the buildings it isn’t good enough not to chase certain Dc up and see how they are. Even tv crews have managed to do this. All I ever hear is why something cannot be done!

Repeating a year wont logistically work.

There are few potential ways this could go for children in early primary.

Firstly the government could acknowledge the continental approach to education, which is that formal learning starts at 7 years. This has been shown all over europe to have huge benefits and had lead to brilliant educational outcomes. Prior to 7 children still attend educational settings but with a informal approach with a focus on learning through play, socialisation and holistic learning (although they are encouraged to read/write/maths if the child wants to). This approach generally fosters a love of learning and education, and children are able to naturally learn at 7 years old in the first year of formal teaching at a much faster pace, in some countries things that take a year at year reception can take a month with a child 7 years or older. This would be the best way for the government to approach early years education. For children 8 years a below all does not need to be lost if the government decide to use well used, tested, tried and very successful educational models of early years used elseware. (Was discussing this with a early years and education researcher who absolutely advocated this would be the most beneficial to young children, not only now, but also for future cohorts as a long term chnage to british education).

The second method is that they try and cram in all early years learning, resulting in stress, some children will still thrive, some will be able to catch up before they end primary, but unfortunately some will be left behind as the education system will move to fast for them. Which could lead to a discontent with education which can be long lasting.

I really bloody wish our DfE would learn from successful educational systems elseware which have considerably better educational (and social) outcomes then ours currently. Instead why try to be like the USA which frankly is no better then the UK system and that's before Covid to contend with. Imo our education system has been broken for some time and could be considerably better if british pride was put aside and we learnt from our neighbours and the huge body of research (which other countries use to guide them). But ofc that requires education to be a priority to the british government, which it simply hasn't been for many years, whereas many of the countries with very successful education systems have governments that prioritise education.

First world/niche problem I know, but it's not been mentioned on the thread yet so I will throw it into the mix.

DC are at private school, DH has lost his job and unlikely to get another which will cover the school fees adequately. We have just about enough in savings to cover both DC through to 18, but no way could we fund an extra year for both if they had to repeat the current year.

You can't have all school children repeat a year because some haven't been able to work during 3 months.
Yes it is unfortunate, and ideally schools should offer targeted support.
But the impact on all the children would be too penalizing! How do you explain to a class where 80% has achieved the years' targets that they have to redo the year? What happens when most of the class is bored and therefore misbehaves?
And this is before even thinking about the impact on nurseries, schools, universities etc.

The 30 free hours provision would need to be extended. Where’s the cash coming from?

This is a relatively new thing, they may do away with the 30 hours altogether!

@IndecisiveMama

I think next school year should run to Dec 2021 (with public exams in Dec rather than June - I have a current year 10 so this is a super sore point). Then we switch to a calendar school year permanently (like New Zealand). This buys us 6 months next year to catch up and allows the Universities to start in January 2021 physically (so they don't get huge numbers deferring). Oh and do something about the antiquated massively long summer break with the associated learning loss whilst they are at it. I can but dream!

On paper it sounds good but I imagine it wouldn't work. For one it also requires universities to change their academic year, otherwise school leavers would have a 9 month period before they could start. Changing the academic year of HE puts the UK completely out of sync with a majority of foreign universities, which causes problems for gap years, a movement of staff, academic placements etc which all benefit advancements in knowledge. As most foreign countries run a academic year from autumn to spring/summer. It also causes huge issues for holidays, summer holidays would be impossible as you couldn't put such a big break in the middle of the academic year. Summer holidays are incredibly important for children and families alike. Considering them archaic and getting rid of them only benefits a small number of people but frankly ignores the children who would struggle greatly without a sustained break from school eg the severely bullied. Also children need a break and time to actually be children and to spend quality time with family and friends. It would be incredibly unhealthy to increase the number of weeks children are in school for. The UK already has one of the shortest holidays in the academic year for school children. Off paper I also absolutely cannot see children sitting quietly in full uniform and sweltering classrooms in the middle of summer heat. The UK predominately has old school buildings with limited air flow nevermind air con or the likes and it would simply be unbearable for a majority of children and staff to work during it. Behaviour would very little become a huge issue in the summer months if summer break was removed.

Behaviour would become a huge issue**

They don't need to resit 3 terms when they only missed one term and 2 weeks.

I really wish it was possible tbh. But there isn't the money to do it.

OP: you keep stating that the national curriculum has been suspended but I've seen no evidence of that except for the link to the advice from the NEU.

I know from personal experience that unions do not always provide advice that is strictly accurate and I'm wondering whether that might be the case here.

Admittedly I may not be up to date with all the DFE advice as I gather it keeps changing, but what I've seen suggests that no school will be penalised if they are unable to offer a broad and balanced curriculum. That's not the same as saying 'the curriculum is suspended'.

On repeating a year it says this:

16.5 How should schools respond to requests for children and young people to repeat a year?
Once a child has been admitted to a school it is for the head teacher to decide how best to educate them. This may, on occasion, include deciding that a child should be educated in a year group other than the one indicated by their age. Such decisions should be based on sound educational reasons and in consultation with parents.
We do not currently anticipate that children and young people will need to repeat a school year as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak. We continue to look at all options to make sure children and young people get the support they need to continue their education during the coronavirus outbreak and make up for time spent out of school.
However, it remains possible for headteachers to agree this in individual cases, if they think it is appropriate.

Sounds sensible to me. Most children won't need to repeat the year. Some might.

Another thing to consider is the psychological effect on children who are currently thinking they are going up a year next year, old kids might understand but it's a big thing for primary kids - Oh next year I'm going to be P6 and get to do be a big buddy / learn instrument / go swimming - or whatever exciting things that year get to do.

do something about the antiquated massively long summer break with the associated learning loss whilst they are at it.

That kind of comments REALLY makes me angry and is exactly what people are replying to when they state that schools are not childcare!

The summer break is barely 6 weeks long FFS! Kids NEED a break, they need to have a life out of school. Schools should be based around them, not around the parents who suddenly discover that there is such as thing as a summer break. Because apparently said parents were working in fields or factories all summer long themselves so the concept of school break is a brand new invention

Youngest need to have a chance to catch up with friends and family, so do eldest but these also need a chance to travel, to have summer jobs. Kids need a life, and it's not all about school.

If SOME parents are too lazy to do anything in the summer, don't penalise everybody else. The kids are tired as it is in October. They need longer holidays if anything.

the psychological effect on children who are currently thinking they are going up a year next year

I don't think that's a point that the most vocal posters remotely care about unfortunately.

So, I have no idea how those teachers are going to work out who’s got a lot of catching up to do and who hasn’t

You do some baseline assessments with your class. These are routinely done in September anyway and there’s always significant variation in any cohort.

They won't do this as it would mean supporting families an extra year in terms of benefits etc

They don't need to resit 3 terms when they only missed one term and 2 weeks.

That's assuming schools are back to normal in September which is highly unlikely.

@EffYouSeeKaye

So, I have no idea how those teachers are going to work out who’s got a lot of catching up to do and who hasn’t

You do some baseline assessments with your class. These are routinely done in September anyway and there’s always significant variation in any cohort.

I used to be a Reception teacher. I assessed all children when they started and on a couple of occasions I had children whose development I assessed as being less than 2 years old. I treated them and worked on their 'next steps' as appropriate. I didn't say 'You are nearly 5 now so you have to do Reception work.' That is how teachers in UK Primary work, starting from where the children are not from where they 'ought' to be. Holding back a year isn't necessary.

But where would year 11 move on to?? You’d have a double year 12/ first year at college.

What about all the 4/ some nearly 5 year olds who are waiting to start. How would you increase the nursery places to make way for the new 3 year olds?

And what about year 6 who are more than ready to move on from Primary school by the Easter of year 6 every year? They’ve finished the curriculum any way as the last few weeks of the spring term/ first few weeks of the summer term are revision and preparation for SATs.

And what about all the children who’ve worked damn hard over lockdown?

The gap between private and state schooling is now greater than at any point. DS is at a private prep, full schedule every day. Teams chats with all his tutor group every morning. I think they will have missed a little due to shorter days and no Saturday school. However DD and a state primary has had nothing from school. Online links sent once a week. No teacher interaction at all. Nothing marked, no new things learnt. How is it right we’ve allowed our children to be disadvantaged this way?

That just won't work. Of course having this gap in the curriculum is a problem, but there's just no easy solution. It's also unfair to make the kids repeat the year and have them spend an extra year in schooling when none of this was their fault.

@YardleyX that means from now on, the school starting age moves on by one year. How on earth is that going to work?