AIBU to expect a bit more from school

[MuminMama]

The work the school is setting my year six child is dire. It's not nearly enough to fill the four school hours we are aiming for. It takes me half an hour to work out what they want us to do. Half the downloads are empty files. So little care has gone into it, and there's so little appreciation that working parents may need something that's fairly easy for them to administer. I feel that I'm supposed to be immensely grateful to these teachers but really they are hardly breaking their butts. This is ten minutes of work for someone to throw together. To an extent I'm just venting, but I'd love to know how much help others are getting.

Here we go again.

I am not a Teacher but good god the Teacher bashing on here is relentless. I honestly wouldn't do it if it was the last job in the world.

I would be very surprised if a whole load of schools will be extremely short staffed by September due to teachers leaving and I really wouldn't blame them.

So do your own thing, use BBcbitesize, Iseemaths, Twinkle on the web. There,s some starter points.

Why are you telling us, instead of contacting the school? Blank files are clearly an error, so why not tell them?

Oh, wait... I think I know why.

Obviously I've tried talking to the school. They ignore all contact. So, you don't know why.

Yeah I just subscribed to Twinkl and will continue teach him myself as well as I can, but I guess I have residual guilt for not doing the work they think they are sending.

Oh, we do know why, OP. You’re no different to the rest of them.

He’s your child. Educate him yourself.

Bejesus, you know nothing about me apart from I don't like the lack of effort my kid's primary school is making, and as you don't know how much that is, you know basically nothing. But please do tell me what the rest of them are like and so what I'm like?

I am educating him myself. Why should I like it?

Talk to the head.
We've been setting 3 lessons a day. It doesn't suit everyone, as it takes time for a parent to 'get to grips' with what's needed in a lesson. (Some kids are fine with it, and can do it completely independently while parents work).
Some parents said they wanted work that's 'easier to administer' so we are starting to steer more in that direction.
4 hours a day would be A LOT of worksheets though, and I don't know many Y6s who could do that. I expect my Y6 to do between 1.5 - 2 hours per day, as he can't do any more without my input, which I don't have time to give.

It's not nearly enough to fill the four school hours we are aiming for

If You are aiming for 4 hours then you fill the 4 hours.

Pretty simple really.

I’m not going to waste my time by articulating yet another response to a thread about schools during this global pandemic, OP.

You can go ahead and advance search the word “school” or “teacher” in AIBU, and you will see yourself reflected back in every other whinging and unreasonable OP.

Like I said, no different. Another day, another dozen or so of the same thread.

There does seem to be a discrepancy, even within state schools, as to the provision being offered across the country. From full online timetables to just a few worksheets / web links with zero feedback. I don’t think it’s unreasonable of OP to query if what her school is doing is typical.

I wouldn't expect my class (who would be approx year 5 equivalent, I think) to do 4 hours of work. 1 or 2 is plenty. If parents wanted 4 hours of work, they can source the extra tasks themselves.

@MuminMama

Obviously I've tried talking to the school. They ignore all contact. So, you don't know why.

They can't ignore ALL contact, they'll have children on-site and parents/carers will need to get through.

Has it been like this since the start!? (in which case you've had a good amount of time to question it) or has it slipped a little? Because if it's changed, then it could be any number of reasons - staff may have become ill, or (more likely) they are now having to divide their time between still providing home schooling as well as provision on site for year 6s. I have zero complaints about my year 6 child's provision (he's still at home with me) but I've noticed it's slightly less than it has been - presumably because those year 6 teachers are either delegating to non specialists or doubling their workload.

We just work through workbooks if we get through what's been sent home too quickly. But we don't do more than 3 hours a day.

He's happy and still learning

Oh this thread is going to go well 😁. OP with so many online resources, you have you pick of extra work. Goodluck. Also, generally in life, try to actually be informed and to put yourself in other people's shoes before passing judgement.

OP look at the thread Aibu to ask if your school have phoned you during lockdown? you’ll see there’s a big variation on what is being offered. The Government are supposed to be announcing their plan for catch up /remedial work this week but I wouldn’t hold your breath. For a yr 6 independent study skills will stand them in good stead for secondary. I do understand not feeling supported in distance learning, it’s another thing on your shoulders at a stressful time.

Your child is Year 6. Did you not want them to go back?

For yr 6 the curriculum would be done by at least may in time for the SATs...
Use the past papers and see what he would have got and work to improve on the areas he struggled with.
There are cgp books for sats.
I doubt even yr 6 do 4h work in school a day when you take out breaks and pe, music and art and re etc..
How many hours reading is he doing. Could easily do an hour of that a day. (My 7yo is now doing 40min).
Then there are maths apps (mathletics/tt rockstars if that is an area needing work)
Or set research or a topic or a diary or comprehensions etc. He could write or illustrate a book.

Good point Chloe - have they opened to Y6?

I am trying to understand. It's why I posted. And thanks for the helpful comments. It's quite possible I am trying to get him to do too much work, and maybe I need to scale it back.

my year seven gets sent one or two pieces of work a week that takes less than an hour to do, so why shouldn’t i criticise his teachers who are clearly doing very little? not saying all teachers are the same, but in this case it’s true. and yes i do set him work, but at the same time i have my own work to do plus two school aged children, a toddler, and a newborn so there’s only so much i can do.