To ask how much support your KS2 children are getting from school?

[concernedforthefuture]

DCs are yrs 3 & 5 (age 8 & 10). Since the beginning of lockdown, work has been sent weekly from school in the format of a series of links to where we can download various worksheets and watch online videos (all of which are available to the public such as Twinkl / White Rose Maths / BBC Bitesize, rather than something the teacher has produced). These are not to be returned for marking, there is no supplementary online teaching by their class teachers (either live or pre-recorded videos) and no real contact from the school apart from a weekly email to remind us to visit the class pages on the school website to see this week's recommended learning links.
I was more than happy with this for the first few weeks but with a real chance that they might not return to school this term, I'm really feeling that our children are being let down by not really getting an education at the moment. They're bored of the work - each day is quite different to the day before in terms of content and there's no obvious progression from one week to the next. Not having any feedback is leaving them wondering why they should bother at all and it's getting difficult to motivate them. We do other stuff too, but I do worry for the children whose parents aren't able to offer anything extra.

I wonder how this compares to others' experiences? Are all families just being left to get on with it ? I see a lot of posts about online teaching and class zoom meetings (with the teacher). I just don't understand what the teachers are doing. It's a big school (450+ pupils) and most days they only have around 10-15 key worker children so they can't all be in school everyday. To be clear, I'm not expecting online school from 9-3 for 5 days a week, but a few lessons a week tailored to the class would be welcome, together with some kind of interaction between the teachers and pupils to see how they're doing.
If it makes a difference, the (state) school is currently rated Outstandjng by Ofsted.

That's the thing, I think even with a single teacher (me) provision there varies hugely. I have some students who have received a few emails, some online work and a couple of answer phone messages, and others who have had a couple of hours of one to one support by this point. Not every parent or student is as proactive as others, some will not want to be a pain, and the ones who most need the support are probably the ones engaging least. So I don't think it's brilliant by a long way.

Then we have other teachers in the same department who can't make many phone calls due to low income and small phone contracts. They're trying to do more of their support through emails. Even with the best intentions, it's patchy. I can see why parents get frustrated. And no, not everyone has the best of intentions. There are a few lazy gits in every workforce. But they are definitely the minority.

The problem is that the teachers on this thread are being deaf to the concerns raised. We agree that what is provided is largely a management decision and that some teachers are working hard. However, my dc's school has very few pupils in, so teachers are mostly not working at the school. They are providing very little work - just links to useful websites with little guidance on specific tasks. No video lessons. No marking or feedback at all. No way to contact teachers. Almost no contact from the school whatsoever. I did contact the school and got told it is what it is.

Agree, Doyoumind.

Referring back to that midwife analogy, I think the difference there is that if someone experienced terrible service from a midwife, other midwives would be quick to condemn it and to encourage complaints about it. They’d recognise shoddy treatment and agree that it should be called out.

I’m not sure why the teachers that are actually doing their jobs well are so quick to stick up for other teachers who aren’t bothering to work at all

Really? You think if some said "All midwives are crap, they all deserve a 50% pay cut" people would engage nicely with them?

@nellodee - I think a lot of the frustrated parents have children at Primary schools and not Secondary. The secondary school parents near me have nothing but praise especially with all the additional work for the exam grade forecasting. It is more the primary parents feeling disappointed.

Re some people saying zoom is not ok? Why? You set a password and as a teacher you can record every lesson so there can be no allegations of any kind. It seems so many of the private schools are using it or similar platforms (google meet) etc /chats on Microsoft teams. Do many teachers really not have laptops/computers? Most kids of a certain age have phones. Most children need their teachers to motivate them in these times and each other too. So phone contact with their friends/working together online.

Re primary age children, a vast majority of years 4,5 and 6 can be taught through videos/on zoom etc. and they can learn from this experience and keep on top of the curriculum even with parents working. I am not sure about year 3. Reception/year 1 and year 2 are too young.

DS is in year 3 and school are using zoom and videos to teach. It’s working well.

I posted on another thread asking what teachers are actually doing

I'm a primary school teacher and a parent as are many others.

Our school don't do live teaching, use zoom or google classroom- we have access to it but parents were asked what they wanted remote learning to look like and overwhelming majority was no to zoom and google as lack of technology to access it. Those with high school children felt it was more important they had access to the laptop or device. They didn't want worksheets as the printing issue. Many of our children live in a deprived area so parents do not have the money to go out to buy laptops, iPads and printers.

On a Monday we send out a weekly timetable with a maths, literacy and topic activity for every day. They are also expected to do daily reading, times table practice and spellings.

The children were given exercise books to work in on their last day so when they return they will be handed in for marking - currently 7 weeks of marking which under the new guidelines I will have to do in school as books cannot be taken home.

I also send them a class email and they can email me with any questions or for a chat.

Out of my class of 30 - 2 children regularly email me with photos of their work, questions about what they need to do and 1 child emails me to tell me what they have been doing or reading.

I wfh Monday and Friday. On these days I usually work from 5am -8am planning the following weeks work ( 3 individualised timetables and resources for SEN children in class plus whole class timetable is not a 5 minute job) I then spend the time parenting my own children.

At lunchtime I will check and respond to any emails.

We might go for a walk in the afternoon.

I do another couple of hours late afternoon when DS8 gets screen time. Then will work for a few hours in the evening- report writing, transition documents, planning for next term, I am also accessing online training in how to use Google classroom every weekday evening at the moment. This is an hour a night which means on the days I'm in school I finish my working day at 830pm and can then spend time with my family. Well for a couple of hours before I go to bed.

I work between 8-12 hours a day including weekends. I don't do it all in 1 block as like many other people I've had to adjust to having children at home.

The other 3 days? Working 8-6 looking after key worker children in school. I leave the house at 7am and get home at 7pm. DD16 is my childcare on those days. DS does no school work those days as he doesn't listen to his sister's efforts which is why I have to work the way I do on Monday and Friday so he can get an education.

This will all change on 1st June when I'm back in teaching a year 6 bubble of children. The Monday and Friday planning for my own year 5 class will have to take place at the weekend and obviously I will not be available for queries from my own class during school hours as all available staff are needed to teach the bubbles.

That is a very dedicated schedule. I imagine you are just as annoyed as me, thinking of other teachers sat at home with nothing to do!

I don’t know of any other teachers doing such long hours in the key worker schools.

Around here, we have one hub school that is open. This covers 6 local primary schools, approx 1500 pupils in total.

They have about 6-8 kids per day in the school and the rota is covered by all the staff from all 6 schools. Each teacher is doing about half a day, once every 3 or 4 weeks

practicallyperfectwithprosecco - you are doing loads of work. Sounds like our teachers. Very dedicated. Do you have any teacher friends who are sending their own children to school as key worker children? Most of the teachers I know have chosen to keep their own primary aged DC at home because they think they can do a better job teaching their own children and for safety reasons. They just aren’t keen to send their own children to hub schools.

Chocolatecard I'm in a small junior school so only 8 teachers and 8 TAs / HLTAs

4 of teaching staff are shielding or living with shielding people so wfh. Some TAs are p/t.

2 teachers have no young children so offered to come in every day, I do 3 days and other teacher does 2 days as she has very young children who she is juggling childcare with her dh

We have between 10/15 children in everyday 3 of them need 1-1 support as EHCP children.

We have 3 teachers everyday to support home learning and 4 TAs in everyday. Luckily no one has gone off ill so we have been able to offer the children the support needed.

Randomness yes several of my friends have to send their children into their schools on the days they work. DS would have to go in if I didn't have a yr11 who has now left school at home.

It's not the teachers not working claims that annoy me - I know lots of teachers, most of my friends teach and we are all working hard.

I get more annoyed with people thinking we aren't working without asking what we are doing. Someone might see me in garden with my son in the afternoon and think I'm a lazy teacher without knowing I've had 6 hours sleep trying to fit everything in.

At end of day as teachers or parents we all want what is best for the children- or should do. I think that is getting forgotten with all the squabbling on here.

I think this just goes to show the huge differences in what teachers are doing right now.

Some primary school teachers doing 36 hours a week in school with the children of key workers. Others doing 4 hours a month of this!

They have about 6-8 kids per day in the school and the rota is covered by all the staff from all 6 schools. Each teacher is doing about half a day, once every 3 or 4 weeks

Wow, we have joined together with one other local school and have around 30 children per day! Neither of us are big schools. Maybe being a deprived area gives us more pupils who are considered vulnerable? Or more parents in jobs like care work, delivery perhaps. We have about 1/3 of staff in total who are vulnerable so only wfh which means about 2 days per week on a rota for the rest of us. My own school is one form entry so I still have to sort all the remote learning, do the contact etc for my own class.

Why are these threads called teacher bashing threads?

Parents are worried. Their kids aren't getting an education - teachers in their schools are at home not teaching - it's confusing and frustrating.

Why are teachers on these threads being so aggressive/angry about this?

Exactly @pontypridd most of us are saying we really value teachers . That's why we are so cross on behalf of our children

If your school is being properly crap, you need to keep contacting them. Every single primary and secondary school I know of- and that is a lot as I teach in a very large London Borough, is providing very good support and work for the children.
I teach primary- we send home detailed work for each subject and timetabled in for the week. We are doing Zooms throughout the week and we use Dojo to communicate with the class.
If you are not happy with the provision, as I said, keep contacting your school. The vast majority of teachers are working their butts off.

Again- the problem we have as teachers is the posters who lump teachers into one bracket.
I just read on here, I don't know the name of the poster- 'people will ask what teachers have done on full pay while others worked their hours, went on reduced pay or were made redundant'.

Do people realise how insulting that is to the vast majority of teachers who have been working insanely hard? It's like me saying that I have heard of a few not very nice nurses so all nurses are shit...

Think before you post. If you aren't happy with YOUR school's provision, fine. But it's just pure ignorance to lump all teachers together. There are now 100s of threads where we are posting telling you what we are doing. You don't read our posts. You just continue with the vitriol. That is why we are upset and defensive.

Finally, it was the Government who close schools. It was the Government who never gave schools proper guidelines about what to do in this crisis. It is still the Government who are sending schools back with no extra budget for cleaning in what is an already stripped to the bone budget.

All we are asking you to do is think before you speak.

Eeehbyegum
And this is the problem teachers have. We can't do right from wrong. You are now complaining that your school has posted too much work and you can't keep up.

I totally understand why it's so hard to work from home with children. I hope people can see form your post that we just cannot win.

Someone mentioned about recording Zoom lessons. We are teaching via Zoom daily at my school. However, the Local Authority has told us not to record Zoom as we shouldn't be having videos of children on our personal laptops.

@nellodee thanks for the extra information about how you spend your time. I have to admit, I’m not surprised that secondary school teachers are working that much. I think it’s the primary ones that I am less sure of what they’re doing with their time, I somehow thought you were primary.

We get a worksheet emailed, 3 tasks to complete each day. It takes DS about 60-90 minutes. No marking/feedback/interaction.
There are 4-8 children attending each day with a teacher and a TA, school which normally has 300 pupils.
Other than the weekly email, we have had no contact.
It’s disappointing, have emailed the head.

I work in Y3 and my school (state academy) is using Google Classroom and Google Meets to offer:

Twice daily year group meets where work is presented by teachers
Once daily small group meets with TA
Continuous teacher support meet throughout day 10-3.30 (teachers work on rota so always someone online)
Additional meets for EAL/lower attainers

Online maths set daily
English tasks daily building over week to main writing task
Topic tasks daily on a weekly theme
Comprehension daily (based on chapter book which TA is reading aloud)
Creative and wellbeing activities suggested weekly

Work marked daily, children/parents contacted if not engaging

We started prepping 2 weeks before closure so every child had an account set up and had used GC & GM. Children/staff who needed one have been loaned a chromebook. Online school started from day 1 of lockdown.

My son's school is very different - more laid back and only just started using Google Classroom. It's a relief to be honest as I'm not sure how we'd manage all being in live Meets at the same time with a toddler to entertain too.

My day runs:
8.30-10am - morning prep and teacher meet + year group meet presenting work
10am-12 - supervise my own kids while marking and replying to messages
12-12.30 - on teacher support meet
12.30-1.30 - lunch & get toddler to nap
1.30-3.30 - year group meet + 1-to-1 intervention meets
3.30-5.30 - supervise my own kids while marking and replying to messages, start to set up tomorrow's assignments
5.30-8.30 - bedtimes, dinner etc
8.30-11/12 - finalise work for next day

I do that Monday-Friday, and spend 3-5 hours at the weekend doing additional prep like recording videos. I'm a TA so it's outside my job description but happy to do what is needed. Happy... but tired.

Simply posting work is not teaching. At least write a PowerPoint if you can't pre-record a daily 15min lesson. I don't think it is wrong to wonder what my teacher, who usually has 32 in a class and now has 1 for 3 days of the week, is doing with his time when all we get is a weekly list of links to work. He takes 3 days to reply to an email!