Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

year 6 class not getting any remote teacher support - what are the teachers doing all day

344 replies

anyname147 · 08/04/2020 18:30

My ds is in year 6 and has been at home, like most of his peers, these last few weeks. The (state) school has not offered much in the way of remote learning assistance to the kids or parents who are helping them, other than a few links on a page on their website which has remained static for several weeks. In spite of having to work full time, I am not a teacher, but have managed to cobble together some learning stuff for ds to do at home, but this is with zero help from the school. I understand some teachers are still working at school because of the key worker children etc, but surely the vast majority of staff are at home? What are they doing all day if they are still on the payroll? Surely a 10 or 11 year old can be sent homework tasks - that's actually marked - or weekly links to relevant year group content? I understand the kids don't all have laptops, but virtually all households have email and at least one computer or smart phone or tablet. I just find it hard to believe that his school staff haven't risen to the challenge of continuing their pupils' learning and instead have literally abandoned them because they cant go into school. I have, on the other, risen very much to the challenge and look forward to helping my ds learn new things, but this has come (time-wise) at the expense of my job.

OP posts:
FrippEnos · 10/04/2020 11:03

Clavinova
What are you going to spend your PE and sport premium funding on next term?

Erm, PE and sports at a guess.

But I take it that you are one pot for all type of gal?

Feenie · 10/04/2020 11:04

I'm sure Marie Antoinette said 'let them have minibuses'.

LolaSmiles · 10/04/2020 11:04

Perhaps the PTA would like to spend their funds on facilitating home learning instead of petrol etc? Have you asked them?
Perhaps our PTA have the tiniest bit of common sense that the petrol for couple of short trips to local fixtures a week does not equal the cost of running a virtual school.

Just sayin'

1forsorrow · 10/04/2020 11:06

Lola 1forsorrow Exactly! I'd go further as your taxes are paying her wages. This is at least complain to the head situation. Good idea, he seems a reasonable man and obviously used to disciplining naughty children. I will drop him an email. Hopefully she will be dealt with.

saraclara · 10/04/2020 11:07

Well my daughter's partner worked his socks off (to the point that his head teacher told him he was doing too much, and risked burnout) to set up Google classroom for his school, and lots of differentiated work for his year 5 class . Admittedly he works in an area of deprivation, but guess how many kids did/could access the work for him to mark?

One. One child out of his class of 28.

Feenie · 10/04/2020 11:14

I have about five out of thirty parents even opening my emails - and they are posting things like this on the PTA Facebook page:

gen.medium.com/parents-are-not-ok-66ab2a3e42d9?fbclid=IwAR03tRdOk7IFpppLpJLM9se3_oKHIZOPeUGZ66hjlaMNLKIe2kusMLO7Vv0

Bflatmajorsharp · 10/04/2020 11:20

saraclara quite. And that is the reason we have schools and children are taught by qualified and trained teachers.

The idea that somehow schools and parents can transfer the school experience to home for a week, let alone a term, is ridiculous.

For the small minority of children with an adult available to support them 1:1 and sole use of a laptop with reliable broadband between 9am -3pm five days a week, some semblance of learning can happen.

But it would anyway in well resourced homes with motivated, English speaking, understanding-the-system parents/carers.

For the vast majority with working parents, siblings and parents who need access to laptops, no or patchy Broadband, goodness knows what other social and economic difficulties then it's fantastical thinking.

Schools are having to manage the needs of vulnerable children, those in receipt of fsm, those with ECHP or social work involvement, plus staff who are unwell, self-isolating or medically advised not to go into school.

Schools found out on the morning that they closed which job roles were key workers so how many children they would likely have on site.

They're playing catch up along with everyone else. The teacher bashing on MN has really upped the last few weeks.

Clavinova · 10/04/2020 11:21

Perhaps our PTA have the tiniest bit of common sense that the petrol for couple of short trips to local fixtures a week does not equal the cost of running a virtual school.

I posted petrol etc. I have already given a list of other activities that may be funded by the PTA. Facilitating home learning doesn't necessarily mean running a virtual school - other (cheaper) options are available.

Obviously some teachers are more adaptable than others. What are your plans next term instead?

What are you going to spend your PE and sport premium funding on next term?/ Erm, PE and sports at a guess.

Do you pay outside providers? Many schools do. How many pupils will be benefitting after Easter? No cost saving here?

Bflatmajorsharp · 10/04/2020 11:21

oh god Feenie that stuff is driving me up the wall from some of my children's friends parents and I'm not a teacher.

Clavinova · 10/04/2020 11:28

I have about five out of thirty parents even opening my emails - and they are posting things like this on the PTA Facebook page

Although the link is from the US - "mom" in the first comment.

Feenie · 10/04/2020 11:35

They aren't privileged, either. I could try posting 'but you are neither American nor privileged' but I am guessing it wouldn't go down so well.

LaProfesora · 10/04/2020 11:37

What are the teachers doing all day?
Sweet fuck all. Happy?

FrippEnos · 10/04/2020 11:48

Clavinova

Do you pay outside providers?

No, they pay us for use of the facilities. revenue that is now lost.

Many schools do.

Many schools don't

How many pupils will be benefitting after Easter? No cost saving here?

none and none.

Sotiredofthislife · 10/04/2020 11:49

Obviously some teachers are more adaptable than others. What are your plans next term instead?

To confirm and do what my head has told
me to do? So that will be setting 3x1hr of learning per class per week and I will be online for at least 30 minutes twice a week. I will mark all the work produced for all of those lessons - bearing in mind we usually mark as we go along and I mark longer tasks only. All my resources will need adapting for online learning purposes, many things will need to be made from scratch.

But do assume I will be doing sod all, won’t you?

ChloeDecker · 10/04/2020 11:50

Although the link is from the US - "mom" in the first comment.

Technically, in the Midlands, everyone spells it ‘Mom’ so...

Bflatmajorsharp · 10/04/2020 11:55

It has Americanised spelling throughout.

But fails to mention that many teachers are also parents.

Are they allowed to also be 'not okay?'

ChloeDecker · 10/04/2020 12:01

Besides, this is what this PTA (in England) is currently spending its funds on. Slightly more worthy don’t you think?

year 6 class not getting any remote teacher support - what are the teachers doing all day
ChloeDecker · 10/04/2020 12:09

State schools must be making costs savings in other areas though - are you still paying supply teachers and exam invigilators for example?

And yes, we are still paying supply teachers etc. (Supply teachers are on contracts too and this money has already been accounted for and my school weren’t dicks to those supply teachers)
You need to understand that budgets are set by schools in advance and they have to be ratified in advance and the majority of schools in the country are running at a deficit. So small payments such as Exam Invigilators (and we, to save money these past two years, have re-deployed existing support staff for this anyway rather than paying external casual staff) would be eaten up straight away anyway.

Longtalljosie · 10/04/2020 12:28

My child is getting FAR less of my time than you are able to give yours.

You had my complete sympathy up to this point. None of us have any idea how hard it is for other working mothers in different professions. No-one’s running a league table.

Clavinova · 10/04/2020 12:37

Took me all of 2 minutes to find this little school in Northants ('mini bus appeal primary school'/google).

They have one minibus already but they need two for sports activities and after school clubs (103 pupils at the school - their playing field is a mile away).

"The school currently operates one minibus which it purchased through fundraising. It has to hire another minibus to be able to transport just one class to a venue for an event; this can cost thousands of pounds a year."

www.villageconnect.com/index.php/articles-1/archive/1293-minibus-appeal

Their after school gym club x 2 and football club x 2 are funded by the sports premium;

"This Club is run by outside provider PR Sports. No charge as it is funded by our Sports Premium"

www.greataddingtonprimary.org.uk/information.aspx?page=15

Clavinova · 10/04/2020 12:47

Besides, this is what this PTA (in England) is currently spending its funds on. Slightly more worthy don’t you think?

What provision has the school made for pupils at home? My dcs' school are providing lessons (in term time) for pupils and visors for healthcare workers in the local area - excellent DT department at the school.

LolaSmiles · 10/04/2020 12:59

Took me all of 2 minutes to find this little school in Northants ('mini bus appeal primary school'/google')
Your point being what?

That a small school with playing fields a mile away has a high bill to run a minibus in order to meet the curriculum requirements of PE?

Standard Clavi on a school thread though: make assertions and when challenged go googling to copy and paste irrelevant things.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 10/04/2020 12:59

Took me all of 2 minutes to find this little school in Northants ('mini bus appeal primary school'/google).

You’ve proven your point though that schools can’t afford it. They’ve appealed for donations.

Engage your brain for the two minutes rather than try and disprove the masses of teachers on here telling you you’re wrong. Most schools have no money. The very small pot of money we do have it already allocated and we can’t easily change that. The PE budget is given to schools for PE. We’re not allowed to spend it on something else or we would be in trouble.

Please tell us what your job is so we can tell you how it works and where you’re going wrong!

ooopsupsideyourhead · 10/04/2020 13:18

I, and all my colleagues, would like to thank Clavi for being so predictable in these uncertain times.

slow hand clap

1forsorrow · 10/04/2020 13:20

I home schooled mine for several years. Home schoolers are advised to let children deschool when you take them out of school. Maybe this would be helpful for parents to think about? A few weeks destressing, not worrying about timetables, time to discover what they are interested in learning for the joy of learning? Remember you will be saving the time of travelling to and from school, the time for assembly, moving classes, breaks and lunch. We used to reckon primary children needed to do 2 hrs a day and senior school 3 hrs a day to be comparable to children in school. Mine missed between 4 and 5 years of school and when assessed we were told they were ahead in some areas and behind in others, it took between a term and a year for them to catch up in those areas.

I know this is worrying, I know we are all stressed but a term out of school won't make that much difference. I think we have all been so brainwashed that taking a week off when they are five will mean they won't get the GCSEs they should have that it all seems much more serious than it is.

A few weeks aware from the pressure, the stress, the testing might just be a good idea.