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.

Really? And how do you think that child would feel being assessed and told they aren't good enough and then moving down a year away from all their friends and peers. I bet in that situation plenty of parents would not be able if their child was moved down. It's a silly idea. In a school year there can almost a year's difference in age and so sometimes academic achievement anyway, how do they know if it's due solely to coronavirus.

6 months is not going to have a detrimental effect on most children, they will catch up.

Not be happy. What's the benchmark and how would you know it's to do with coronavirus or they would be at that level anyway.

@Lola

no I don't seriously think they all do the same school work, but there should be a year leeway for those who do struggle so they can be with other children who are on the same level as them.
when you have a six year old who comes home in tears and tells me he's a slow learner and can't do the work and you have seen the confidence knocked out of him over the last two academic years you might understand.

no I don't seriously think they all do the same school work, but there should be a year leeway for those who do struggle so they can be with other children who are on the same level as them
You're missing the point.
As others have said, there's a wide range of academic ability within a year group.
Some children find some things easier than others, some are more academically able across the board than others.

If a child is falling within a reasonable bell curve for their year and there's no SEN then parents and teachers need to support the child to make progress, and to understand that not everyone is brilliant at everything and that's totally ok and normal.

By your approach of put them into a year with peers who work at the same level, I should suggest some of my year 7 students go back to year 5 because being in year 7 given work appropriate for their ability is so damaging and moving them to a y5 class with people working at the same level is going to be better for their self esteem.

Then factor in different levels of maturity. Should a 10 year old with weaker literacy who finds work difficult be placed into a year 3 class and never access the year 6 class reader topics that have age appropriate content in order to do year 3 English with more childish texts?
Or should the year 6 teacher appropriately differentiate so that the 10 year old can remain with their peers who are socially and emotionally at the similar place, and there's others who aren't so good at literacy?

@Lola
I see what your saying but I don't mean going back two school years or more I'm talking about one school year. there's not going to be that much difference in maturity, I think it would give a child breathing space. I just think every child is different and it shouldn't be so cut and dry.
Obviously I know they will never do
this and my child will go through school struggling for the rest of his school life, his teachers have said as much in his last two parents evenings, that he will never catch up.
I'm just going to have to find other ways to keep him confident and find other thIngs that he's good at.
I just think the school system is so unfair.

Flowere it does feel like the school system is unfair. It’s so hard for some it makes my heart break. It’s easy for those who have more able children to say why should mine be penalised for working hard - as if the ones falling behind are just lazy. But the dice is loaded against them and this situation has made it go from really bad but about bearable to totally unfair.

My ds2 was due on 20th September but due to my bullshit body had to be delivered 3 weeks early. So he is in the wrong year anyway. Add his probable dyslexia and possible ADD and he is more than a year behind. The gap is just widening with this situation.

flowere191

Sorry your DC's teacher have said such a negative thing.

Obviously not everyone can be average or above average (contrary to what some education secretaries think maths works ), but there's no reason why teachers shouldn't be supporting him to close the gap as much as possible.
I've taught some students who I was told were likely to get 4s/5s at GCSE. By the end of year 11 they got 6/7/8/9s. That's not going to be the case for everyone and some of those targeted 5s got 5s, but as a teacher it's important to have the aspirations without falling into patronising idealism.

Maybe with different teachers over the years and a range of teachers at secondary school your DC will find his own way. Sometimes secondary can be good for students who are a bit under in primary as they realise there's actually quite a lot of people working at their level.

My sons dyslexic

He has very little if no support

He won’t pass GCSEs

He’s not stupid.

School is toucher for him. I doubt he’d want to do another year. I wouldn’t want him too.

The sooner he’s out of the confidence crushing education system the better.

hugeack you would only have to house one year extra which would be the incoming reception class.... as none of the other school years would be progressing so no new year 7s and onwards

GreenTulips my dd was the same, she left school last summer the second she was legally allowed to, went to college and the difference in her is amazing, she's a totally different person, good luck to your ds!

After speaking to the Headmaster at the school my two children go to (I have a daughter in Y4 and a son in nursery) he told me that when schools do reopen the curriculum as we know it now will be scrapped for 3mths.
The new curriculum on return to school will be called 'back to basics' and will bring all school years and children back up to scratch with maths and english, etc.
He told me not worry about my daughter who is doing very little school work that the school is providing, as long as she is ready very day, which she is.
We live in Wales, so I don't know if this is the same for England?

My DC all learnt at great length about Greeks, Romans and dinosaurs in primary school. Perhaps if the curriculum concentrated on the three r's they will have time to finish all that is actually necessary for them in life, with shorter teaching of topics that they are highly unlikely to use in later life. I can quite understand why science in secondary school is necessary, particularly for those who will need it in their further education, but there must certainly be room for a lot of trimming of the curriculum for both primary and secondary schools.

If this is the worst thing that ever happens to you and your DC, consider yourselves very fortunate.

Remind yourself to try and look at the glass as half full, instead of half empty - even in the worst of times. Someone reminded me of that and I had to train myself, but it truly does help. Things could always be so much worse.

Personally I think the issue is essentially how this government operates. Erratic, inconsistent, arrogant and dismissive of anyone who doesn't agree with them. Decisions are being based on an essentially political basis rather than on public health or practical basis. That they are attempting to bully teachers and parents who have legitimate concerns to adhere to a completely arbitrary date is gobsmacking. My DS is in year 6 and they had already completed the syllabus and would have been spending this term revising for or taking sats - as the SATS wont happen there is absolutely no educational reason for them to go back. The last few weeks of terms would essentially involve watching dvds ffs. The only logical reason I can see for them selecting this year group is so that they can obtain data on the spread in schools - personally I don't want my child used as guinea pig. Instead of the acrimony, stress and confusion the government should have set some clarity by saying they aim to re-open the schools fully in September, and spent the next few months working with all stakeholder to allow this to happen in a manner that addresses people's genuine concerns and mitigate the spread of the virus. In the mean time extra measures should be identified to help at-risk/disadvantaged children. Simples!

Reading how one youngster has died from the kwalski which is an attachementioned to covid and lots more are getting it.I would rather wait and see what is happening with this first before making any decisions .it's impossible to keep them away from each other and if you can't stop them catching nits how can you stop them getting any thing else.

This has to be a joke. So future children should get less education by starting at 6 years old, to allow your kids to get more.

Delusional.

My DC all learnt at great length about Greeks, Romans and dinosaurs in primary school. Perhaps if the curriculum concentrated on the three r's they will have time to finish all that is actually necessary for them in life, with shorter teaching of topics that they are highly unlikely to use in later life. I can quite understand why science in secondary school is necessary, particularly for those who will need it in their further education, but there must certainly be room for a lot of trimming of the curriculum for both primary and secondary schools.

This is such a depressing world view - that education should be purely and minimally functional for the maximum number, rather than helping to turn out rounded young people with the opportunity to delve into the academic (and non-academic!) paths that may interest and excite them, that they never would have experienced otherwise.

Dinosaurs are science (though I don’t think mine have done much of them so far; at the moment it’s botany which I’ve always loathed but turns out my eldest adores;) Greeks and Romans are a huge part of human history, this country’s in particular, and I’ve been impressed with how the school has handled Stone/Bronze/Iron Age for Year 3 - the first time I haven’t found it dull.

Children only find out what they’ll ‘need’ later by experiencing it first. And even if they don’t use it directly later, a well rounded education can add immeasurably to the richness of life.

This is already a shitty situation for our kids, of all ages. Let’s not intentionally take more away from them.

This is such a depressing world view - that education should be purely and minimally functional for the maximum number, rather than helping to turn out rounded young people with the opportunity to delve into the academic (and non-academic!) paths that may interest and excite them, that they never would have experienced otherwise

Totally agree. I suppose that if all you get out of life is shopping, consuming and chewing the cud whilst watching the latest crap on Netflix it fits though.

I use my knowledge of classical studies, history and science every day. It enriches my view of the world. Plus, learning it taught me reading and writing and about some of the origins of maths and also about critical thinking.

I’m a teacher, teaching children of a wide range of academic abilities remotely.
Please feel reassured. The vast majority of students do not need to repeat a year.

I skipped an entire year of primary school. If anything it pushed me forward. It’s not difficult to catch up a year at primary.

Its obviously a lot more difficult at secondary level. But then again nothing that can’t be caught up

Rosedog

Thank you - clinging to hope!

We have gone back to school this week (France). Obviously with precautions in place, and juggling class sizes but everything has gone well. Secondary school kids start on Monday. Children have the option to continue home learning and about a third of the class did but many are asking to return next week.
No way will schools still be off until next March. There may be a second wave and a second confinement but we are better At managing it now. My ds will be going to uni in September too.

Oh and I totally agree that education needs to be so much more than the 3Rs. I’ve loved having time to explore topics with my son. We’ve looked at the plague and how it reflects and differs from today’s pandemic, when asked to look at Adam and Eve, we’ve read the bible and critically analysed it (where did Cain and Ables wives come from??).

The topic was Romans so we’ve also delved into the Celts, looked at the rise and fall of empires through time, looked at the philosophy encompassing the natural rise and fall/ebb and flow of all things. We’ve loved watching Horrible Histories together. We’ve looked at historical sources and why some can be trusted more than others. We’ve explored things that he’s interested in. Reading and writing are much more easily learned when it’s about something you’re interested in.

I’m not sure school has the capacity to fully educate. I’ve come to realise more and more over this lockdown the teachers are so constrained that school has become a hotbed of indoctrination of functional, minimalist knowledge. The beauty and wonder of learning has been buried beneath the need for quantifiable objectives. It’s almost like the school system is set up to churn out people reciting narrow and agreed “facts”. It’s like they are being trained to live in a society previously confined to dystopian novels. It’s made me realise eduction can’t be left to school. I don’t think this is the fault of teachers, they are constrained by a cross party, institutionalised agenda to provide education wearing a straight jackets of sMART objectives.

Bigbananafeet
Schools are returning in June why would it be March next year 🤔 Also all this panic about children not "learning" at home. They already have 13 weeks a year off school and we dont worry about their lack of schooling during this time. They will all be fine

Schools are returning in June

This appears very unlikely.