..to think that state educated kids are going to find themselves at a huge disadvantage in public exams?

[SpiderPlantSally]

Every privately-educated Year 10 or Year 12 child I know - this amounts to six different fee-paying schools - is having a like-for-like learning experience at home with live online teaching, following their usual timetable.

Every state-educated child I know of the same ages (also five or six different schools) is being set written work, with very little or no live teaching. At DD's school there one hour of live Maths for the whole Year 10 cohort each week, and a contact session for the other subjects once per week, when the teachers are available for email contact or chat. That's it. Otherwise lone book work.

AIBU unreasonable to think that state school pupils will be at a huge disadvantage when applying for selective 6th forms and universities in the autumn? Surely the private school pupils will absolutely clean up on the top grades in next summer's GCSEs and A-levels?

DD year 10 is at a private day school and they are having a full day of lessons on Microsoft teams and other gizmos. She says they’ve been learning more than usual. She’s been on her own most days as DH and I have to go out to work plus have commutes on top.

The secondary state schools near us are a mixed bag, some parents report a morning of lessons that finish by midday, with teacher feedback and some are just getting worksheets and no other contact or feedback.

The disparity between state and private provision during this was always going to be an issue, I find the differences between state schools more baffling.

I was against shutting schools as felt the risk for children was low and that has since been shown to be true. I also felt that there was a far greater risk of other damage being done to children- lack of education, mental health issues, losing confidence, neglect. Any shutdown should have been brief and need when the peak did.

The handwringing about reopening from people who should know better has been very disappointing but probably not surprising. I can’t believe we are planning to proceed with a long summer break on top of some people doing bugger all for more than a whole term.

We need people who run government and run schools to pull out all the stops to mitigate for this in the same way the NHS was expected to.

My school hasn’t engaged with me as a parent at all. Everything is sent to my year 10 student. When he says he has watched a video I have to believe him. So please don’t blame all parents when you say kids are not watching your YouTube videos etc. I also can’t share my mobile phone with my child as I need it for work. Assumptions.

My child is much younger - Y5.
I have friends with children is 6 state primaries and 4 private.

The 4 private all have full timetables including lots of live teacher interaction.

2 of the state schools have about 3 hours work posted daily, fully resourced, regular teacher access. As it’s more intensive alone, I’d say that’s a full day equivalent - it’s really good, but as good as the privates. But probably no bigger than the difference in a pre-lockdown situation.

The other 4 state, including mine... not good. No teacher contact, vague “here’s a link to Twinkl Y5, use it if you like”, nothing teacher reviewed.

Anecdote is not data - but my experience is that on average, private sector are doing much better.

I can’t believe we are planning to proceed with a long summer break on top of some people doing bugger all for more than a whole term.

Because a lot of people haven't been doing bugger all. Are you going to audit each school's provision and then say - you haven't done enough so no summer holiday for you.

I could almost see the purpose of moving the summer holiday earlier but if they are hoping to restart the tourism industry for July and August then they need kids to be out of school then.

@KnobChops completely agree with you. All NHS and other frontline staff stepped up. Now the schools need to work with the government and get kids back to school. I can’t believe that in 6 weeks time my son will be on school holidays yet in 32 weeks from September he will be sitting his GCSEs. I’m seriously considering seeing if I can pay for a private tutor for the essential subjects. Private summer schools will be very popular.

My two privately educated, year 9 and year 12. Full online school. Luckily when the new head started 2 years ago she pushed for better tech and pen enabled tablets so marking could happen in real time in some subjects. This has continued with full online virtual school. It's very tiring and being on a screen all day causes dd17 migraines. Dd14 prefers it to normal school. The teachers must be working their socks off.

I am very grateful that they've seemingly slipped seamlessly into this and my dcs don't feel like a burden. When they saw the news about teaching unions not wanting to mark work they thought that would make them feel unwanted as students.

As a private school parent I can't comment on state education other than what I've heard from friends (parents and teachers) and the consensus seems to be amazement that the unions and education chiefs haven't at least tried to be more creative (not individual teachers some of whom are trying their best).

Coffee I asked the question upthread what age did posters think pupils should be responsible for accessing remote learning themselves. I certainly agree that a year 10 pupil should so, if technology permits (and that's a big if) then if a child chooses not to engage you can say it's their choice to miss this part of the curriculum and it won't be retaught. But at what age does it become the student's responsibility? I'd hazard a guess that up to Year 8 at least you need some level of parental involvement and below Year 4 little can be done without parents facilitating.

And I'm well aware that for many parents it's not unwillingness to engage but that they are working all day. However, the working parents at my school that have engaged with video lessons say they are a blessing as they can just facilitate the child opening the video and leave them to it.

We can largely only speak from personal experience though. If I were to extrapolate experience from my school I would say that at least 70% of parents aren't interested in their DC doing any learning at all. It baffles me a bit when they complain to me on the phone that their kids are bored at home but they haven't watched any of the videos or offers in to any of the learning platforms we have provided, which often have learning games. I don't make assumptions that this represents parents around the country though.

logged in

I see lots of posters referring to the government having suspended the curriculum but I can't see any reference to that in the DFE guidance to schools. However there are lots of documents so I've obviously missed it. I'd be really grateful if someone could point me in the right direction as I'd really like to see what they say in this.

Thanks

Private schools usually do iGCSE anyway so they won't be up against state schools.
They have done well I agree with offering live lessons. I think it's to do with fear of parents refusing to pay fees if they don't though.
They do get more holiday so will have had 3 weeks off at Easter and will break up likely 3rd July so in some ways they will have less learning time?

I think it's to do with fear of parents refusing to pay fees if they don't though

Of course it is!

They have always had shorter terms and longer holidays. This works well with full virtual learning as it is intense and tiring.

Yup.
People using Eton not opening as a justification to keep state schools closed is hilarious.
As if those Etonians haven’t continued to recieve a full and personally tailored education throughout lock down 😂😂😂

Eton have had full online school. Why would anyone think they were "closed"??

Live learning can break safeguarding. That’s why most schools are not doing it.

So why are private schools doing it?

I find it sad that the government can spare millions to pay salaries even for companies that had cash reserves yet haven’t spent to facilitate online school

There are online schools operating full time normally eg Interhigh. There are well established ways to make it safe

@DippyAvocado - I agree.

It is worrying the disparity between state schools. Private schools, of course, are going to offer the best, parents are paying for the best and would walk away if not.

The government suspended the curriculum but now they and the Unions need to get back on it for the sake of our children’s education, particularly those that have exams next year.

I don’t know why private schools are doing it. Maybe it’s because they aren’t under council control? Maybe it’s because they have different rules about safeguarding? But Zoom was breaking a load of safeguarding issues.

I’m a teacher. Our school have spent some time looking for a lock tight platform.

Remember what happened on Zoom in Singapore?

You have to balance it out with the fact that people who send their kids to private schools, use nannies etc have zero clue how to care for kids and run a household without outside help.

I should think there are lots of big houses with arrogant people screaming at each other all the time.

You have to balance it out with the fact that people who send their kids to private schools, use nannies etc have zero clue how to care for kids and run a household without outside help.I should think there are lots of big houses with arrogant people screaming at each other all the time

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Our school doesn't use Zoom.

Although to be fair @DemolitionBarbie, sometimes with three teenage girls in the house your last sentence is spot on.

So what are you saying?🤷🏼‍♀️That I’m talking crap about safeguarding and online learning?