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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

609 replies

Namechangedforthisreply7 · 24/03/2020 23:14

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?

OP posts:
Smurfy23 · 27/03/2020 18:09

@bringringring

No...he said parents will be able to see the work that is being sent home and if they feel that the work is not of a sufficient quality they may well withdraw their places. If many parents do that then they would need to look at long term staffing needs.

Maybe not quite as blunt as the wording I used but the implication is there.

FluffytheGoldfish · 27/03/2020 18:12

I have been using Teams as a base, was considering other options but my union has advised us NOT to do live video or audio calls.

TwoTinyCrafters · 27/03/2020 18:19

I'm a secondary school maths teacher and am online 8-3 every day, with my two kiddos at home too, engaging with kids, filming videos for them to watch showing them different methods etc,setting and marking work, and just being there for them to chat to if they need it. My kids have received nothing at all from their school so I'm spending my evenings planning activities and things for them and teaching them 3-bedtime. It is exhausting, and not fair.....

StripeyDeckchair · 27/03/2020 18:53

Private school parents are rich. Their children have all the resources necessary- laptop/pc for each child, printer with ink & paper, pens, paper space for them to work undisturbed. The schools they send their children are rich, they spend many times more than a state school on IT and resources so their teachers start off in a far better place than their state counterparts.

Our families might have 1 laptp/pc/tablet between the entire family. Noone has a peinter, many don't have paper, pens,pencils etc. Space & table to work at.

We're still finding our way here my colleagues are doing amazing things they are making huge leaps in how they use tech to benefit the students, they're calling students who aren't logging in to the system for work, those who are vulnerable, SEND, have EHCPs...

And on top of all that we're going into the school on a rota so that the vulnerable & children of critical workers can come in to school while their parents work, putting ourselves at risk.

tulipsrus · 27/03/2020 19:03

I think if you read through the thread, there are many private school parents whose children do not have all the equipment.
There’s a big difference between rich(comparatively) and spoilt
I’m not going to give my son a laptop for no reason.
Luckily I had my own laptop refurbed recently
I didn’t have paper or a working printer

wherethecloudsaregoing · 27/03/2020 19:20

I don’t think a laptop for schoolwork equates to spoilt child, tulips

EstoPerpetua · 27/03/2020 19:24

Private school parents are rich

We have a huge scholarship and bursary for DC1, StripeyDeckchair. Though his school is so flipping brilliant that it would be worth every single penny, if I could afford the full fees.

Typically, they have massively reduced the fees for next term for every single family. However, some (yes, rich) parents are paying full fees regardless, to help out other parents who aren't able to do so.

I fucking love his school (sorry for swearing), and would dearly love to name it because they deserve every plaudit on the planet.

tulipsrus · 27/03/2020 19:29

He didn’t need one for school before this, that’s my point.

wherethecloudsaregoing · 27/03/2020 19:31

Before this

GlendaSugarbeanIsJudgingYou · 27/03/2020 19:37

DS1's secondary school teachers couldn't be doing more.

I'm really impressed by all the effort they are going to and touched by the lovely, supportive things they have been saying to the kids.

I can't sing their praises enough.

EstoPerpetua · 27/03/2020 19:46

GlendaSugarbean, at least that's two of us.

Many things drive me mad ATM. One is that the teachers, groundsmen, housemasters, Dames, security staff, librarians, caterers (please forgive me if I have excluded anyone) will never know how very, very much we appreciate all they are doing for our children - and, in the case of DC1's school, are now doing for other children and families too. I have just emailed DC1's headmaster to say this!

Retired65 · 27/03/2020 20:45

Our school is using Google Classroom for setting, marking and commenting on children's work. Om our school facebook page our head uploaded an assembly for the children at home to watch. Parents are able to email teachers duting normal working hours if they need to ask any questions about the work set.

One thing private schools are not providing is school for parents of key workers which state schools are!

Piggywaspushed · 27/03/2020 20:46

I don't think that's true : plenty of doctors' children at private schools!

cardibach · 27/03/2020 20:56

I teach in a state school. We are setting work via google classroom and are available for children to ask questions and to mark work. We are recording video lessons and uploading those. It’s entirely unreasonable to expect most children to stick to school timetable when you take into account technological problems (not as many children as devices etc)and the fact that the children’s world has become u certain and a bit scary. Usual teacher bashing though. Well done OP

Walkingtheplank · 27/03/2020 21:00

Both of my children's independent schools are looking after the children of key worker children. Definitely lots of NHS parents.

EstoPerpetua · 27/03/2020 21:06

One thing private schools are not providing is school for parents of key workers which state schools are!

Did you not read any of my posts, @Retired65 ?

I specifically praised my DC1's school for doing precisely this. I would previously have said it is arguably the best (independent) school in the world. Now I would remove the 'arguably'.

I am in darkness at the moment. My DC1's school is the one thing that is giving me a chink of light.

This morning's online Chapel service referred to the darkness and light. It said that we are all little bits of light, i.e. stars.

In fact, this could and should be said of the school and every single member of its staff. They are the reason I bother getting up in the morning.

manicinsomniac · 27/03/2020 22:11

Retired65 What makes you think that?! I'm at a private school and we're a hub school for our own key worker/vulnerable children and for the state primaries in surrounding villages.

We also had a virtual end of term service today and are having 2 chapels, an assembly and 5 tutor sessions a week next term. Good for both children's and staff morale and we have to earn the school fees!

Walkaround · 27/03/2020 23:24

That’s just such a stupid question it’s offensive. Just waiting now for the opposite whinge from people who can’t access learning that way and who are angry teachers aren’t photocopying and posting enough work to everyone. And if every school in the country were holding multiple zoom cloud meetings for multiple lessons every day for all children that are adequately set up for this, they would slow everything down to a snail’s pace and keep losing their connection. Then the people trying to order their eczema cream from Boots or their Tesco delivery would be cursing them all, too...

Peaseblossom22 · 28/03/2020 08:17

@Retired65 another independent school here providing care for key workers children

Retired65 · 28/03/2020 09:59

Well, my neice's son is at a private school and both his parents are key workers and no provision has been made at his school. May not be true of all private schools but true for the one he goes to. He has been given work to do at home. He is in year 5.

koshkatt · 28/03/2020 11:54

I'm at a private school and we're a hub school for our own key worker/vulnerable children and for the state primaries in surrounding villages

Ditto.

Deadpoet1 · 28/03/2020 13:03

My daughter is at a state secondary school.
She is online for the full school day, with all her classmates and subject teacher. She lifts on at 8:30 and finishes at 2:30.
My son is at a state primary school.
He has had a learning pack sent home from school for the first week. The school has opened up online apps usually used in school for parents to access, they email every day and are in contact with parents directly. Children are given the work to do then it's uploaded onto the child's profile for the teacher to mark and send back. Reading us now done via an app so the teacher can see the length of time the child has read. TTRockstars and Mathletics are teacher controlled.
It's not just private schools that offer this kind of learning.

Clavinova · 28/03/2020 13:20

One thing private schools are not providing is school for parents of key workers which state schools are!

Yes they are - dozens of parents at dcs' school are doctors, nurses, teachers, senior civil servants...

mammy28 · 28/03/2020 14:37

Namechanger a good idea for u faceless wonders

Darbs76 · 28/03/2020 14:46

My daughters school (state) is setting work at same time as lesson. They are submitting it and teachers phoning weekly

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