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.

I really think people are missing the point. Some teachers are still at school looking after keyworker children. Then they have their own families to care for and have to sort out lessons for their class to access online. I really think parents want it all. Loads complaining that they aren’t teachers and are therefore not doing it. Lots going on about too much work and and another load not happy that it’s not enough. They aren’t going to win. They are working during an unprecedented pandemic. If you have a problem speak to the school instead of bitching to other people and stirring it up.

@Mawbags really? I’m sorry to hear it but at least it punctures my perception that all privately educated kids at the moment are still being educated as normal.

@justanotherneighbourinparadise

They can shove their boaters and lacrosse sticks up their collective arses.

Your children go to a school with boaters and lacrosse sticks and yet they aren't providing any consistent work while you are expected to pay fees?

Well I took the advice of a pp (sally) and contacted the school, lifting a few of the phrases she suggested. Head thinks they are doing a terrific job in the circumstances Basically didn’t address any of the requests I made re: interaction and feedback, tasks with clear objectives and links to resources or anything that tackles weak areas specific to my child. Still no clue what areas of the curriculum my child is meant to have covered. All interpreted as asking for more - which, to be fair I was but more importantly I was asking for better quality and structured work not lengthy lists of URL’s leading to a home page where I’m expected to trawl for any material that might help. There’s not a hope now that it looks like his teacher will be covering the classes going back. They have previously been supporting 0-8 key worker kids so in approximately once every 10 days. Missed opportunity.

I really think people are missing the point. Some teachers are still at school looking after keyworker children. Then they have their own families to care for and have to sort out lessons for their class to access online.

Some parents are complaining because schools AREN’T putting lessons on line either at all or in any coherent manner.

Some parents are complaining because they too are working and having to look after their family.

Some parents are complaining because they can see with their own eyes that the schools either isn’t open at all or is open with one teacher and a TA there, so the teachers are not being expected to support online AND in school.

The situation was ‘unprecedented’ in the early weeks; now we are months down the line and my child’s school does not intend to change one jot.

I’m not tarring all teachers with the same brush. Far from it. My annoyance is fuelled by the real life examples I know of, of other schools doing more/better and the examples shared in this thread.

Schools and teachers aren’t above reproach, it’s quite lazy to just “offload” with this way if think rather than actually advise a parent of what could or should be done.

Teachers can and should be criticised if they are not providing children with an education, and parents should and are allowed to ask/discuss this without contempt.

Same way as every other profession on MN.

Pinku I see you haven’t come back from your idiotic and in factual post, I suggest you educate yourself before sprouting some nonsense!!! Google section 19 of the education act, you’ll find it enlightening!

Ds2 school has been sending work etc... however it’s not been marked, as has ds1, the work set has for them been quite basic.

However as myself as DS are clued up in their curriculum and have family who are teachers we’ve been setting more challenging work for them, especially ds1 who next year is doing triple science and advanced math.

Again all parents are finding it difficult, myself and dh are working 10-16 hour days as well as home schooling and everything in between.

For the poster who said try being a teacher.... I don’t have to try and be a teacher, my own profession is exceptionally challenging during this time, why do you think your profession is more challenging than mine or anyone else’s? Or at anytime really, and I say that as someone who works along side teachers.

This kind of behaviour and attitude is what gets people’s back up!

I admire and have a great deal of respect for those who work in the education profession however all roles have their challenges and all roles have good eggs and bad eggs.

My year 4 dd gets stuff via class dojo. Every single thing I upload gets commented on by her teacher, sometimes with corrections to do or further questions. I'm really impressed.

My Y6 ds has a full school day from 8:50-3:50. They have live registration, so they can chat to classmates and form teacher. Live maths lesson, a break. Live English lesson. Then pre-recorded lessons for all other subjects (science, music, mfl, history, geography, RE, PE/Games, pshe) so they can have lunch when fits with the family. Then a live formtime at the end of the day.
All work is marked by next time they have that lesson.
The teachers are doing this on top of providing extended hours care for 70 key workers' children on a rota which includes all Easter holidays and bank holidays too.
Yes, there have been niggles and teething problems, and differentiation has been an afterthought...but under the circumstances I'm pretty impressed.

I should say that not all year groups have had this provision (I know Y2 parents that are v unhappy with the lack of support and work provided) but I suppose we've been lucky with the ages of our children when this pandemic has occurred.
I recognise that as a family we have been far more fortunate than many others at present.

@lozster

Frustrating to hear that! Sorry you've had no luck. If you are willing to share your child's Year Group and SEN, then I may be able to help with some more specific resources.

I'm actually shocked at how some schools seem to be getting away with only giving links! I'm a teacher we upload weekly or daily planning to dojo or Google classroom covering all areas of the curriculum. Ks2 have to upload maths and literacy daily ks1 3x per week. We comment on everything we recieve. I am lucky as dont have young children to look after I am in awe of my colleagues doing this level of online learning with 3 young kids at home.

We are at an independent and our teachers have both been amazing. Nothing they are doing is dependent on small class size.

All morning Both dds have lessons Either live or recorded. For oldest dd class work is differentiated and set for each table as usual

No one has to send work to be marked and you don’t get loads of comments, but if kids have something they wish to show teacher it is fed back on.

Our foster children’s school have been diabolical.
These are looked after children. The most vulnerable and the school doesn’t care at all.

We have found the same. Each week using the same website to download the work from. This isn't marked, so no feedback. DD has lost interest. A lot of the work is a repeat of what she's done in previous years. We are now only doing work that needs to be submitted and are other things like reading, spellings and playing educational games like scrabble.

@RedAndGreenPlaid what is interesting is that it seems like a few schools like your son's are providing this and yet we have loads of teachers wringing their hands on here and saying it isn't possible when it clearly is!

Following advice on this thread I contacted the school with a very polite message to one of the senior staff asking for advice on priorities from the long list of weekly suggested work on the school website. I also mentioned not hearing from the class teacher due 2 weeks despite uploading work to Dojo.

This week DD got proper feedback on her written work for the first time since the schools shut. Result! DD also got an e-mail telling her the priority areas to work on which backs us as parents up.

My ks2 age child gets (on average) 4/5 assigned tasks every weekday online using purple mash by his teacher. The teacher also uses class dojo every morning to explain assignments give extra instructions/tasks. He marks it and gives feedback for each assignment. So I feel my child is getting some supported education. My friend whos child goes to a nearby school hasn't had anything like this, but as much as what you describe in your post op, giving ideas of resources and apps but that's it. She feels she has to do a lot more lesson planning herself. Its not fair, all kids should be getting the same basic level with teachers in touch, when a parents are busy to wfh and trying there best, the teachers should be more involved.

I wish people would appreciate that teachers are NOT free agents in all of this. We are NOT the decision makers in how schools operate during lockdown.

My local authority (Scotland) have been EXTREMELY EXPLICIT in advising all teachers that they MAY NOT engage in zoom/video conferencing. We were told we may not have staff meetings or discussions on any platform other than MS Teams. The ability to do live video lessons with all pupils in Scotland via MS Teams has been disabled due to "Child Protection" concerns. Teachers may only video call other teachers. Therefore if teachers did want to do "live" lessons they would currently be unable too.

My son participates in live martial arts lessons via zoom (as he can obviously no longer go to the hall) and it's a NIGHTMARE. It stresses me out and I'm not even involved in it! Parents talk over the teacher, TVs blaring in the background, toddlers crashing in, WIFI signals dropping people out, kids wandering off as they feel like it to have a drink, other kids joining in late and not understanding what's going on......it's relentless!

We have been advised at a national level NOT to attempt to teach new material. We were told that a) we cannot live stream lessons b) we cannot expect all pupils to engage in online lessons (for numerous reasons) and c) we should focus on revision/further depth in existing areas of knowledge.

We can, if we wish, pre-record lessons and post them on our official school channels (Twitter, FB, YouTube). However this can be a minefield in that:

A) many teachers have caring responsibilities

B) teachers can be extremely uncomfortable with the idea of talking to a camera (I have ASD and it's my idea of hell - I'll laugh and joke all day long in front of my classes but not to a non-responsive camera)

C) an argument can be made that most teaching concepts have been "done already" by professional "presenters" on BBC Bitesize/various YouTube channels etc - why waste time re-inventing the wheel when you could be spending your time doing something more worthwhile (like curriculum development that I'm currently working on)

D) there has been reported instances of pupils using editing tools to add inappropriate imagery/voices etc to videos of their teachers and posting them on social media.

E) The EIS (teaching union in Scotland) have advised that teachers do not have to appear in front of a camera if they are not comfortable with it

On a positive note though, all teachers in my authority are online in their individual class teams from every weekday morning to assign work/answer questions. Lots of pupils are engaging with teams and uploading pictures/videos of their work. Teachers have been advised to NOT mark this work. I'm not formally marking work as such but I do provide feedback for every piece of work submitted. In the afternoons we have to focus on development work for the school and CPD.

@NeverTwerkNaked As we pay a fortune in fees, school are obligated to provide education. They don't want to close, and they need to have a decent offer in return for what we're paying, or people will go elsewhere.

They're using Teams for all lessons/sessions.

Ah! That makes sense.
I am in process of registering my son with a private school for that reason.

All my children's extra curricular classes are happening properly on zoom or similar platforms so I know it can work really well even for young children

Yr1 in outstanding state primary gets daily work set in maths/English and phonics and still has weekly science, re, art and reading books too. Encouraged to upload 2 pieces of work that the teacher comments on daily. She also sends daily notifications to the class. Weekly spellings and maths tests also uploaded, they are definitely setting and teaching through power points what they would have otherwise taught in class and work is differentiated. Yes twinkl handouts etc too but that would be the same in class.
Yr4- independent, full timetable, lots of tutor contact on zoom and email. Most subjects being taught and marked through teaching videos. Daily maths/English, humanities, history, dt, French, drama, science, music.
Yr6 independent - similar story- most subjects are being taught. The independents are giving the kids more direct zoom/google meet time and direct contact by email as the schools already had all the platforms set up. The teacher contact with the state school is more indirect but she is trying her best through her daily comments. We are so lucky that our teachers understand that the children need the contact and to be motivated by their own teachers. They also need some encouragement to engage with their peers and in some cases, parents have set up weekly zoom calls. Scouts are also running zoom sessions.

CPD again!

That old top priority of the moment

In the afternoons we have to focus on development work for the school and CPD.

And teachers are claiming they are too busy to teach????

"CPD again!

That old top priority of the moment"

Well given that the entire nature of our jobs has significantly changed with just days notice then yes - it is a TOP PRIORITY at the moment.

I've been involved in providing extensive training on how use various digital platforms because, funnily enough, many teachers have not had to use them extensively for setting work/communicating with their classes until recent weeks.

@SallyAlly2020 One work colleague mentioned that her kid’s school sent them home with CGP workbooks. Would you recommend them? My child is not SEN but there are some other circumstances too identifying to mention that make me worry about falling behind. Thanks