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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School catch up fund

133 replies

Splinkyplonk · 19/06/2020 08:09

Try and focus on the bigger picture here, I'm not being goady.

So the plan so far seems to be that of the 6.7 million school children, 2 million of the most disadvantaged (ie those with hopeless parents or low achievement anyway) will get extra one on one tutoring partly paid for by an extra pot of gov money.

What about the majority of kids who all have missed vital stages of learning. Is the truth its just up to schools and parents to make the effort and muddle along?

Clearly those who can pay for tutoring privately and have the capacity to supervise their children will just sort that out themselves in the absence of anything from government.

The result will just be a deeper divide in education standards between the haves and have nots.

OP posts:
my2bundles · 19/06/2020 08:15

Last week we where promised a big summer of catch up, I'm assuming this is it . The funding also be available to schools untill September. Not quite the big summer catch up we where promised. I'm hoping schools will be able to make their own decisions about how best to use this snd which children are most in need.

TeenPlusTwenties · 19/06/2020 08:15

ie those with hopeless parents or low achievement anyway

The result will just be a deeper divide in education standards between the haves and have nots.

YABU.

First of all your two statements contradict each other.

Second disadvantage doesn't mean hopeless parent or low attainment. It could equally mean very bright child of hard working low paid key worker (e.g. care worker in nursing home)

Third, getting those who for whatever reason have not managed to access much work to catch up, will benefit the whole class as lessons won't be distracted by covering gaps.

TheSmelliestHouse · 19/06/2020 08:17

So what about the 16 and 17 year olds? Nothing for them and I feel they will be more affected than younger students if they weren't able to engage in online learning. My year 12 just couldn't do it. I couldn't help him. He had a laptop but wasn't suited to lock down learning so has quit college as he couldn't cope.

TheSmelliestHouse · 19/06/2020 08:18

Also he was getting distinctions pre lock down, he enjoyed his course. But he just couldn't manage home learning.

nether · 19/06/2020 08:18

What is going to happen for shielded DC who cannot safely return to school?

Will they be tutored under this scheme? And will it provide full teaching for them - whichever school year they are in come September, from reception to A levels?

Or are they still 'out of sight, out of mind' with no provision for their schooling?

TeenPlusTwenties · 19/06/2020 08:20

TheSmelliest There is 3 years of funding for 6th form usually. Could you DS repeat the year?

aquashiv · 19/06/2020 08:21

I hope the money also goes to SE children those without EHCPs who are at mercy of a broken system.

aquashiv · 19/06/2020 08:21

*SEND

listsandbudgets · 19/06/2020 08:25

Wow you lost my sympathy at " hopeless parents ". Parents havent been able to help their children for all sorts of reasons.. their own health, looking after much younger siblings, ot enough space for calm working environment - imagine bei g stick in an2 bedriom flat with 3 kids trying to home educate them, not being able to afford equipment for online lessons, parents having learning difficulties, working from home.. coming along and slating parents as " hopeless" is actually ignorant.

As for lower achieving children wouldn't it be good idea to help them catch up?

I say this as a parent with both children in private schools. They've received good online provison and had the equip.ent provided.to access it. We've been able to order books and equipment as necessary along the way. DS ( 7)has had lots of support from us. DD (14) has needed less support but has had full timetable of live lessons.

Where's your empathy? I'm actually quite angry to see parents who may well be struggling to do their best described as " hopeless".

BertNErnie · 19/06/2020 08:33

I knew this would happen on MN.

We will use the money to provide for those children who have gaps in their learning.

We will assess all pupils during the first few weeks of term and see where the gaps are. We will then plan to meet the needs of all pupils as normal but then run extra tutoring sessions for those who are significantly behind.

If a child isn't behind, they won't need the catch up so I'm not sure if the problem? Surely those pupils who have the largest gaps need the support. This enables pupils to be on as much of a level playing field as possible.

BertNErnie · 19/06/2020 08:35

@h@n@nether we are waiting to find out what happens with shielding pupils but will be providing a bespoke curriculum for those pupils.

shellysheridan · 19/06/2020 08:36

I agree with listsandbudgets. I'm a very experienced teacher and I've struggled to homeschool my 7 year old due to working myself and looking after a younger needy sibling. I'm far from hopeless

my2bundles · 19/06/2020 08:37

Thsnkyou Bertnernie your post is very reassuring x

LizzieMacQueen · 19/06/2020 08:39

Think this is just England isn't it, does anyone know?

TheSmelliestHouse · 19/06/2020 08:41

Teenplustwenties they've said he can't redo year 1 of his btec as they won't get funding for him. He can't progress to the 2nd year as he didn't complete the work for year 1.he just didn't engage with the college at all once in lock down. I think he got too far behind and hid his head on the sand until it was too daunting to try to catch up. He is now looking for work. It's all rather sad.

Belledan1 · 19/06/2020 08:47

I am too not happy with the hopeless parents quote. I actually do feel like a hopeless parent at the moment but don't need people like you stating that people are as you don't know people's circumstances. I am very busy wfh with a teenager who is not interested in school work (few issues that wont go in to as you will think i am an even worse parent). He does the bare minimum. Would love turn the wifi off but i need it for work. Got 3 years left when goes back so hopefully will catch up. School have told me to choose my battles and don't seem that bothered to be honest. I am making sure he does maths and English.

Original poster
Splinkyplonk · 19/06/2020 08:50

I very much doubt that any really bright children will fall into the 'most disadvantaged' group.
And do you seriously think that schools will do a survey to find out which children have key worker parents who havent been able to do online learning every day because they have been working so hard.... Or which children haven't had exclusive access to a laptop... I very much doubt it.
Berternie has an idealistic plan about assessing ability. Is that genuinely what most disadvantaged means in schools? It usually refers to children with social workers, and from disruptive backgrounds. It has nothing to do with academic assessments.
Of course the most disadvantage and vulnerable need assistance.
But this is not at all the same thing as providing academic catchup for the majority of pupils.
I really can't believe that no one else is a bit disappointed or frustrated by this.

OP posts:
Original poster
Splinkyplonk · 19/06/2020 08:53

Try and move past my hopeless parent quote which I fully accept reflects my frustration. I too am hopeless at this home Ed business. But my child will not get any catch up provision because he will not be counted as very disadvantaged.
I am a key worker who has worker twice my hours at points during the crisis.
It is bonkers to think that any child who has missed 3 plus months of school does not require extra tuition. The if this hasn't created major gaps across a whole generation then what on earth are schools doing every day? Why do local authorities get in such a state about pupil absence...

OP posts:
Belledan1 · 19/06/2020 08:54

Sorry hit send too quick. My husband is a front line worker working very hard for not much money so he cannot help with school work, do you class him as a hopeless parent?

ineedaholidaynow · 19/06/2020 08:57

The main issue for me is that it would appear schools have to fund some of the tutoring costs from their budgets. Most schools won’t be able to afford it.

Belledan1 · 19/06/2020 08:57

OP why would you say it though if you think you are a hopeless parent yourself?

TeenPlusTwenties · 19/06/2020 08:59

Schools will know who their PP kids are.
They will know which kids were previously hard working but who have failed to engage with the online learning.
They will know which parents/pupils have been in touch asking for additional support or explaining why they haven't accessed work.

Additionally, schools will be working very hard to catch all their pupils up. It's their job. Teaching is why teachers go into teaching.

Flipping it on its head. It wouldn't be right to just spread the funding around everyone, it needs to be focussed where the need is greatest.

WowLucky · 19/06/2020 09:02

There is no plan, just an announcement. Where are they suddenly going to find all these tutors?

Schools will come up with their own plans but it won't look anything like what people are being led to believe and it will be very different in different areas, according to need and resources.

DateLoaf · 19/06/2020 09:03

BertnErnie’s plan that sounds a sensible approach but the 1billion government pot (to cover UK wide? England and Wales?) is reported as being for ‘disadvantaged’ pupils not those D.C. assessed in the way you mention. So linked to economic disadvantage, which govt will probably do because they already have an idea of how many kids that covers via knowing already which child is eligible for free school meals.

A child-focused approach like BertnErnie suggests special help should be for the kids who have fallen most behind whatever their economic background. What about working single parent families, EAL families, SEN DC, multiple other situations?

‘A £1bn fund to help England's children catch up on what they have missed while schools have been closed has been announced by the prime minister.
The most disadvantaged pupils will have access to tutors through a £350m programme over the next academic year.
Primary and secondary schools will be given a further £650m to spend on one-to-one or group tuition for any pupils they think need it.‘

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-53100881

There needs to be a bigger long term pot based on each child’s needs. Why would we assume that schools will go back full time in Sept for all children? Or that this would be the only lockdown affecting learning? Even if all schools offer video teaching that doesn’t work for working parents, lack of tech, multiple children needing screen access, no screen, etc etc. We need a serious government strategy on this not a small pot of temporary one off money.

GreenTulips · 19/06/2020 09:04

We will then plan to meet the needs of all pupils as normal but then run extra tutoring sessions for those who are significantly behind

But schools aren’t doing this now, even with a recognised learning disability where they receive extra funding and should provide additional classes it doesn’t happen.

Our children have always been short changed