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.

@Frodont

Presumably schools have realised thst with no exams looming they can take their foot off the pedal. It's a shame.

So relieved yr11 school haven’t here. Such a failure if so.

It would be dreadful for us. Lockdown learning is going ok for us - gives the kids some structure whilst dh and I work.

A “well being day” would quickly become a “try to stop them going on FIFA all day” day.

It depends on what the school already does.

My Yr7 DC has a good mixed diet" of love, pre recorded and website/other resource based lessons. He's not glued to his screen all day as a result and is coping fine. Ditto my Yr3 DC

But my school I teach in is insisting on 100% live lessons. My tutees are now complaining of headaches, sleep disturbance, and are finding it all too intense. The don't get those 5 minute mini breaks between lessons you naturally do in school with any social time. And these are bright, conscientious students.

Setting one afternoon as "catch up work you need to finish" or Friday free time to indulge a subject they enjoy I think is a compromise. Whether it's food tech, art, DT, watching an Attenborough, an hour or two gap might just allow some breathing space in their week.

Private schools follow the same guidance as state schools. The curriculum was suspended for all schools last summer.

Some private schools didn’t provide much new work in the summer term, others did mainly to justify their fees.

Ours is every other week for 5yr olds (Yr 1) and much needed. It's a lot to take on for them when it's just boring old Mum's face all the time (bar morning register/meeting) and no classmates to urge them in work time or spend playtime with. It's really helped my 5yr old and the way it was phrased was 'because we recognise how hard the children have been working' which was a good message, I think. My ds had been feeling disheartened and started to have concerns he couldn't do the work, despite our encouragement and the teacher's encouragement, even though he can do it well and I stay with him the entire time. I'm sure that for those parents who are working from home, the idea is to lighten workload for them and allow kids to play and do 20 mins of yoga/meditation etc, whereas for parents who have more time, it's something they can get into the spirit of and is to allow children the space to cope. It also may be that they're concerned how many children are only working on screens. I know we print the work for ds to write, but a lot of people aren't and children need to be encouraged to take time away from screens where possible however they can.

Also, as someone who's worked in MH and had terrible mental health problems at secondary school, I think any recognition of how important wellbeing is is actually really positive. Education is super important, but the pandemic is lonely. Many of us have lost relatives, many of us have been stuck in tricky family situations and feeling pretty lonely. Obviously parents are a big part in reducing children's anxieties and supporting them through it, but they're also missing normal playtime with playmates and have been for months. They're limited to a tiny area around their homes for 'exercise' and will have other concerns and life changes depending on who else is in their lives (older sibling currently worried over exams, parent out of work or under immense pressure, new sibling on the way, grandparent or great grandparent who may be ill or have passed or just be very missed and so on). I think allowing extra time to process and try to facilitate activities that build emotional resilience and allow processing/relaxing/bonding time is a really good thing.

GuyFawkesDay
That sounds similar to what some of my friends have said.
We have a mixed diet at my school and I think we have taken the right approach. We have carefully considered our content this term and are replanning our curriculum for when students return to account for gaps and intervention.

Some of my friends who are doing full online timetables are expected to cover the same schemes of work and then continue as normal when the students return. They are finding their students are experiencing what yours are.

No, i prefer the routine we've got into now. Don't need it changing again!

'No exams looming

Do you know something teachers don't? The consultation only finished on Friday. We're assuming there will be assessments, probably v similar to exams. Our big concern is KIDS not submitting work cos they think exams are cancelled.

My school have been encouraging us to try and set some off screen activities regularly, because we already know that all that time on screens is awful. I can't manage it in maths, unless they have a printer, because they need to see the questions on a screen. We're not required to do live lessons either, unless we and the pupils particularly want to. So I've got 3 classes who are having 2 live lessons and 2 prerecorded lessons a week, and 3 classes who are getting all prerecorded because the majority in those classes can't access the live lessons, but can cope with videos.

Judging by the "good practice" newsletter, there are a lot of off screen activities being set by other subjects, just like those subjects would be doing more practical/creative activities in school as well. So art (drawing/painting doesn't need to be done in front of a screen), geography (after they have learned about a geographical feature they do some sort of sculpture/drawing/collage to represent it), history (similar to geography), food tech (cook a meal for your family, as simple it as complicated as your family wants). There are lots of places where off screen time can be built into the curriculum, without the pupils losing any learning, quite possibly improving their engagement with the whole. I know that my dd is a lot more engaged with the on screen tasks she has to do if she has the promise of some more "fun" activities later. She's year 6, maths and English are video lessons, then 3 other subjects get a video each week and the rest is off screen activities which aid in learning. So French last week was a video learning about weather, this week she made snap cards about weather, and a wordsearch. Both things they would do at school as well, but no screens necessary (those without printers can collect paper packs for the week).

@Swishswish26 We would love to have a day a week to spend it outside, having fun and getting out of the house. so do that then, it’s compulsory for the school to set the work, it’s not compulsory to complete it.

@ineedaholidaynow

Private schools follow the same guidance as state schools. The curriculum was suspended for all schools last summer.

Some private schools didn’t provide much new work in the summer term, others did mainly to justify their fees.

Every private school I know (good ones) taught the curriculum in the summer term.

@Mintjulia Not a whole day. All that would happen is ds would want to play Minecraft all day, and cause a row. why would it cause a row? Do you actually understand minecraft, the educational benefits are immense.

Lots of schools are doing well being Wednesday or feel good Friday (though afternoons not days) I think it's a good idea. Education isn't just the 3Rs. As we keep seeing mental health is going to be a big thing when this is over and well being and enrichment will help this more, than catch up programmes! Which means the less able doing maths and English in the morning and again in the afternoons! Poor kids!

I remember at 6th form college and at university Wednesday afternoons were for hobbies, groups and enrichment. So why don't we allow our youngest children to do this.

Forest schools are coming back into more schools, where able. Schools struggle with ppa cover, lots of schools finishing at lunch, wouldn't this be a good time for schools to have sports, art, cooking etc time.

@Frodont but that was probably down to fee pressure more than anything else.

However, there are numerous threads now about parents struggling with the amount of work some schools are now providing. There are many parents who have pretty much given up as they can’t cope.

Our local Primaries are seeing a very varied response to remote provision, but engagement, even when really good to start with, is beginning to tail off

As with all things to do with schools you can’t please everyone.

@itispersonal

Lots of schools are doing well being Wednesday or feel good Friday (though afternoons not days) I think it's a good idea. Education isn't just the 3Rs. As we keep seeing mental health is going to be a big thing when this is over and well being and enrichment will help this more, than catch up programmes! Which means the less able doing maths and English in the morning and again in the afternoons! Poor kids!

I remember at 6th form college and at university Wednesday afternoons were for hobbies, groups and enrichment. So why don't we allow our youngest children to do this.

Forest schools are coming back into more schools, where able. Schools struggle with ppa cover, lots of schools finishing at lunch, wouldn't this be a good time for schools to have sports, art, cooking etc time.

Yes forest school great - I’d prefer for students to join for half a day

Art is already in curriculum here so it doesn’t need a day - art teacher is still connecting with dc

Cooking can be done by parents anyway. Very hard to get dc to do remotely and would need parent anyway

I don’t see separation of creativity and 3Rs the curriculum has creativity in it. Lots of creative writing here.

A wellness day - aspiration is probably imagined in here. Reality is for many more screen / games etc

Frodont but that was probably down to fee pressure more than anything else

Yes, partly, and because the schools are committed to providing an excellent education and wouldn't have wanted to let their students down. For whatever reason, it means the pupils didn't lose a day of the curriculum.

Forest schools are coming back into more schools, where able.
It's one of the selling points for a private school near me. The children get much more outdoor time than my nearest primary. I find myself wondering if part of that is linked to less testing of the younger ones.
It's never as simple as 'but privates do...', is it?

I find myself wondering if part of that is linked to less testing of the younger ones.

What do you mean?

Private did have fee pressure in summer term.

And again if the question had been asked will stopping the curriculum disadvantage state maybe government would have realised that stopping it was a bad idea.

We could have had far better provision in state last summer.

@MarshaBradyo

Yes art is on the curriculum. But that doesn't mean it's done well or interesting! Or chucked into a week. Same with PE

Having local artists/ sports coach/ music tutition in, TAs / teachers lead who are interested and good at it, is completely different from it being taught as a 'subject'.

Teachers aren't necessary an expert in the curriculum subject, just in how to teach! As a recent Michael Rosen tweet has shown.

Also how many parents are teaching cooking, can cook themselves, have the time etc etc.

@MarshaBradyo

I also wasn't talking about the now but moving forward as well.

Though again see the Michael Rosen tweet about how experts in their fields could be use to inspire learners.

MarshaBradyo
They can opt out of statutory testing that state schools can, so comparing my nearest private curriculum to what I know of our local state primary, the curriculum is much more broad and balanced all the way through.

@LolaSmiles

Forest schools are coming back into more schools, where able. It's one of the selling points for a private school near me. The children get much more outdoor time than my nearest primary. I find myself wondering if part of that is linked to less testing of the younger ones. It's never as simple as 'but privates do...', is it?

We are lucky the school I work in has a large forest attached and is used for nursery to year 6.

My dc school also has a forest school field but is only used with reception and year 1!

itispersonal
It's about time we got more of it. Near me I've got one school that is very SATs driven so I don't want DC there because I have concerns about SATs hothousing.

I think there is a lot to be said for getting students outside. We have time during the week where we go outside with the students who are on site.