AIBU to think that schools shouldn't dish out detention to pupils who can't complete online homework as they do not have access to a pc or laptop at home?

[NellysKnickers]

As the title says, there is a homework club after school once a week but this keeps being cancelled. I've told DS1 if they do carry out the threat of detention then I will ring the school. Any teachers out there who can offer their point of view? as I'm failing to see the schools side in this.

Ds primary have now gone to all hw online. We only have a mobile in the house (mine). Iv found puffin browser works well with £10 bluetooth keyboard. Not ideal but we are muddling through. Be easier on a tablet

"Be easier on a tablet"

And even easier on a laptop. I hate using touchscreen keyboards for anything other than short text messages.

I am a teacher and completely disagree with setting online work. As you've said, it's assuming that every child always has access to a working computer, internet etc. Unfortunately, handing homework in online (terrible idea IMO), seems to be encouraged due to certain education platforms being used. Is this the case, at your DS's school?

"I also meant to say that perhaps parents should be advised when they are looking at secondary schools that they should be looking at acquiring a laptop for homework."
We were told.
Op could get one relatively cheaply. If she doesn't, that's her choice.
Printing is a pain, and costly, but once they've done the homework, they can use the school printers to print it off, at our school.

My printer only takes genuine HP cartridges but I buy them on eBay and then re-sell the empties for a couple of quid each.

I realise that many schools are on strict budgets and printing out may not be possible. Another issue within education, sadly.

I have very slow internet connection at home 0.2mbps is our average in a good day and none at all on a bad day. Our dial up was faster.

Have written to BT and got the MP involved with this but Openreach say it's not economical to upgrade our box to anything faster so we are stuck with it.

I have written to the school about this and they do try to give out paper based homework instead of online where they can but library doesn't open at lunch time at school and only until 5pm after school so some days homework is hit and miss.

I have 6Gig of 4G that we use on iPads in an emergency but that's a work thing.

oblomov, some families have nothing spare after rent and bills.

There are still some areas of the country where Internet access isn't possible at home. I lived in one until recently.

Our local library doesn't have PC's either. The one forty mins away does but only two that children may use.

I stand by my comment nnchange as the school should ensure parents are clear on the homework policy. In my older dc school they had an open evening on the subject. Any school will be well aware how good 11 yo are at communicating school policy to parents, as they teach them! Now if the op has been given every opportunity to see how the school operates its online homework access and hasn't bothered to point out they need to provide an alternative/ or discover that an alternative already exists... Obviously there is a different slant to this. But there is no indication that is the case.

I would say they ABU and not inclusive.

Where are all these libraries open every day of the week, with tons of PCs that can be used for longer than half an hour at a time and no big queues?

And all these companies that give away laptops for free.
Or for £30
And supply internet so cheap/free?

Several posters have come along and claimed the above, but even though they have been asked, they oddly don't seem to want to answer.. Oops, sorry, yes free cycle was suggested, but don't know about some I wouldn't include that are a company freely given devices to low income families. My local free cycle hasn't had a laptop listed in years, clothes, furniture, kitchen electricals and the occasional dvd player, but laptops and desktops no.

However, equally there are a lot of pieces of it kit that are thrown out by companies and individuals, when perhaps it is not necessary, the challenge is how to get those to the people who need them - I am sure there are charities doing this, but it isn't easy to find the time / money to refurb them...

Can't believe how rude and presumptuous some posters have been!

Our school assume you have pc access, mymaths doesn't work on tablets and all homework is set online now. I can see how difficult it must be for low income families. There is a lot of demands placed on parents, the cost of laptop plus printer, ink, broadband etc must be beyond lots of families.

I guess some schools must be better than others at providing IT facilities. I know the dses school has daily homework club.

Talk to the school op, hopefully they will be flexible.

There is a lot of demands placed on parents

No more than when they're first born - cost of nappies, formula, ever outgrowing clothes. The financial demands change at different ages, but they are no more or less challenging.

There are national and local charities that refurbish computers and laptops donated by businesses and give them to schools to pass on the pupils who are in the same situation as the OPs DS, there are second hand stores and agencies, or you could even borrow a computer, like I did during my final year of degree!

This is a hypothetical post which the OP has started on the basis of her 11 year old DSs say so - until she has spoken to the school directly, and explained that she cannot afford the resources they expect her DS ro have. She has no idea whether or not they are willing to help. There is a legal requirement for schools to assist when families cannot afford uniform, trips or resources. Why more parents don't choose to talk to the school, rather than plaster their opinions all over social media, I can't understand.

MyMaths will work on tablets. If you can't google "how do I get MyMaths to work on my Apple/Android tablet" then you may have more serious problems.

I would agree that a y7 student should have access to a computer at home ( this is not expensive). Printing can be so they should be allowed to print at school or email their work.

If the parents say this really isn't possible ( they will have to communicate with the school clearly why?) Then I can't see any school punishing the child for their parents failures. Most schools will do extra to ensure students who don't have home support have it at school.

slalomsuki have you looked up the government grants for getting alternative ways to get better internet? Google it.

For those of you saying 'sort out your internet access' for those of us rural folk it's not that easy.
We do not have fast broadband. We NEVER WILL. If we lived 1/4 mile up the road we would.
My kids could not do their online homework- the sites timed out as our connection was so slow.

So- we could move house?! To do the homework?!

We got a government grant for putting a satellite dish on our house. We now get 7mbps rather than 0.3
It costs us £60 a month for a maximum of 50... Something per month downloads. What that means, is that every online homework my kids get, we watch the download amount carefully so that we don't go over the limit & pay lots more.
It's not always as easy as 'sort it out'.
And- we're not that remote. But everything HAVIng to be online is really hard for some people.
(And no- there's no library here)

Maybe if parents wernt forced to buy expensive logoed school uniform from only one allocated place they may have more money spare for home PCs

Just a thought!

Gosh not " punishing the child fir the parents failures" as if having the sort of low income that makes a pc, reliable internet connection", presumably office software and the access to money allowing you to replace these items easily when required - a parents failing!? There are plenty of people in this country living below the poverty line. Who may have a smart phone but a decent sized laptop or pc is too expensive... It should not exclude their children from access to homework. Pp money can be utilized to give children improved access to education but schools need to be more imaginative and empathetic as do people who take their pcs, laptops and superfast broadband for granted!

I am a teacher. If I set homework that requires use of a computer/ Internet (which I don't do often) , I will accept a note from parents explaining an issue and not give a detention. Our school does have nearly an hour for lunch with computers in the library though, so I will advise them to complete it there Asap.

I'm fortunate that I am in a position to afford a laptop but I'm a bit at the people who say there are organisations that provide computers and/or internet access at a low cost, yet don't say who they are. I've certainly struggled when looking for clients at my work.

As a teacher, if a child tells me when the homework is set (or at least before it's due in) that they can't complete it because they have no computer/printer then I will find them some different work and they won't be punished. If they don't tell me until it's due, then I will give them a warning/detention as with any other student who didn't do their homework - unless they have a signed note from parent, which I may follow up with a phone call.

The school should be able to find a solution - either using Pupil premium money (if he's eligible) to buy/loan him a laptop or allowing him access to a computer after school, e.g. A teacher's classroom PC so he doesn't have to queue in the library for an hour.

In the long run, he probably will benefit from computer access at home. At GCSE he will have essays, projects and presentations which will either need to be done on a computer or be easier to do on a computer. You can get a basic laptop for about £100-120, would it be possible to buy one by saving up for a couple of years (and/or maybe selling a tablet, depending what they're worth) so that he has one for his GCSEs? Don't worry about buying expensive Microsoft office: Google Docs or LibreOffice can do the same for free.

I understand why you would do that but like a PP said you have then got poorer kids having no lunch break and the more well off kids having a normal lunch break.

So poorer kids are already getting the message that they are to be treated differently.

I was at school in the 80s pre internet but most of the poorer kids who were treated differently back then for other reasons felt resentful about it and wanted out of education as soon as possible.