What percentage of secondary school dc do you think are doing their home learning?

[sunshineanddaffodils]

Ds and dd (year 10 and 8) keep telling me they’re doing loads more home learning than their friends. Bearing in mind they’re not doing more than 2-3 hours a day (sometimes less) I take that with a pinch of salt. It’s made me wonder though how many secondary school dc are actually doing their home learning.

Ds’s HT reported on FB that 1/3 of pupils are doing nothing. I haven’t repeated this to ds... who is probability doing about 2-3 hrs a day, depending on deadlines.

According to dds form tutor only about half of them. I can understand why really when the work isn’t being marked, and no feedback is available.

I'm a secondary school SLT and 30% of our kids are doing nothing at all, 30% are doing a bit (maybe an hour a day). I'm all in favour of the school re-opening!

(And we are marking and giving feedback every single day)

Dd2 is in year 8. She hasn’t missed a lesson since lockdown. Well, she slacks off PE a bit (but in fairness does do other exercise), and hasn’t managed Food tech practicals (lack of motivation on her part, lack of time to motivate on mine).

She’s had a full online timetable, with work marked and back as per usual timescales.

Oh, and there aren’t more than a couple of children unaccounted for each day

Yr 9 son. Does 1 hour a day. Finding it hard to "learn" without lessons

My year 10 low ability class have done nothing.
They have been set around 21 hours of work since lockdown started.
I would be happy to give feedback.

I think children from state schools are less likely to do much, especially where parents also have to work from home or go out to work and are not able to help their children.

According to DSD's maths teacher today (a very precise) 20.7% of maths tasks are being completed by YR10 in her school. Only one subject, but gives a snapshot.

About 80% of my school are doing some, not necessarily all. But there are a large number sharing access to devices, and I think about 25% only have a smart phone to access the work on which is far from ideal. The 15% that don't have devices or broadband and are having work posted home almost all are doing. We have phoned all pupils on a fortnightly basis, and are following up those that haven't done work, but some parents have told us that their children are too anxious or overwhelmed to do the work, and that's fine- it's far more important they use their time to help themselves feel better. We have signposted counselling services to them. Some parents have decided that they now want to do the BBC or Oak Academy materials, and that's absolutely fine too, if that's what keeps them engaged.

DD thinks about 80% of her year (different school) have done their work, some have done all, some done some. There are pupils (with no access issues) that have done nothing, but they are being chased.

Most are doing it here. Ds's secondary school says 82% of S1-S4 have been handing in their work. The other 18% they have been in touch with and are providing support for their circumstances. This is mixed intake school with a large % from deprived areas.

Ds is in S5, S5-6 just started their new timetables for next year on Monday so don't know how many are completing work.

DS (year 7) is working to a full timetable. He is supposed to be doing 5 x 1 hour lessons a day - he is doing that, plus extra (as they seem to set more than an hour's work). I think that's pretty standard for his (grammar) school.

I wish I knew tbh. One ds is a week ahead, one ds is about a. week behind.
One ds got set ELEVEN hours per day of work to get it all done by the deadline. He freaked out. I think a few complaints got sent in as the deadlines then changed for some.
That said, they are both working hard and doing quite a few hours per day. The ds who is behind is really struggling in motivation - all of the bits he hasn't done are classes he is struggling with. The one who is ahead is going into year ten and from June they are being set bridging work to be handed in in September for their options - that is the clearest signal the school has sent that they are not going back this academic year. I also think that subject participation for the ones y9 are not continuing has gone down as they no longer see the point in them.

I’m setting guided p, recorded lessons and marking and giving feedback in any work that is done. I’d say the 20.7% quoted by longcoffee Is generous. I’m getting very, very little back, despite sending individual messages in the system twice and getting Heads of Year To contact parents (before anyone wonders why I don’t do that myself, I’m a supply teacher and hadn’t been given access to the information system before schools closed). I’m working really hard to make engaging, valuable lessons and most are completely ignoring them. Yet all you see on here is that teachers are useless and lazy.

100% of the child in my home are doing on line learning. Studies show that same 100% complete 3 hours homework a day.

Ds1 (Y7) is in ‘school’ 9-3 every weekday, with an hour for lunch.

He generally does Joe Wickes in the morning then maths, science or English until lunch. Then in the afternoon a mix of the humanities, languages or the art/drama type work. He has plenty set to keep him going for that long.

I really don’t understand people who think half an hour a day is ‘plenty’ or that it’s mean to make them work that long. He manages it in school no problem and the pace is leisurely and relaxed enough that he’s not stressed by it.

I’ve found that people’s favourite excuse for not encouraging their dc to complete work set is that they’re giving them ‘life experiences’ instead. Yep - I’m sure that omlette they made and the cress they grew on the windowsill will more than make up for being 6 months behind in maths concepts and topic work by the time they go back

I'm shocked by how little work is being done by some of the secondary kids of parents on MN. My DD has to follow her usual timetable and they have to send work in, do tests etc which are always marked and sent back. They've been told to revise for whenever they go back (presumably Sept) because they'll be tested on the year's work and have to contact their house tutor every week to say how they're feeling, what interesting stuff they've got up to etc.

Seems to be the same for friends with kids at other schools locally.

My year 8 has been doing everything except DT and Art, his worst subjects. I'm not going to force him. He's doing pretty good I think to keep going with the rest of it.

I think the reality is that the kids who are usually engaged and do reasonably well are continuing to do some work. On the other hand, the ones who struggle, who don’t usually try their best etc are now not going to do the work if they feel they can get away with it.

My youngest is y7. She hasn't opened her class charts once this half term. I got a work pack and the first page was "full in the missing letters" with an alphabet and 8 letters missing. She just laughed. I spoke to her form teacher and she says the school were more than happy with me taking a "life skills" approach if she didn't want to do the work ( she is a high achiever). We send the teacher an update with photos 3-5 times a week.

Up to now she has learned how to make pizza dough and sauce, cup cakes, Bolognaise, Goan fish curry, cinnamon rolls, fresh toast ash from scratch. Her pizza is actually amazing. She got my sewing machine out and cut up loads of old fabrics and made all sorts of projects like dolls clothes, face masks. She tie dyed her own T-shirt's. Learned how to make and light a fire and do s'mores when we camped in the garden. She helped me to wallpaper and paint my room. We have done gardening. I did also buy her some novels and a maths origami set and we watch lots of documentaries. She has learned LOADS of skills and gets £10 rewards a week from school for keeping busy and sharing her activity. Her teacher loves what she gets up to.

So I'm really not concerned that she hasn't done any proper "work" as such. What she has learned will last a life time and teaching her independence and resilience is what counts right now .

My year 9 daughter is following her usual timetable. School have set practically full lessons for the timetable, although a little less for things like drama, art, technology. When she has these subjects and has nothing set online, she is accessing bbc bitesize that the school have recommended.

Her form tutor calls once a fortnight to see if she has any outstanding questions etc.

All in all we're really pleased with the level of work being set, it's really helping my daughter to stick to the normal school routine as best as possible.

I was on a zoom school Governor meeting with our SLT. They've asked for work logs to be handed in as of last Friday so they can begin to know engagement levels for sure.

However, they estimate about 25% of students have done nothing at all.

I have a Y10 and Y8. Y10 has really shifted up a gear in the last two weeks and done between 4-5 hours a day. Y8 approx 2.5-3 hours a day (on a good day)

I think the reality is that the kids who are usually engaged and do reasonably well are continuing to do some work. On the other hand, the ones who struggle, who don’t usually try their best etc are now not going to do the work if they feel they can get away with it.

I think you're probably sadly right.

Just to add, I've been very happy with work set by the school and their communication so far. I've never had so many phone conversations with form tutors (it's actually been really nice!)