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Original poster

What are your children’s school doing to help children catch up after covid closures?

73 replies

Soubriquet · 12/03/2022 13:16

My dc’s school are offering a free half an hour tutor session for children they believe are a bit behind because of school closures.

Ds was one of those children, and I signed him up straight away.

Already, he’s had an improvement.

OP posts:
Refrosty · 13/03/2022 07:59

@Sittinginthesand

Absolute rubbish that parental input makes things worse - it’s one of the biggest predictors of outcome.
'Parental input' isn't specific. Literally this could mean the parent hiring a tutor, which many do.

Op mine had help at the beginning of the year to catch up. He actually made better progress than with my approach (I also got some help!). He's doing very well now!

Parker231 · 13/03/2022 08:00

@Sittinginthesand

Well, good. If you are worried that they are behind just do a bit more.
The OP has already said she helps them at home - this doesn’t mean that her DC shouldn’t benefit from additional help at school.
Original poster
Soubriquet · 13/03/2022 08:04

Precisely. The school offered their help and it isn’t only my child. It’s a group of children. It’s the youngest btw who receives the help. The oldest is on track

OP posts:

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Bushkin · 13/03/2022 08:12

Nothing, covid learning provision was shot too so seems very behind

I’d be thrilled with an offer like you’ve had OP

Avocadobacardi · 13/03/2022 08:17

Secondary here. In year 7 they seem to have gone full on learning and testing in a way they didn’t with my older kids. Year 11. They were up and running with remote teaching from the get go so are generally up to speed. GCSE syllabuses are finished in most subjects and on to revision so I imagine they think they have covered most gaps. Mocks results were good so seems they’ve done a good job

DepthOfTheAbyss · 13/03/2022 08:21

All those commenting on parents involvement- don’t forget how hard it was for some parents who had to continue working and struggled with kids at home at the same time. Or just struggled with lockdown in general.
It’s good your school is offering something op and it’s making a difference.

Original poster
Soubriquet · 13/03/2022 08:23

@DepthOfTheAbyss

All those commenting on parents involvement- don’t forget how hard it was for some parents who had to continue working and struggled with kids at home at the same time. Or just struggled with lockdown in general. It’s good your school is offering something op and it’s making a difference.
It really is. Just this week, ds has come home with a certificate because he has improved massively. His math skill, his writing skills have all improved.
OP posts:
Blueberrymuffinman · 13/03/2022 08:26

absolute rubbish that parental input makes things worse

That isn’t what I said.

What can make things worse is over-involved parents - parents insisting their child does hours of schoolwork on top of a day at school. It makes the child resentful and puts them off learning and enjoying work.

I can’t believe what a hard time OP is getting though.

Onionpatch · 13/03/2022 08:27

Its great to hear a school that has managed to make use of the tutoring scheme and a child benefiting.

Where i govern we found the scheme was just not what our specific pupils needed so was unworkable for us. I guess a lot of parents might think we are doing naff all. But actually, the teachers have redesigned a lot of the whole class learning taking into account areas where more of tge chikdren are struggling (mainly writing stamina and skills and social development for us) and there are lots of individual and group interventions going on for children with their own gaps. They are with our own staff who know the children - eg the head teacher does maths interventions now wheras before she was a non teaching head.

MintJulia · 13/03/2022 08:28

Nothing as far as I know, but they were really good during lockdown, ran a full lesson timetable every day and had remote classes up and working within two weeks.

Then they chased any child who missed on-line lessons. and they provided laptops for the families who didn't have a device for every child, so I don't think many dcs fell too far behind.

GiveMeNovocain · 13/03/2022 08:29

Nothing (ks2 primary). I'm very lucky to be able to afford a tutor

MintJulia · 13/03/2022 08:31

As for parental involvement, I was furloughed and helped with lessons where I could, but I've never learnt German and I don't have a musical gene in my body, so simply didn't have the skills for those.

TravellingSpoon · 13/03/2022 08:42

DD's secondary school have decided that her current Year 8 cohort won't be making GCSE options this year to start in year 9, but will do another year across the curriculum before taking options in year 9 for year 10. The only option she is having to make now is her language.

Return2thebasic · 13/03/2022 08:42

@Sittinginthesand

Absolute rubbish that parental input makes things worse - it’s one of the biggest predictors of outcome.
I remember when DS was in Y2, I tried to help with his maths which was a mess. I tried to reach his how I remembered it's supposed to be done but only found out after a fight that school hasn't taught in such a way. He was really resistant when I was trying to help and cried nearly every time.

I'm still helping him now in Y4. But every child is different. The dynamic between the teacher and the pupil can't be replicated at home between parents and their DCs. We really suffered from covid lockdown and homeschooling. Everyone was miserable.

Strictly1 · 13/03/2022 08:43

We tried to take advantage of the funding. Class teachers didn't want to do it understandably and TAs couldn't. Tried to get external tutors and couldn't get any. As usual, lots of sound bites without any real planning behind it from the government.

ReadyToMoveIt · 13/03/2022 08:49

@Sittinginthesand

Soubriquet - you may not be a teacher but I’m sure you can help them with y2 and 4 maths and English. There are loads of excellent books available. Many people do this with their kids even if they don’t think they’re behind, they tend not to talk about it though! At my kids school loads of people used these books to keep their children’s work ticking over during holidays.
A fund was provided by the government for exactly this purpose, why shouldn’t the OP use it?
liveforsummer · 13/03/2022 08:55

Nothing as far as I'm aware but dd isn't behind where she should be so perhaps there is something for those who are. Just the usual interventions I assume. At my school where I work we've been unable to really do anything. Staffing issues are still ongoing and we're far from still being able to offer a normal level of education let alone any extras. Boris might be telling us covid is over but it certainly isn't

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 13/03/2022 08:56

DDs school have a breakfast club Monday and Friday for English and maths which is open for anyone to go to, get breakfast and then split into year groups to work with teachers. DD is high achieving and really hasn't fallen behind following the lockdowns but this was very useful when she was off with Covid twice so she could go and catch up with what the rest of the class had been doing whilst she was ill.

Her school also often 12 weeks of online tuition for anyone that wants it after school on a rotational basis.

liveforsummer · 13/03/2022 09:00

Fwiw it's probably not teachers taking the group either. We (TA's) in our school we're asked to volunteer for these groups although that was nearly a year ago and they've yet to materialise, but that's likely who is taking them.

ButtonandTiny · 13/03/2022 09:01

Nothing, as a TA it's extremely frustrating that my school is doing nothing to help the children who are struggling. Teachers were asked but, understandably, no one wanted to add to their workload.

resipsa · 13/03/2022 09:05

Our school offered catch ups. They called it a snazzy name. Mine didn't need it so weren't invited. Cue tears of disappointment. You can't win 🤷‍♀️.

BurntO · 13/03/2022 09:06

Nothing here. DS had online lessons from lockdown 3 and he never struggled with the work. I think adjusting expectations is probably a better way to go, for primary child at least. I can see how it must be so much harder for secondary children however

Krakenchorus · 13/03/2022 09:06

I'm glad the OP has been able to access free tutoring for her dc. It would be great if all schools had funding to provide this.

But I do agree with PP that for primary students, much of that catching up can be done at home. It's about finding 20 minutes a day to read with your dc and another 10 to help with times tables/basic calculation/ time/money.

The idea that you need a PGCE to teach your 8-year-old how to calculate the passage of minutes and hours is ludicrous. Or to ask a few open questions about their reading. (Why did the character do that? What do you think they should do next?) I mean, it's basic conversation about a book.

Return2thebasic · 13/03/2022 09:26

@Krakenchorus, the dynamic at home doesn't work the same way for everyone. My DS has a mysterious thing in his head resisting being told by his mum. It's understandable on daily things, but when it comes to school learning, it's so hard. He would either be miserable or defiant when you tell him what he's done is not right and need to do this and that. He's a good kid and we get along well most of the time. But doing school work often ended up in tears from either him or me. Just really not the same with teachers.

Plus there are different methods to solve maths problems. I'm more than capable to teach him. However the problem is I don't know the curriculum and what/how they are taught. It happened many times, the method I tried to use is not been taught in school (yet). It's confusing to him and it also adds to the resistance.

But anyway, we are doing home tutoring as he's in Y4 now. But I do want those people think it comes naturally and all parties can work together easily, it isn't always the case.

To let DS to catch up in phonics when he's in reception (he has had speech delay and was really behind), it took 2-3 months crying every evening to just ask him to try. He'd react in that way with a teacher.

Return2thebasic · 13/03/2022 09:27

"He'd not react the same way with his teacher." Just to correct...