Classroom Lessons via Zoom

[jjx111]

AIBU to expect the teachers at my daughter’s rs primary school to offer at least some lessons via Zoom? The feedback I have been given is that that they aren’t offering it due to a) safeguarding issues, and b) it would add to the teachers workload. Well, surely if we parents consent for our child to sign in for these lessons then no safeguarding issue. Plus, at present, we parents are doing at least 60% of the teachers work for them via homeschooling. (I appreciate that they are setting work for the children, but this is part of the planning they would do anyway).

One issue we have seen is the apparent disparity within a school not just between. One teacher has been able to do numerous videos each day providing constructive feedback on individual pieces of work whilst another just "likes" the submitted post and didn't even set any work last Friday! (Different year groups). So either teachers are working by their own individual agendas, some teachers are going beyond what the school expects or some are falling way short. Note that in both cases the teachers have their own children.

Is there a way to free up teachers from the classrooms if they're being asked not to teach in schools? Could local authorities get together to pool resources? The curriculum is the same so why not ensure each school can output the same level of learning?

The thing is unless you have really strong leadership (I do know one school where all children have 1 online lesson a day, head and deputy sit in on these too, school laptops were given out to those that didn’t have them, all children that aren’t in a hub are expected to be online and paying attention, and the head is not someone anyone wants to mess with!) you have to try and do it how every family wants it to be done.
At our school, it’s been decided no Zoom at all for safeguarding but voice recordings are sent, but a number of parents complain they don’t want their child on a screen for any length of time every day, they have to be accommodated. Others want it all on line and for the children to be able to complete it independently, they also have to be accommodated, others have no access (not even internet) they also have to be accommodated.
It’s pretty disheartening to be honest, plus all the criticism heaped on top.
I am really looking forward to changing industries.

Those saying "teachers are only doing an hour's work a day" are they not, perhaps, also in school with KW children? As well as setting work and providing feedback?

Note that in both cases the teachers have their own children.

Just because they both have children doesn’t mean they are both working from the same starting point, all families are different with different challenges.

@Sultanarama My school has said a flat no to Zoom (I offered). Some teachers don't have phone contracts that allow them to make a huge amount of calls and quite understandably want to keep their minutes to speak to their own family. Quite a few teachers are on low incomes, particularly those who have not been working long and are single mums. What are they supposed to say on these posts? They'd get ripped to shreds.

The curriculum is the same so why not ensure each school can output the same level of learning?

At KS3/4 the curriculum does vary depending on the exam boards at ks4.

I guess the Oak Academy is the closest to a centralised learning zone? Although some of the criticism the teachers delivering that have received has been awful. :(

I despair over the 'can't do' mindset -in education of all places!
Some schools are finding new ways of working that will inform future practice and drag us out a system that has barely changed since children sat in row in classrooms in the 19th century with terms arranged around the Courts of Law and the harvest.
Posted this on another thread:
The Y11s who would have been doing GCSEs have started their A level courses instead so quite exciting innovation -they will have had an extra term of A level teaching than they normally would so goes some way to mitigating their fear over results. We are also teaching DC who have applied to school for the 6th form to make it fair

My youngest is at a private prep. There is online registration 3 times a week via zoom, all lessons are PowerPoint with teacher recording and they’re using teams for small group work so this week there was English and maths via teams in groups of 4. I’m sure this is made easier by a)all children having access to tech. B) only having 22 in the class and c) being a job share so that the teachers have been able to split the class. As an aside both teachers have adult kids so I expect that lends itself to being able to commit to work much more easily than it would if they had childcare commitments

My eldest 2 are at an outstanding affluent state comprehensive where I would imagine 99% of kids have access to tech. A level teaching follows normal timetable and is entirely on teams with all pupils logged on. They’re having their year 12 exams and UCAS prep begins via teams after half term so I can’t complain.

Year 9 is a mixture of teams and set work. I’ve certainly walked into where my child is working and been greeted by a very orderly and structured online history lesson with some very polite children answering questions.

Where children haven’t been behaving appropriately in teams classes I’ve had emails from the teacher asking us to remind the children of what expectations are. They have also had several pre recorded assemblies sent to them. No idea if they have watched them though.

Can’t complain to be fair

BeltaneBride

How would you solve the dilemma at my school?

My theory is they know they can't get all pupils to do new work at home, but know some will do it all and more. They don't want some pupils ahead of others upon return to school, to make their own lives easier, so they are not following scheme of work for pupils but just setting 'holding work' for pupils who do it so they can pick up where they left off before lockdown with all pipils in same place thus penalising hard working pupils who do all work set however meaningless it appears and favouring lazy pupils who do not do much work during lockdown. All pupils in my sons class have access to devise and internet. I know this for sure as son told me school has kindly loaned three children who did not have their own laptop or tablet, or had to share one with a sibling, a laptop for using during lockdown. They need internet to access class dojo.

Have you asked them what their rational is? I mean maybe they are a bit shit, or maybe they have a reason for doing it the way they are doing it? I decided to take a more conciliatory approach and be more subtle than I have been on here. I told them what my kids found really useful - the Loom videos and marked work (I know evidence suggests marking work is not effective but ds finds it particularly useful for French A level) - what we'd like to see more of...one would hope that they'd have the gumption to take positive feedback and act on that. Interestingly it's the language depts (both Modern and English) that have made the best efforts.

Sultanarama

It might be worth just asking the Head/whoever the most appropriate contact person is what the rationale is. As I said - there may be a reason decisions have been made that you’re not aware of. It can be helpful to know why things are being done in a particular way.

Just because your child finds particular things useful, it doesn’t mean they can necessarily receive that level of individualised response. That is really tricky under these circumstances- I’m well aware that my teaching is far more broad brush than it usually would be.

Or they might be shit. I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♀️

@nellodee those are good reasons - but why isn't there political pressure to resolve these things, why aren't the Unions shouting about these things? Why aren't the HT's the local MPs (I mean our MP is a greasy pole climbing type, so unless it improves his career he's not interested but there must be some interested MPs) - they are not insurmountable - the Gov goes on about the effect this is having on kids - spending millions on furlough - the DOE has to take some responsibility. But all I hear from the school is they are doing brilliantly - no calls for help from any of them - all the schools in our area collaborate and are just patting each other on the back - pretending everything is great - talk to parents and they tell a different story - we need honesty from the schools too - they must know this is a shit show!

to make their own lives easier

No it really isn’t.

@coronabeer23, I hope you realise how lucky you are. My son has not had one online lesson. As for teachers presenting PowerPoints, my son had the opposite he had to make a PowerPoint about vitamins and minerals and send in to his Science teacher. At least he did some new learning on that task though. Most of whst he is set is just repeated from work already covered prior to lockdown.

@Smellbellina I understand that each situation can be different, our situation will also be different to others. However if a teacher is struggling I would hope they are getting the appropriate support or perhaps the waiting volunteers that are sat around could've employed to help?

I can't really comment on KS3 and 4 but we have children at two different KS2 schools and the content is similar. Therefore schools could work together in delivery.

@caringcarer we are so lucky. I kind of expect it from the private school as we are still paying fees but the state school work is seriously impressive. We are very very lucky

Like anything else, it’s all about adaptability. It sounds like some schools are doing more than others, but there’s so many on line resources available that have become free to access esp for primary level.

Lessons can be moved to weekends so work doesn’t interrupt.

Lots of kid friendly documentaries on you tube. Easy to set questions based on the contents, watch something, research on internet, write up/draw pictures with labels/write a poem. Make sure the spelling a grammar is correct.

Cheap workbooks are available online.

If the schooling being provided doesn’t meet your expectations even after discussion with the teacher you have two choices, put up with what is being given or take up the reins yourself. Stop handwringing over what should be a deal with what is. One thing is for certain moaning on mumsnet will not help. Spend the time researching some work for next week. Primary level education and most of early secondary isn’t beyond the ability of most functioning adults.

If the schooling being provided doesn’t meet your expectations even after discussion with the teacher you have two choices, put up with what is being given or take up the reins yourself.

Why should those be parents’ only choices?

Teachers are being paid to fulfil a role that many are not delivering. Why isn’t there accountability? Why are parents just supposed to ‘put up’ with the stark differences in quality of provision?

Our LEA has a blanket policy of no live audio or video until they have checked and trialled the systems for security and created safeguarding guidance. I don't know if that will mean recording live lessons or having multiple teachers in the 'classroom', but they've made it crystal clear why my DC aren't having video lessons, and neither are kids at any other school in the county.

I'm fine with this because the work being set on Teams is just fine and includes supporting info for parents via email, including the worksheets.

So even when schools do start to go back, are schools going to refuse to teach as other children will still be at home and can't access it?

Of course we're complaining about our own schools where we see them doing far less than neighbours with the same resources and similar catchments. It was a fellow parent who is a teacher who alerted me to the fact other schools were engaging their pupils far more than ours, this isn't some uninformed parent/teacher clash. Maybe your school is one if those doing everything it can with its resources available. Delivering work daily, talking to pupils 1:1 is even more time consuming than zoom, kudos to anyone managing that.

Thankfully my y6 is due to start in september at a (state) secondary which have found ways of delivering online to every pupil.

If the schooling being provided doesn’t meet your expectations even after discussion with the teacher you have two choices, put up with what is being given or take up the reins yourself.
Spend the time researching some work for next week. Primary level education and most of early secondary isn’t beyond the ability of most functioning adults.
It's a bit of a stretch to suggest parents can spend a bit of time researching and then teach an A level...

Teachers who are interested enough in their jobs to log on to a website and talk about it will tend to be above average. DC's teachers are brilliant too but there are limits to what they can do when all the head will allow them is one email in 5 weeks, revision work only please.

Primary level education and most of early secondary isn’t beyond the ability of most functioning adults.

Are you implying it is an unskilled job?

Primary level education and most of early secondary isn’t beyond the ability of most functioning adults.

I also find it bizarre that teachers are underselling their skills to the degree that they’re suggesting parents can just pick it up and run with it, with no specialist knowledge or training.