DC are going to have to repeat a school year

[bigbananafeet12]

They finished school in March, there’s more chance teachers (and frightened parents) might be willing to get back into schools by next March. I know some dc are getting full school days on zoom, but for most their home learning is no substitute. Universities are planning on doing online learning for the first term too so loads will defer potentially causing problems for the current year 12.
You might say you’re dc are fine now but if things carry on like this in September, October, November and so on enthusiasm for home learning is going to decrease massively. It’s just unfair on dc. They need a chance to learn properly in the normal way. I honestly see no other satisfactory solution.

I'm a bit fed up of this suggestion, they can't repeat a year. It would end up with an entire year worth of extra children in preschools and nurseries, permanently, an entire year with no entry to university would push most of them under, the same for colleges, compulsory education wouldn't end until 19! The educational system can't cope with that.

It won’t happen. It’s been explained dozens of times. What happens to all the new starters?

I'm sure society will cope. They're compared to their peers and each cohort is in the same position. The real job will be trying to close the inevitably larger gap than usual between those who have support at home and those who don't.

But let's not get drama llama about it. Doesn't help anyone.

I really hope mine get to repeat the year but I doubt they will do this. I have asked the teachers about it tho and they seem not convinced it would be possible.

The government can prop up universities for the year ( they’re chucking money at everything else). What difference would it make to the education system? They start school later in other countries. Thousands of parents will be too scared to start their dc in reception come September.

It would cause untold logistical difficulties. Where do you put the new reception kids and y7 if no-one is leaving? Unis would collapse if they had no freshers next year. This is a hysterical over-reaction. The only mark of what they 'need' to know is the exam syllabus which can, if needed, be amended. I'm a teacher in Humanities subjects. If a cohort leaves having missed the module on King John or Volcanoes or Festivals the works will not fall down. A great deal of the maths and science that is taught has no practical use in the real world, its for passing exams. If syllabi are amended somewhat to reflect the disruption, this is not an insurmountable problem. Thousands of kids leave school every year with a poor level of numeracy and literacy because they don't work hard, don't see the point. Those who are motivated will work hard and be OK and no teacher I know would refuse to offer extra help if asked.

Repeating a year isn’t an option. New year groups having to work extra hard to cover work they missed as well as do the new stuff is what will happen.

They really don’t need to repeat whole years, they’ve only missed two terms (if you think of a year as being 6 terms), and for most, they will have covered the majority of the curriculum for their year group in the first four terms.

Where would reception children go in September if everyone else doesn’t move up?

Absolute balderdash

I agree

It's not possible for all pupils, but for DCs like my DD, who was struggling anyway, this has just screwed her for next year
I have total faith in our school, but how do you catch up all the kids who are behind and keep up with the current years work? Especially if this goes on for most year groups until at least September if not longer (remembering there's no guarantee we won't go back to lockdown at a later point in the year). I think those like my DD who need to should be given the chance to retake, and those who did well in an unstructured environment like my DS can continue onto next year as planned.

Let’s face it if we carry on like this schools are not going to be anywhere near normal until well into next year. That’s a year of inadequate education for millions.

And actually I doubt that thousands will refuse to send their kids. Unless there is a huge second Spike and younger people start dying in greater numbers, by September the vast majority of parents and children will want to go back and if the unions stop shrieking hysterically, I think most teachers will to.

They aren’t propping up universities though, they have given a bit towards research (Because suddenly they realise how important it is) but they have said a bit flat NO to the sector. Universities will fail because of this without ideas about adding a year - Who is going to pay the extra fees?

Repeating a year is physically not possible for all the reasons stated.

To add I don’t think all children will require this tho, and it’s something I wanted for mine (especially for ds2 who should be in the following year anyway really) regardless of Coronavirus.

No won’t happen.

Also, schools will go back well before next March.

We don’t need governments to prop up universities for a year, plenty of year 13s will still want to start university this year, and if they don’t, they can go the following year the same as would normally happen when students take a gap year.

New reception won’t start and all the others will stay where they were. Makes complete sense to me.
Universities won’t get freshers week this year anyway.

It won’t happen. It’s been explained dozens of times. What happens to all the new starters?

They'd start at 6 like in most of Scandinavia

I'd rather shorten summer holidays etc to catch up.
Home schooling only requires 1.5 hours a day so I don't see how far they'll fall behind. The can scrap art, music, French and other non necessary subjects to catch up. It's really not that big a deal! My daughter age 15 should of sat her exams and my son only learning to read and write (age 5) so both crucial stages and I'm sure they'll both be fine. I don't spend more than an hour a day. A lot of time at school in the early years is playing anyway.

Who will fund it?

It’s interesting what you mention about other countries starting when the children are older. Those children are not disadvantaged when they reach uni age because compared to UK children they’ve had a couple of years less schooling. So what’s the difference? Are they taught well at home when younger? Is the syllabus in some way ‘better’? Is the teaching when they are at school ‘more efficient’ so they learn more in less time?

Why would schools not be back until next March OP?

There is such fear and panic everywhere on Mumsnet at the moment. Honestly people do need to get a grip.

Life, always always has risks. Your kids are more at risk from accidents, meningitis, other illnesses etc most likely than from complications from COVID-19.

There really needs to be some perspective. Modelling has shown, yesterday, that possibly 25% of the UK have already had coronavirus.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-virus-could-be-wiped-out-in-london-in-weeks-as-rate-of-infection-is-slowing-say-researchers-11988579

Regarding schools: no they will not repeat a year. Logistically that's a nightmare and leaves some cohorts twiddling their thumbs (new reception, new year 7 and first year uni). The kids will make up on lost learning and schools will do their absolute best to narrow any gaps between supported and unsupported kids.

Please people get some perspective.

My Ds is S4 due to sit exams in May, he was a top pupil, predicted top grades but the work they are doing at home is not to the standard or amount they do at school, I can't see how it will be possible to have the pupils ready for their exams without pushing them to breaking point when school eventually opens, possibly on a part time timetable, scrap exams for May or repeat a year. I can't see a way out of this with out some sort of mental heath issues for some teens.

BTW if my dd was still at school she would be loving her best life with the lack of school and learning as she was not academic.

Loads of year 13s will defer. Why would you go to university online when you can have a gap year and go when things are back to normal?
Read the thread about schools in September. Teachers are saying they’ll be no return to business as usual for a very long time.

Oh, and DS has just done a year towards his Highers. Results to be set by SQA. What would be the point in him sitting that year again? Why an absolute waste of his time and my money.

Lots of my friends kids are still starting this year for Uni. Nothing has stopped/delayed with anyone I know. Unless they don't get grades which could happen in normal circumstances.