Page 2 | Teacher Reply Over Summer

hairnightmare17 · 2018-07-21T10:08:37+00:00

Son is in secondary school. We received school reports on Monday. One grade on there is different to what my son said he achieved. It was a terrible mark for an important subject and he would need work on it over the summer if it is correct, since he is going into year 11. I tend to believe my son didn't get that mark but without a reply from the teachers I won't know for sure. I have queried it by email twice this week, no reply. Attempted to call, to no avail. School broke up yesterday. Is it worth emailing again? Is it likely I would receive a response over the summer break.

Original poster

hairnightmare17 · 21/07/2018 11:42

It isn't a detailed report, it just looks like a grid.

I definitely expect him to brush up an all subjects over the summer, but that's different to a full on boot camp and looking for tutors which the 4 would necessitate.

OP posts:

mn101 · 21/07/2018 11:46

Sounds like it could have been at the last data drop , where teachers have to input grades in a system. The date of which could have been before the more recent test.

TwoGinScentedTears · 21/07/2018 11:46

I totally get that the teachers are knackered but term ended for the students on Friday here but the teachers are in school Monday and Tuesday next week here, so it may be that you do get a response early next week.

Either way, it does sound like your son coukd use all the extra work he can fit in this holiday, if not to eradicate this inconsistency.

Who's ne a teacher and who'd be a student now, eh? Tough times for all.

RavenWings · 21/07/2018 11:47

Many teachers will not check their work emails over summer/weekends, and they should absolutely not be expected to. It's not an on call job. Get him to revise - it won't hurt him - and check in about it again in September

preggersteach · 21/07/2018 11:48

Don't email. Staff are on holiday and it's unfair to be sending them emails in the holiday. Yes they shouldve got back to you when you have tried to contact them during term time but it is something that can be left until September. The teacher has explained to the students who they have arrived at the grades and to a certain extent at this point with new specifications staff can't be confident in the grades they are giving anyway.

Cheerymom · 21/07/2018 11:53

Hasn't your son explained fully the grade? Teachers should not be expected to read or respond to emails in the holidays or weekends. I know I never have. No harm in brushing up on the subject, if he can do so well with his own revision ( recent exam ) what are you paying for tutors?

Blondephantom · 21/07/2018 11:54

I would trust your son but with a warning that you will chase it up in September. If he isn’t working at an acceptable level, he will then need to fit in tutoring on top of school revision, etc. Then maybe offer the opportunity for him to ask you for any tutoring he feels he needs across the board not just in this subject. In a ‘while we are thinking about tutoring’ kind of way.

Jaxhog · 21/07/2018 12:07

I'd believe the explanation your DS has given.

I am slightly confused by the responses though. I hear a lot of complaints from teachers who say that the 6 weeks 'holidays' are not really holidays as they have a lot of work to do. Yet people are also suggesting that parents should not expect a response because they are on holidays! Which is it?

brizzledrizzle · 21/07/2018 12:10

Surely you can appreciate that a mark of 4 would require a huge boot camp whereas a 7 wouldn't.

Get him to do the work anyway, it won't do any harm and if he has lied to you then he'll realise that it was a mistake.

Sonotkylie · 21/07/2018 12:12

As a parent of a clever but lazy son too, getting into the discipline of working over the summer might be no bad thing going into an important year, where he will probably have to up his game anyway. Can you treat it as though he got 5.5 i.e. Split the difference in the marks and keep up the maths but without going mad? If he got a 4 when he did no revision, that might help 'motivate' him just to get on top of it before he gets new stuff next year.

mn101 · 21/07/2018 12:13

@Jaxhog I'm a teacher and 6 weeks holidays are definitely holidays! As are Christmas and Easter and all the half terms. I'm able to manage my workload so I don't need to do work out of term time. I am a secondary school teacher (as is the teacher in this post) and I do think primary school teachers have a greater workload and commit to more time in their holidays

RavenWings · 21/07/2018 12:13

I am slightly confused by the responses though. I hear a lot of complaints from teachers who say that the 6 weeks 'holidays' are not really holidays as they have a lot of work to do. Yet people are also suggesting that parents should not expect a response because they are on holidays! Which is it?

Yes, teachers often have extra prep work to do - setting up classrooms, plans etc. This is especially so in England (I don't teach there but going on outsider observations). They may choose to do this during summer. That does not give parents carte blanche to add to that workload and email all summer long. It's not a difficult concept, really. Would you expect your dentist, doctor or solicitor to email you while they are on holidays?

Pengggwn · 21/07/2018 12:13

You could email me and I might respond - in all honesty, it would depend on your tone! But some people don't check their emails over summer and aren't obliged to, so you may well not receive a response.

ShakingInTheHighCourt · 21/07/2018 12:14

It’s hard to understand what you are querying. The 4was given for the exam he did poorly in. The remarks about working in the summer were based on this mark.

When the teacher wrote the report the latest exam hadn’t been sat/ marked. He got a 7 that time.

So what are you asking? If he works hard during the summer his grades should improve anyway. Only you and he can decide if that’s worth it. Clearly when he works he gets better marks...

Original poster

hairnightmare17 · 21/07/2018 12:17

If he got a 4 I would be expecting him to work daily for several hours. If he got a 7 I would expect him to brush up. That's the difference.

OP posts:

DayManChampionOfTheSun · 21/07/2018 12:24

You're expecting him to work daily for several hours all summer holiday on one subject?

Doesn't he have the latest fully marked exam paper? We always had to bring all our stuff/work home at the end of year.

FourEyesGood · 21/07/2018 12:28

Expecting him to “work daily for several hours” on a single subject (or even across a range of subjects) will cause him to become bitter and resentful. But yay, he’ll be a bit better at maths, so destroying his morale and your relationship will be totally worth it.
FFS, let him have a holiday. And leave the teachers be.

Popfan · 21/07/2018 12:28

Several hours a day on one subject in the summer holidays?? Wow! Talk about pressure! He does have another year left to go. Poor lad

hairymoragthebampot · 21/07/2018 12:31

There may be just a misunderstanding about the end of year mark. My DD was told that it would be difficult for her to achieve over 7 because she had a couple of bad results at the start of the year due to lack of revision too and the end of year mark is based on an average of the performance for the year and not the final exam So even with her doing well in her last two exams she still only averaged a 7. I wouldn’t stress about it. The school are not going to answer you so just make sure your DS does some work over the summer to maintain his improvement.

MLMLM · 21/07/2018 12:33

If he got a 4 I would be expecting him to work daily for several hours.

Daily? For several hours??

Your poor son. If he has been tempted to lie, this is most likely why.

MaisyPops · 21/07/2018 12:35

I am slightly confused by the responses though. I hear a lot of complaints from teachers who say that the 6 weeks 'holidays' are not really holidays as they have a lot of work to do. Yet people are also suggesting that parents should not expect a response because they are on holidays! Which is it?
They are my summer holidays. They are mine to use as my holiday.
The reality is that I will be in school sorting my classroom for a day or so, sorting out things I didn't get time to wrap uo before the end of term and I will also be doing planning and preparation for next year.

That doesn't mean I am contactable over my holidays. I wouldn't expect SLT to email me over the holidays. I won't be replying to parent emails etc either.

The fact I have some work to do in the 6 week break does not equal being at work and on call.

It's hardly a difficult concept. People in professional jobs often work outside their contracted hours; it doesn't mean clients should expect contact during holiday time.

Pengggwn · 21/07/2018 12:35

You could email me and I might respond - in all honesty, it would depend on your tone! But some people don't check their emails over summer and aren't obliged to, so you may well not receive a response.

Pengggwn · 21/07/2018 12:37

I am slightly confused by the responses though. I hear a lot of complaints from teachers who say that the 6 weeks 'holidays' are not really holidays as they have a lot of work to do. Yet people are also suggesting that parents should not expect a response because they are on holidays! Which is it?

I am on holiday. I might use some of my holiday to complete some of my work, if I want to. I will email someone back if I feel like it and like the way they are communicating. Not more complicated than that, really.

Citylivingwithdogs · 21/07/2018 12:41

Why so much aggression to the OP. I completely understand your post. I would also have emailed, if you don’t hear back there is very little you can do. Maybe speak again to your son and see if you can get any further that why. As others have said, maybe look at doing the extra work anyway, it won’t do any harm. If you can afford a tutor, they could also tell you where your son is pitched, so you wouldn’t be only reliant on the score. Good luck.

MrsFrankDrebin · 21/07/2018 12:41

Ok, private GCSE English tutor here. There is no need to panic either way - please, please don't make your son do 'several hours a day', or even 'brush up' on the subject over the summer holidays. It's not needed, and (as he's going into Year 11, which is hard enough as it is) will likely turn him off making the kind of effort that will pay off in the end.

I've had students come to me with 8 weeks to go before their final exams with a '1' in their mocks, and still pass with a '4'. You are nowhere near being in that kind of position, so please try not to worry.

Your son will be doing mocks, probably before Christmas, when you'll get a better idea of where he is. If there really is a problem in this subject, then you'll still have plenty of time to act. Most of my students only come to me after the mocks, and that's pretty much the norm (although obviously there are exceptions, but usually due to other factors such as supply teachers/lack of continuity in Year 10, which means they want to start with me in the September of Year 11).

Let your son have the summer holidays to relax and turn off totally from school/revision/worrying about his grades - because, in all honesty, he needs it with what's to come.