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If schools close again will remote learning be any different this time?

14 replies

Anniemabel · 05/08/2020 10:44

It seems unlikely that primary schools will go back and stay back as normal from September - there are bound to be local lockdowns and / or small outbreaks which require classes to be at home again for periods of time.

Last time the curriculum was, as I understand it, suspended, ofstead was suspended and the pressure generally taken off the education system. That resulted in some schools pulling out all the stops to deliver an online education and other schools doing virtually nothing.

My children have had no meaningful contact with their state primary since March. Their online provision was largely “ideas” for stuff the parents could do with the kids rather than actual work set and submitted and certainly no teaching. The school was quite open about that approach in that the weekly email said things like “we hope you are enjoying educating your children / being the teacher during this time” and stuff like that! There was no consideration that some parents had jobs and toddlers and other things that left little time to home educate properly - I did raise that issue and I was told that none of the work was compulsory so I should just not do it if I didn’t have time.

I’m thinking of emailing our school and asking what the contingency plans are for local lockdowns and classes having to self isolate etc. Getting info out of our school is like blood out of a stone though. Is it reasonable for me to expect them to have made plans to educate remotely in the event of a local lockdown during term time or should I resign myself to the fact that those schools that did nothing last time will continue to do nothing if it happens again?

OP posts:
MarshaBradyo · 05/08/2020 10:47

Yes I wondered this too.

Added to the fact that teaching resource will be fully available, unlike last time when it was used for KW / other years.

ScorpioSphinxInACalicoDress · 05/08/2020 10:50

I'm not in the UK but our school has left everything up and ready to roll that we were using last term. So, all kids know which platform, have school log ins all set up etc.
So, worst case scenario, things should run relatively smoothly from the outset.

OhioOhioOhio · 05/08/2020 10:50

Schools don't know and are already up to their eyes.

Interested in this thread?

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BigBadVoodooHat · 05/08/2020 10:58

should I resign myself to the fact that those schools that did nothing last time will continue to do nothing if it happens again?

I bloody hope not! I was bitterly disappointed in our school's provision last term (i.e. practically none, other than online links to Oak Academy, etc.) and the lack of response to work-related queries. I'll be livid if it happens again.

NothingIsWrong · 05/08/2020 11:02

well it's going to be no different here as I'm still going to have to work full time and will not have any capability to supervise. Not sure what the answer to that is.

mindutopia · 05/08/2020 11:10

I'm not sure it matters much for most people. Last time school sent all sorts of stuff every week that we were expected to do and I pretty much ignored all of it and just sent them semi-regular emails to let them know mine was still alive. We did a bit of reading and a bit of online work. But mostly she has watched YouTube because homeschooling doesn't pay the bills. I do wonder what people in households with no parents who can wfh will do (in ours, I can work from home, but dh can't). But people can't be furloughed forever. They'll need to work.

tiredanddangerous · 05/08/2020 11:12

I bloody hope so! Dds primary didn't set any work at all for lockdown.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 05/08/2020 11:13

should I resign myself to the fact that those schools that did nothing last time will continue to do nothing if it happens again?

As far as I remember from some official pronouncement or other, the government are now expecting schools to be prepared to deliver the curriculum either in school or remotely or a blend of the two depending on need. I don't think they can continue to do nothing: the curriculum won't continue to be suspended, for example, so your school has to deliver it somehow.

DS's school is in a similar situation to a pp's - everything is set up and ready to run smoothly from the start if there are further closures.

diamente · 05/08/2020 11:15

We had daily contact via Instagram. Two zoom assemblies a week and a class small group meeting twice a week. Work set weekly and marked (year one) when some went back the learning continued with the work being done in school for those in or at home. If it continued I'd be more than happy

rookiemere · 05/08/2020 11:16

I finally managed - week before end of term - to get DSs private school to allow me access to get a daily update through google classroom of what DS 14 was meant to be doing. Now I know about that I'm reasonably confident I could keep him on track.

I'm dreading it happening though. I also hope they've considered provision of online work if pupils have to quarantine.

I do feel sorry for teachers - it's a nightmare - and I know a lot of effort will have been spent on reconfiguration of the school for social distancing , now not needed I think.

I hope SLT has considered these things.

Timeforabiscuit · 05/08/2020 11:19

I was really, really impressed by both our primary an secondary as they stood up proper learning packages at incredibly short notice. But it was not teaching, it was working through material with little difference for individual children.

Can you write to your board of governors, saying what your expectation is? What will they do for each key stage? Compare with what other schools in the area are providing?

JustCallMeGriffin · 05/08/2020 11:19

Our LEA has confirmed that face to face online teaching will be part of the blend if schools have to close again/massively reduce numbers on site.

We don't know how this will work in reality yet, but in all fairness to both my daughter's schools there was a lot of work done to make sure there was learning happening and baring a few secondary teachers most staff were responsive to requests for help/support and engaged regularly with my children.

Thankfully I can WFH for the foreseeable if I'm not made redundant! so blended learning isn't a disaster for us if we have to go back to it.

Noitjustwontdo · 05/08/2020 12:00

I’d hope so but realistically it would probably just be the same. My DCs school sent a weekly timetable out but it was just a bunch of ideas, mostly links to websites they could go on. I winged it and I’m lucky I’m a teacher myself (albeit level 2 and 3).

WentworthPrison · 05/08/2020 12:31

@tiredanddangerous

I bloody hope so! Dds primary didn't set any work at all for lockdown.
Sorry but I don't believe that for a second.
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