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.

He wouldn't be at school this week anyway. So I don't see what difference it makes. The half of the school at home need some decent work to do.

Sorry, meant to say half of year six would be at home.

it’s ridiculous that teachers are somehow immune to criticism.

IMMUNE TO CRITICISM???? I take it you're new to Mumsnet, and have somehow missed the hundreds of threads slating the entire profession because SOME schools aren't providing what individual posters think they should be?

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

A kid doesn't do 4 hours of individually supported work a day in school, why would you expect it when at home. So if you normally do that much, you must be used to supplementing your own work, carry on doing it.

Our school advice is that you shouldn’t expect uninterrupted concentration of more than 12 minutes at a time from a child in Y6. A school day at primary isn’t based around sitting still doing worksheets for four hours a day (at least not in any school I’d work in or send my children to).
If what’s being set isn’t suiting your situation, I’d move on from arguing with the school and focus your energies on just picking a plan that does. Bitesize and Oak Academy are both free. There are other paid web or app options that are also good, like DoodleMaths/English or Night Zookeeper. Reading for pleasure would fill a lot of time and is probably more beneficial long term than hours of worksheets. Can dig out some links for good free audiobooks if that would help.

Start a petition demanding teachers are furloughed till it’s safe for everyone to return to school.

I’ll happily sign (teacher).

Your child is 11. This is a good time for learning independence for those that haven't already. I can't write what I'm about to write without being smug, but here we go...my Dd is y6. When they were still at home, she wasn't getting set enough. So she emailed her teacher herself. Her teacher sent her back a list of websites she could explore. Bbb bitesize etc. So, dd did this herself. She knew I wanted her to do 4 hours each day, so she did that. By herself. And if she couldn't find anything, she read a book. She can understand that many teachers are run ragged at the moment, and that these are unusual times.

If the school is now open and has offered him a place, it may be that the teacher really doesn’t have much time to sort out online learning as they are doing their full contact hours.

How have you tried contacting the school? If only email, I’d recommend phoning reception and requesting that somebody calls you back. It’s helpful if you are specific about what you’d like to discuss so the teacher can prepare for the call - if you wrong-foot them they are less likely to be in a cooperative mood. Don’t give a hugely restrictive time frame either, suggest “today or tomorrow” for a call if you are able to be flexible.

I would remind you that normally Y6 wouldn’t be doing much academic work at this time of year - most schools do plays and projects at this time, and that is very difficult to replicate this sort of stuff at home. Can you be specific about what you’d like? Are you looking for consolidation work? Or if you’re happy your DC has got a really good grip on this year’s work, are you looking for extension? That will likely require more input/support from you.

@TheHoneyBadger

Start a petition demanding teachers are furloughed till it’s safe for everyone to return to school.

I’ll happily sign (teacher).

Oh God, yes please. I would LOVE to be furloughed.

Why are you aiming for 4 hours a day? Your child has you as a 1-1 with you able to personalize and adapt the subject to suit your childs level. It takes a lot longer in a big class to do this so kids dont get much if any 1-1 help. At home you can get through things faster that your child understands and slow down and take longer on things they are struggling with it's a more individual experience

YANBU. That sounds dire from your teacher.

Some teachers are going above and beyond for their pupils. Others cba.

Sounds like yours is in the cba camp.

The only course of action here is to do what you can yourself.

Why are you aiming for 4 hours a day?

I made it up, as I made up everything else about how to do this! I was guessing they didn't sit and work for the six hours they are at school, but clearly I'm trying to fill too much time.

As a teacher, I acknowledge that there appears to be a great deal of variation in remote learning provision across the country.
Many parents are now suddenly realising that there is a great deal of variation in the quality of education offered by schools generally. (Remote learning appears to have become a bit of a yard stick, in that regard).
You realise this pretty quickly as a teacher, particularly if you move around a bit.
What concerns me most at the moment, is the growing atmosphere of anger/hatred/vitriol that is directed at the profession generally, despite many teachers and parents pointing out excellent examples of good provision.
Teaching has become an increasingly difficult profession to be in over the last few years. The retention crisis is harming the quality of education in this country. Teachers being the subject of such scorn, will only increase this.
Poor schools need to challenged. Teaching as a profession needs to be respected.

Excellent post, @MasterGland.

MasterGland, I hear you. God knows I couldn't teach, it sounds impossible, and I am so sorry to hear what you say about the vitriol, and for my part in creating that atmosphere. I'm sure many teachers are trying really, really hard in impossible circumstances.

Since this is a parenting site it seems normal that people will express their anxiety if their child appears to be missing out -what happened to supporting people? The OP is upset and worried. She is not saying all teachers are rubbish. Why do teachers bother to come on a thread like this simply to say that it's different to what they are doing, and become abusive and spiteful towards the OP?
If I read a thread that in which the OP was upset, say at her MIL interfering, so would not come and say that mine is a saint and never interferes -what relevance has that? If Odis have an interferon MIL and had managed the situation, or simply wanted to sympathise then it would seem reasonable to post. Not to have all MILs coming on the thread to accuse her of MIL bashing.
Why do people come on a thread like this and tell the OP their experience is different? Or accuse her of teacher bashing? Why not just ignore the thread unless there is something useful to say?

Very true, MasterGland.
We tried to highlight the funding issue a few years ago, via Union action, but people chose to believe it was all about pay.
Teachers have been going the extra mile (or ten) for years, trying to mask the massive problems that lack of funding has caused in schools, frequently putting their hands in their own pockets.
And now, everyone is beginning to see for themselves the complete shit-show it has become, as Covid has shown up the problems.
But oh! It must be the lazy bastard teachers' fault.

He wouldn't be at school this week anyway. So I don't see what difference it makes. The half of the school at home need some decent work to do.
And therein lies the problem with teaching smaller groups. Setting decent work on an online system is a full time job.
Once you're in school teaching you're doing a full time job, and you don't have time to upload excellent resources for those at home. That is why some heads have chosen not to open, as they don't see how they can do so without compromising the online offering.
I'm now in a few days a week to teach another year group. The head has directed us to give our own classes more self marked worksheet type exercises to accommodate this.
And your school now has 2 different groups at home to cater for - those who have had a week of teaching (so could have follow up activities) and those who have had no teaching.

OP you’ve had some good recommendations for resources on here. This is a good opportunity to identify any weaker areas your DS might have and concentrate on working on those. Also a good chance to agree a topic he’s interested in and get home to do a project that gives him incentive to do some research, plan, organise and present . It could include design work and IT - anything really, get creative.

Also get him ready for senior school by encouraging self motivated study (be realistic!). Get him to organise his work, ensure he has the right equipment and generally be self reliant.

He could do some basic meal plans, shopping lists, budgets ( very basic but an essential life skill). Some art work, photography, have a goal re sport or fitness? Plant seeds, learn about caring for a pet...

Stop worrying about the school, they aren’t going to change and they do sound a bit disorganised. Spend this time doing some real home education. It could be fun for you both.

I think you are getting a very unfair bashing OP. Particularly by a couple of posters but I think you should be allowed to ask your questions on a support forum without being bashed and people just being foul to you.

I can't see anywhere in your original post or your replies that you have been teacher bashing. I think you are bashing trying to teach at home whilst not being a teacher, trying to do your work and combining all of those things.

I also don't think the school work set is great and I also know that no-one I know who works in a school is confident about the safety measures so why should you be as a parent? Lots of people have chosen to not send year 6 children back to school for exactly the same reason as you.

I really appreciate all the constructive suggestions. Thanks for taking the time.

Has anyone noted the dfe has openly said schools aren’t allowed to do anything that would require extra staff or additional funding in this crisis?

Pretty important to know so you know who to direct your ire at. If your teacher is full time teaching year 6 in school now she can’t be doing homeschooling provision too and the school is not allowed funding or extra staff to cover that.

Year 6 would be watching films and doing lots of creative stuff about now. If you want to give her a head start order some year 7!workbooks

I think you are getting a very unfair bashing OP.

Yeah, that should be reserved for teachers.

And if it reassures you I’m a secondary teacher and only doing an hour a day with my 13yo ds. We will carry on working over summer but anything more than 1 hour of proper focussed learning just creates massive angst here.

I’m doing just maths and English at the minute. We’re ahead of ourselves with English so should be finished soon and then I’ll do the topic and a half he’d have missed in science.

If you're not happy, raise it with the school!! Honestly, the teacher bashing going on here is ridiculous!!