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.

I thonk this is a wonderful idea and i would welcome it.

I think the children (and parents) who are engaging well are finding the constant screen work really tiring and probably not good for their "wellbeing" and it will make little difference to the ones who aren't engaging.

I also think people get over excited about live lessons, they often end up disrupted by the chat, recorded is fine, we're doing very few live lessons. However, the teacher who would be teaching that lesson does need to be available "live" so children can contact them if needed IMO.

I just asked DD and she'd rather be doing school than ridiculous activities. So that's good, we can forget it then and she can just read for a day.

In primary school in normal non covid times an awful lot of the day is spent doing non academic sit down lesson stuff - playtimes, free choice time, craft activities, singing assemblies, forest school/gardening, sitting in the book corner reading, older kids reading to reception kids, cooking, PE lessons etc.
The idea of filling 9 - 3 with 'teaching' sessions online is actually very unrealistic compared to what would actually be going on in the average classroom. With this new way of teaching having a day that's 'non academic' sounds brilliant to me.

I think if parents have concerns they should absolutely take the time away from lessons for dc to do other things...BUT does it really need to be school enforced? Reality for working parents is probably dc will be on tablets or PlayStation so not really helping and they may as well be learning as well. It's disruptive if it is midweek to get dc back to working the next day and a full day is ridulous overkill. I also wondered what the children in school do on this day?

Dds school (secondary) don't set work on a Friday so that pupils can catch up on anything they haven't done during the week.
Next week they are having a well being week and aren't setting any work. So if I'm honest I am a bit 🙄 especially as they only do 4 days a week and it's half term soon.
But I realise we are in a fortunate position- I'm furloughed, dd doesn't complain about doing work, she's always finished by lunch time and we manage to go for a walk everyday.
For some people this week off could make all the difference and give them sometime to recharge.

This thread, like so many school ones, shows that schools just can't win!

It’s one afternoon per week at dd’s school

If I was allowed a well being afternoon off at the minute, it would be ruined by having the kids at home.

My well being needs are met (in the absence of friends to see) by running, reading or watching netflix with dh on Saturday nights. All of which are better without dc around in fact, I can hear one squawking now over her brother messing her room up.

This is about the whole child. Learning is so much more than the academic for goodness sake.

It is so sad that children no longer seem to be able to be independent, to create and think for themselves.

@Greenmarmalade or maybe the school could just provide quality remote learning to all children? Why should I be preparing lessons?
I can and would if required, because my children enjoy learning and I place a high value on their education. I don’t think that working parents should be in a position that they have to supplement the work that school should be delivering when they are already having to supervise and support learning whilst working.

I think the children (and parents) who are engaging well are finding the constant screen work really tiring and probably not good for their "wellbeing"

I have a 4 year old in reception that always wants to do his prerecorded lessons, including the extra "challenges" at the end of maths, but we are all finding it hard to fit it all in and it gets done at the expense of playing/walks some days (DH and I are both working).

Our school is also doing "catch up" Fridays with "fun" activities from now on and DH and I are very happy about it!

I wonder how many parents of Primary school children who are currently at home, especially those who are also trying to WFH, put their heads in their hands when the Government announced that schools weren't opening after half term and at the earliest 8th March.

Our local Primaries are seeing engagement drop as each week goes on, especially in respect of the quality of work being sent in by the pupils. There is definitely homeschooling fatigue in some households.

Also a number of teachers are having to teach the pupils in class at the same time as teaching pupils at home (not all schools can rota teachers to split these tasks), many teachers are also showing fatigue.

Good idea, especially for the younger ones. Surely too much screen time in the form of online lessons and learning can't be good for them.

@tootyfruitypickle, unless you’ve not told us about some additional needs, I’m shocked that your teenager couldn’t go for a walk or bake something simple by themselves.

We’re having to leave our dc (12 and 15) home alone and while the oldest is glued to his computer, the youngest has often gone out for a run or made a tiffin or some brownies by the time we get home.

@DalryPlace

This is about the whole child. Learning is so much more than the academic for goodness sake.

It is so sad that children no longer seem to be able to be independent, to create and think for themselves.

That's not the point OP or I were making though. Children can be stretched academically and still have heaps of times for other activities. But right now isn't the time for schools to get complacent about the importance of academic progress.

Mine have many hours each day to play and go on walks erc, as well as doing all their school work and having tutoring and Outschool

Arent primary kids getting 3 hrs of work a day? I thought that was the government suggestion, and is our experience of workload. We already have 5 afternoons of unsupervised play, 5 evenings and the weekends. Honestly, I dont see the benifit of getting Wednesday mornings off too (we are getting screen free wednesdays).
But, as with everything else school are doing, I'll roll with it. But its going to make for a tough Wed the week after next where DS will get a whole day of unstructured, unsupervised, play with minimal interaction with anyone.

@KeyboardWorriers how many hours a day of schoolwork do your DC do?

DS's school (Secondary) does a full live timetable, so is at his desk at 8.30 for registration, and finishes lessons at 4pm (obviously has short breaks between lessons and a lunch break) and then has an hour of extra curricular activities. He has homework on top. Luckily he works independently so doesn't need us helping him, but he doesn't have much downtime during the week.

We have to home school 7 days a week to catch up on what DC miss when DH and I are working. It's hard! I'm not sure a wellbeing day would help though as the learning does keep them busy.

Keyboard I agree with you. There’s loads of time for other things and even when doing school work there’s creativity

@ineedaholidaynow

It takes them about 2 hours a day at a guess. Zero live teaching. Thats including doing the extension work that is set. It is not enough, hence why we supplement it quite heavily.

I think that is why it is hard to generalise right now. I get that less academic children might not want more. But we mustn't lose our aspirations for the brightest state school children in all this. Not all parents can afford to top up the tuition the way I can.

Full live timetable for dd too.

School said to use well being afternoon to catch up and go for a walk in daylight hours.

@TierFourTears how old is your DS? I would definitely recommend Outschool for the "zero interaction" days. Mine have so much fun chatting to children and teachers all over the world!

outschool.com/?signup=true&usid=oJXLafjD&utm_campaign=share_invite_link

My year 1 dd has Fridays as project day, which usually involves making something out of cardboard. I think it's probably good for her. My year 6 son has near enough the same schedule every day and gets a little bored, but then he does need the prep for secondary.

I think it's good for secondary kids- especially those who are feeling pressured to do everything and keep up to have some official down time. They can otherwise spend their 'free' time wasting time worrying about work they should be doing. For some kids, they kind of need permission to do other things they enjoy.

I know I will suggest all kinds of creative things for mine (at their ages i would have been drawing, making booklets, playing, writing stories, making models) but there are things to build on Minecraft or ships to plunder which, in their own way, are creative. Watching ds on xbox, working out strategies and cooperating with his friends, has changed my opinion quite a bit on gaming.