A “well being” day instead of remote learning lessons once a week?

[Mumba0111around]

Just found out children’s school is planning on introducing this for the rest of lockdown. Instead of remote learning, one day a week to be a “well-being” day with no formal lessons (suggestions instead include activities such going for a walk or BBC Bitesize). Rest of the week to be pre recorded video lessons for different subjects, worksheets same as currently etc (no live lessons)

What do others think of this? I would be particularly interested in hearing if any other schools have put this into place, and experience of how it was going.

Our secondary is doing screen free Wednesday but the teachers set extra work and tells the kids to print it out on Tuesday to get around this.

Pretty pointless when most teens will be on Netflix/Social Media/Games consoles instead.

I think it is fairly daft when state educated children will have already fallen even further behind private schools than they already were in normal times.

We get plenty of time to play with the amount of works set by school and in fact I am having to top up with private lessons because it is quite clearly not enough.

We use a local tutor (online) for English and maths.

For stretching in lots of other areas (science, politics, geography, arts etc) we use Outschool ... Link should make it free to try a class - make sure you filter by age/time of day/ topic /one time only etc ... outschool.com/?signup=true&usid=oJXLafjD&utm_campaign=share_invite_link

One of the "positives" of this pandemic is that it has become abundantly clear that the primary teachers in my son's school place very little value on stretching the brightest children and were just using him as an extra TA once he had finished the set work. He is much happier now he is able to explore subjects in depth once he has finished the work his teachers set

I find it much easier to manage a structured day with multiple dc. If school throw a well-being day at me, where I need to keep the dc happy and busy whilst Wth FT I will lose my shit!

It will be beneficial to a lot of children to have that break. More lessons doesn’t necessarily mean more learning. Stressed children (or adults) do not learn effectively.

The curriculum can be stretched into the following years.

If you’re worried about 11+ get a tutor, because you’re unlikely to get in without one anyway- they go over exam technique and important strategies.

If you don’t like a day without structure, maybe download some stuff from Twinkl and write a schedule for the day?

Ours have a wellbeing week coming up (secondary) it's an opportunity to catch up on work that has been missed, have catch ups with teachers, school set some non compulsory activities/lessons for the whole school which go into a whole school record of this time, but no new compulsory work is set. They did it twice during the first lock down and it was a really useful exercise, it reduced the pressure on them whilst still providing support and enabled kids who were struggling an opportunity to catch up and have teachers a little extra time to catch up with everyone.

@Cocoabutterkim I agree, these kind of ideas fail to recognise the reality that many children have both parents working!

If I felt like my children needed a "wellness" day I would just let them have one anyway, I wouldn't need school to tell me to!

Maybe a better option would be to make it optional....so those who need a break and are able to take it do, and those who need the schoolwork in place can access it too? Although this would only work for younger children who don't necessarily see their set work.

We have it in primary (dd is 7).
No proper lessons and a couple of optional "fun" activities (maths colour by number etc). An optional google meet where they do a fun quiz or similar.
Dd likes it and I think it is good at primary school.
But tbh the work they've been doing isn't that intense anyway... Monday to Tbursday consists of a maths task, a writing/reading/comprehension task and something random each day and some suggestions for "PE". A group video call with the teacher (around 20 minutes) 3 times a week.
Which seems quite a lot less than some other schools? It works out ok for us as we prefer to get the school work done by lunch then spend the afternoons how we like.

DD, Y9, had it last week. They had five different categories from which they had to choose an activity each, sport, creativity, learning something new, helping others and do something for you.

DD was relaxed and happy and she enjoyed it.

I think it is good to do things like this but each week may be a bit much, at least in secondary.

We have a catch up/fun day on a Friday for DD, it's also supposed to be independent project but as they do it in school as well, and she's in part time, we haven't bothered-she's only in Y2. Friday is my turn so it's been lovely so far!

I'd welcome this. The week/days seems so long now with homeschooling. My eldest in is in a room all day alone on live lessons and although he seems fine I do worry about it taking its toll. By the time lessons have finished and he wants to go for a walk it's too dark.

@SunInTheSkyYouKnowHowIFeel

Um, what are Saturdays and Sundays for? Sounds like a stupid idea to me, as if children's education hasn't suffered enough

I agree. Mine are older but have online live school from 8.45 to 4.45 plus Saturday mornings until 11.30. They cope.

@Frodont do your WFH, do you have to supervise your children?

Dc had a well being week last ld.

They spent it largely on screens, as I was too busy working.
Tbh, there's very little do to away from screens at the minute. If I'm not working (at a screen), I'm looking at my phone, the TV or a book (on kindle). We're not allowed to go out for the day. In a pre cv world, well being for me would be drinking with my mates. Well being for the kids would be seeing their mates.

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@Frodont do your WFH, do you have to supervise your children?[/quote]
Nope. Is that what the day off is for then, for the parents? I doubt it matters at primary tbh.

Live lessons have improved mood so much here - a couple on most days. Maybe a lie in morning or a fun afternoon.

The school have probably had lots of feedback that the fulls days/week of live lessons are too much.
I know of a couple of different schools that are scaling back a bit now as families were finding it too much.

You've got to remember that schools will try to serve the majority, but can't necessarily please everyone.

@Mumba0111around

I can’t help but feel that it’s going to be harder to juggle these well being activities alongside work that day- find the structured learning easier to support alongside doing my job and husband doing his! Nice to hear some poster’s positive experiences of similar, though. Lots to think about, will try and keep an open mind.

We have similar activities Friday afternoon which is fine, for me personally, as I don't work Fridays and because it means we have a chance to catch up on the activities that couldn't be tackled earlier in the week. Though some weeks the weather makes the activities difficult to achieve.

Like you I'd be concerned by the lack of curriculum coverage. But, I'm already extensively supplementing the learning of my child with my own materials. Perhaps if you intend to apply to grammars for the selection test, that you should use that day to focus on the 11 plus materials?

Not a whole day. All that would happen is ds would want to play Minecraft all day, and cause a row.

Our school has set the normal two hour games period aside and they set a choice of activities. We take photos that we submit.

@octopusrus

Maybe a better option would be to make it optional....so those who need a break and are able to take it do, and those who need the schoolwork in place can access it too? Although this would only work for younger children who don't necessarily see their set work.

I agree. Our (admittedly quite academic) children are thriving the more learning we pack into the week. They bounce towards the dining room for sessions with the tutor, and come running out of Outschool classes asking to be signed up for more! I hate the assumption learning is somehow the binary opposite of wellbeing. For children who love learning and who are ambitious, feeling like you are learning and being stretched is central to well being.

Well being for the kids would be seeing their mates.

Exactly I’d prefer a PE meet up that’d help

I don’t need less learning or time off.

Every Wednesday afternoon my daughters senior school is doing this, started last week. She broke out the polymer clay and made some little elephant models. But she could ( and often does) do this after lessons so I'm a bit 🤷🏼‍♀️

Last lock down our primary school did full timetable of lessons each week they also had a list of activities which included mindfulness, active, household skills, cooking, relaxation, acts of kindness and new skills they were encouraged to do one a day. The children enjoyed it and school is not just about the academic achievements so I was happy with it.
If it was one whole day I'd consider doing some of the weeks school work on that day.