Aibu to think private school provision at home can be done in state schools too?

[Namechangedforthisreply7]

Just that. Private schools are doing active live teaching via zoom, FaceTime and Skype. Full school days. Teaching via video link, then sending kids off to do work which they send back and gets marked, then another lesson. full school days of work. Even pe online! Parents don’t need to do anything and can get on with work.

State sector get home learning packs. No info about how to do bus stop division or similar technical stuff. Not heard from anyone at school since Friday, no information at all bar work timetable on website. Where are the teachers? Why are can state sector teachers not actively teach online and stay in touch with the kids? Why not more engagement? We are all having to work at home alongside our kids, why aren’t teachers doing this too?

[Namechangedforthisreply7]

Flum you just need an iPad/laptop and zoom - all our classes have those. No excuse?

[noblegiraffe]

No info about how to do bus stop division or similar technical stuff.

Ah, I see. You’re embarrassed that you can’t do primary level maths and your solution is to berate teachers.

[Snugglepumpkin]

You too can get real time online lessons etc... by paying for them as there are online schools that do this already.
Private schools charge through the nose, I'm glad they are stepping up & providing this.

Most state schools don't have the same budgets as private schools & many of the pupils don't have their own laptop with a decent internet connection all day that they can use at home.
Many families have one household laptop that gets shared if they have one at all.

[Merryoldgoat]

@noblegiraffe is spot on.

I work at a private school and my son goes to a stage school. At his school the demographics are so unbelievably diverse that there is no way you could have an equal provision for everyone.

At work should there be a child without access to a computer we could just hand them one. Not one has needed one.

We also have a online portal where we can post work, interact and provide live classes etc.

Our budget for the English provision is more than the entire curriculum budget of my son’s school.

[BigusBumus]

We are still being charged full fees minus lunches at our boys public school (private). Pisses me off. Just for a few emails, a bit of Team or Zoom and a daily update email from the Head. We are self employed and facing complete financial breakdown but the school still want their full fees and for what!? So the teachers (even sports, drama, art, DT etc) can be on full salaries even though the government will pay them all the 80% thing.

[EvilTwins]

Namechanged I’m able to do it because I teach FE and my students are older and fully committed. They also only do one subject. I cannot imagine doing what I’m doing if I had 5 different classes each day, some of whom are KS3.

My own kids are 13 and are getting on with their work.

I am also trying to figure out what the hell is going on with assessments for my yr 13 kids.

No, teachers are not on holiday. No, they cannot all be virtual babysitters so you can get on with your own work. We’re all in the same position here, trying to make the best of an ever-changing position.

[GrumpyHoonMain]

State schools cater for children who don’t / can’t have access to a smart phone / internet. Private schools often really support scholarship students - I know many provide tablets / laptops / restricted 4G dongles etc.

It should be standard that all students, state or private, get a tablet or laptop and a restricted access 4G dongle to complete their school work. These things don’t cost much if attached to a wider school account and if enough schools get together they could negotiate a cut rate price

[schafernaker]

State school teacher here- my days have been filled with writing and resourcing lessons for 22 hours of the week, mainly online through google classroom and external links combined with my usual lessons. Then making paper versions and resources available for students who don’t have internet access. As a school we can’t afford to make it all paper based, and 15% of our students don’t have internet access at home. If all of our learning was online our most vulnerable students would fall even more behind.

Later in the week I am in school for key workers kids in the morning and then delivering hampers to some of our free school meals children in the afternoon. Then will stay late to make contact with families who i know are vulnerable within my form group 6/27.

Oh and I have a 20month old toddler at home who isn’t in nursery as we have been following the government advice to keep her at home if at all necessary.

Tell me I’m working less than I would if I were in school? Tell me I’m not working as hard as my private school colleagues!?

[FrippEnos]

Whatever we do it won't be enough for some people.

[FlamingoAndJohn]

you just need an iPad/laptop and zoom - all our classes have those. No excuse?

The children need them too. Children who live in households that go to the food bank regularly. Children who you see in the school uniform on the weekend because it’s the only clothes they have. Children who sleep on a bare mattress on the floor. Children who are in refuges.

[Tonyaster]

So the teachers (even sports, drama, art, DT etc) can be on full salaries even though the government will pay them all the 80% thing

The 80 percent thing only kicks in if the business literally doesn't have enough money to pay wages. It's not an automatic entitlement.

[Matildathehun77]

State school here. I gave details of a learning platform to sign up to and I put work on there daily, with instruction videos from me. I also gave out my email address and offered to FaceTime coach anybody who was struggling and to mark and return any work sent to me. I record videos with feedback and next steps for those who want it...., do you know how many have engaged at all?? Two, two families have made any sort of contact at all the rest? I'm not sure a combination of lack of technology, lack of ability to facilitate a working day or seeing it as opportunity for a rest..... but this is a major stumbling block for us. Most of our staff are providing this level of support whilst also running a key worker/vulnerable provision as well.

[Merryoldgoat]

State school obviously. Definitely not a stage school.

[noblegiraffe]

Whatever we do it won't be enough for some people.

I’ve seen plenty of moaning from parents who are going on about their ‘over the top’ school doing timetabled live lessons and how it’s too much for the kids.

So whatever we do, it will simultaneously be too much and not enough.

[Tonyaster]

Private schools don't have to agonise about food banks and hungry kids with no access to wifi. That sounds harsh but its true. So they can crack on knowing that the kids have the technology, time and space to.do the lessons.

[Rainbowunicat]

My kids are at state school and have had plenty of work set, teachers are available through Google classroom all day. So YABU for generalising.

Teaching unions have advised against online video teaching due to the possibility of students recording, editing and sharing footage. I imagine this is not a problem in private schools, they have much more power to exclude students who abuse their staff in this way.

I teach in a state special school. We will be in throughout this crisis as all of our children are classed as vulnerable. Obviously some families are choosing to keep their children home anyway, we are setting work for them, as well as making phone calls to each family every two days to check on their well-being. As well as organising food parcels for the families of children who receive free school meals, and delivering them.

A local primary school I know is doing all of that, as well as setting up a 'helpline' so that any family in the school community can ring school for help if they are struggling- things such as dropping of shopping if they're self isolating, or putting them in touch with other agencies if they struggle with mental health or just anything really. This helpline will be manned every day, including weekends, throughout the Easter holidays. By teachers.

All the teaching staff I know have been rota'd in over the Easter holidays too, regardless of our own kids being at home, needing us as much as yours need you.

But yeah, you all carry on thinking that the lazy teachers are loving the extra holiday.

[Whattodo121]

Secondary State school teacher here. I have to set timetabled work for every lesson I would normally teach (using google classroom) and be online to answer queries as they arise. Yesterday and today I was at my desk from 8am-4pm answering emails and chatting to the kids via classroom to help them access their work. We’ve been told we must set work by 9.30am every working day and we must check our work emails at least twice daily and respond to student queries within 24 hours. We also have to email in on a Monday morning to let management know whether we are well, self isolating or unwell. Any day that we are sick we have to email the office by 8am, same as normal. Really varies from school to school. DS is in year 3 and we have been given a home working pack for him to do. That’s fine by me, I’m making him do an English and maths activity every day out of his folder and read a book for half an hour after lunch and do piano practice. DH is taking him out for a bike ride each day to get his exercise. Setting very complicated work where all students have to log in at a certain time is hard, and many students do not have their own laptops/iPads to be able to do this. If DS’s school were to demand him logging in to watch an online lesson we only have one laptop, and if I’m currently using it for teaching then we’re stuck. None of this situation is ideal and I certainly don’t think the teachers I know are slacking off in anyway.

[Onceateacher]

This is the nastiest thread I've seen on mumsnet for a while, and I've seen plenty of nasty ones.
I was going to reply to your points but how about - just piss off OP. They've had two days of wfm (if not unwell), not two weeks. What an entitled piece of work you are.

[noblegiraffe]

if enough schools get together they could negotiate a cut rate price

My school can’t even afford a subscription to mymaths any more, let along a laptop for each kid.

Remember the budget cuts, folks.

[FrippEnos]

Namechangedforthisreply7
you just need an iPad/laptop and zoom - all our classes have those. No excuse?

Most teachers would have to provide there own equipment as most schools do not.

[Saltycinnamon]

I think this shows a total lack of understanding for how other people live. Not many of my families (big, inner city comp) have individual access to ICT simultaneously. Also, many of our teachers couldn’t get key worker care for their children or were under massive pressure not to send them in. We ended up in a crazy position of teachers staffing schools for other teachers’ kids. Now most schools are on smaller staffing patterns even more children can be at home so putting less pressure on the system. Teaching remote lessons with small children around is not possible. It’s also day 2 - give schools & parents a chance to figure out this new normal.

[serialtester]

Teachers in the state sector are either ill, self isolating, looking after their own children or are in school looking after the children of key workers.

[WomanInTheWindow]

I am a teacher who has been running live sessions - not full, not to the timetable, not all day, but we have created online classrooms and been posting daily work, messages and feedback to our students. I teach at a state school, is that ok?

However, I wonder why a private school with more money, few students per class and more resources might be able to provide a more bespoke and interactive experiences?

Also, our school is happy for us to use audio but not video due to protecting privacy. We have been dealing with bewildered and often vulnerable students - we had two days to prepare. Better get on that conference suite whilst wishing I had 15 not 30 students to a class.

[Didkdt]

My daughter is at a prep school
The teacher uploaded the work last week and hadn't responded to or acknowledged emails. They started fractions and we have had to use Cbeebies as 4 worksheets and a suggestions of searching mymaths means we resorted to Cbeebies
My son is at a Free School, they are uploading lessons on the hour with live support and email access at other times.
I'm wondering what we are paying for especially as prep school assured us they have heavily invested in elearning to seei us through this

[schafernaker]

@noblegiraffe I believe they are doing a free trial period again, we cancelled earlier in the year as we couldn’t afford it and have rejoined on the free trial 😊