To bin off the homeschooling

[Lemons1571]

God I’m probably BU. But bloody hell I've had enough. 14 weeks of working ft, plus trying to fit in twinkl, Oak, Khan etc. Watching my Year 4 get more isolated and sad. Feeing like a loser / outsider when the school send out their weekly newsletter asking Reception to bring in x, y and z and Year 6 to remember their deposit for (insert end of year activity).

Honestly the thought of Monday makes me want to throw things at the wall, and it’s not even Sunday yet! Got a bunch of corrections sent through on last weeks schoolwork which I now have to try and fit in around Skype work calls, deadlines, appraisals. Anyone else just about had it? So tempted to tell child to not worry about it too much and have some screen time.

I don’t need help with coping or with mood or anything like that. I just need to not have two full time jobs.

tomorrow’s another day

It seems that some people are beginning to appreciate why schools also taper off a bit towards the very end of term/year. The kids are exhausted, so are the adults dealing with them, and very little useful learning can take place.

Primary? If you need to let it go then do.
I teach secondary and we are very much expecting at least another 2 weeks, including some face-to-face with year 10.

My y10 child is still working hard and the teachers have really stepped up.

It seems that some people are beginning to appreciate why schools also taper off a bit towards the very end of term/year.

Tbf the biggest hurdle is doing two jobs, as op is wfh and trying to homeschool.

Since more kids went back to school (which was 8th June for our school), the school has really increased the amount of work on the home learning timetable, started doing prerecorded daily videos and also added in 2 x weekly zoom calls, and handing out weekly awards to those kids that send great work in to the teachers.
Feels like they are doing it to align with what they are leading in school. Which would be greet if it wasn’t for the fact that its totally impossible to expect working parents to deliver this to their kids... thankfully we have only 3 more weeks of this madness before the summer break officially starts!

As someone involved in education I have seen some parents screaming for more and more work and employing a tutor and some parents saying thanks very much but we need to stop now. I am overwhelmed.

Personally if you child is reading - brilliant.
If they want to work through a maths workbook at the right level - hurrah
If you watch some decent films or recorded theatre together as a family - thumbs up
If you do baking, gardening, housework, etc with them - great
This time will never come again, and while there is a desperate climb to return to the normal that none of us liked in the first place, I hope you find time to be a family.

My mother died recently, and yesterday we spread a tablecloth out on the living room carpet and had sandwiches while watching Antiques Roadshow, the previous weeks episode, because this is what my family did when I was a child. I remember the bright yellow table cloth, I remember my sister and I making the sandwiches. I remember being allowed to eat in the living room, something we never did generally.

OP take care of you, take care of them. As a nation we have tried to put education into the walls of a school. This is not what education is.

It seems that some people are beginning to appreciate why schools also taper off a bit towards the very end of term/year. The kids are exhausted, so are the adults dealing with them, and very little useful learning can take place.

which is why some of us have always complained about the summer break being far too SHORT in this country.

It still doesn't give the right to the schools to provide an education for SOME children, and completely abandon the rest of the class.

This time will never come again, and while there is a desperate climb to return to the normal that none of us liked in the first place, I hope you find time to be a family.

I did agree with that when schools were closed FOR ALL! Obviously not critical frontline workers, and for a very good reason.

Now that it's no longer the case, then we have a massive problem.

@CallmeAngelina

It seems that some people are beginning to appreciate why schools also taper off a bit towards the very end of term/year. The kids are exhausted, so are the adults dealing with them, and very little useful learning can take place.

They don't taper off, the end of the year is full of the best bits - sports day, trips, classes outside, nature walks, parties etc.

That stuff is some of the most important parts of school and it can't be replicated at home.

Kids are missing out on a lot more than the 3Rs.

I work in a senior role in mental health. It’s quite obvious that academia tails off towards the end of the summer term, however as Nih points out above, it’s not the academic stuff they are missing now.

These children beginning to disengage is symptom of the fact that their mental health is shot to pieces.

When children see their own siblings back at school, or some of their class friends whilst they are not allowed themselves, what else do we expect?

The message is clear for them: so matter, some don't. It's an absolute disgrace. We might not have the space and resources to send all children full time, but we surely do to send most or all part-time on a rota basis...

It still doesn't give the right to the schools to provide an education for SOME children, and completely abandon the rest of the class.
It is not "schools" who have chosen this state of affairs. They are trying to do the best they can, amidst constantly changing goal-posts.

They don't taper off, the end of the year is full of the best bits
I agree, but you see many parents on here willing to take their kids out of school for the last two weeks of the year for cheaper holidays, on the grounds that "they won't be missing anything."

We might not have the space and resources to send all children full time, but we surely do to send most or all part-time on a rota basis...

Then you need to lobby your MP. It's not the schools' fault. They have been told to open up to as many children "as they are able to accommodate" under the current rules.

I hope you find time to be a family.

We’ve never had less quality family time than right now. It’s all relentless juggling of two full on jobs, childcare, what schooling we can fit in. The weekends are shot too. It’s miserable.

For everyone who wishes for a longer summer — would you be happy with no half-terms, just 7-10 days over Christmas, a week at Easter, and a few other long weekends sprinkled through the year? The school days have to happen sometime. Having experienced both I think it’s FAR better for the children to have more and longer breaks spaced out during the year and one still pretty long summer. The other way is exhausting for everyone and for many students there is significant educational loss over the long summer.

Obviously every family has a different arrangement so it may work better logistically for some to have a longer summer but mental health wise it’s better for everyone to have the breaks spaced out.

I wouldn’t want longer summer school holidays. There’s a good amount of holiday days atm.

I'm in Victoria and we have three two-week holidays during the years and a five-week summer break + various public holidays. Two semesters, each having two terms. It works well for the most part.

I really appreciate the two-week breaks, so much better than the one-week half terms of the UK. You get an opportunity to decompress and then do something worth the time. Having said that, we've come to the end of an eleven-week term and I'm well tired.

I've never completed it all. It's far too much. Mines in reception. They took half the reception kids back in. Since then the works got harder for the kids at home.

Last week. They wanted her to make a treasure map. Make a bog roll into a pirate. Make a postcard. Learn tricky words. Learn how to share things out equally. Write a story map. Test what sinks and floats.

The week before they wanted a rock pool making.

I've bought enough prit sticks and paper and pens to last a childhood but my kid is useless at putting lids on. She uses so much paper up as she loves drawing. I'm sick to death of providing materials for all this stuff.

Oak academy sounds tinny and breaks up in places. The volume on the laptop means if the toddler makes noise you don't hear anything.

Bitesize on Tele isn't interesting her at all.

I've done pe once. Joe wicks gets on my nerves. He waffles too much.

I've managed to teach her to read quite alot and she's writing and drawing alot better now.

Last week we did nothing. But she choose to write a words list occasionally which I think is great. Today I've got her to do a work sheet. But she was distracted by her brother.

I'm sick off it. We have all had enough now. It's rubbish. The kids have not seen friends for months. They have not seen family. They have not been able to use energy up. I want one morning to myself so I can blitz the house. I'm also suffering from lockdown exhaustion/anxiety. Basically I don't feel like I will ever be me again. I can't image be school runs. I'm exhausted doing simple things.

I'm personally about done now with school work. We've done our best. Get your child the just read books and play educational games for an hour a day maybe. The rest I would just let it go now. The difference is a teacher is there to teach. They dont have to cook a meal and clean the school whilst they educate kids. They have more resources and knowledge too. So unless we are allowed to drop everything else and focus on the kids then nope we can't do it all.

Don't worry. Sack it off this week lol xx

I think what I am taking from this thread is that no one thinks the set up is good enough. It's not teachers or schools fault. It's the lack of coherent and financial support from central government. They did it with banks, they did it with nightingales. I know I'm a stuck record. They just clearly can't be arsed with schools. Zero creative thinking. They've not even tried! Those laptops for disadvantaged kids - where are they? They can't even look as if they're doing what they said they would.

I agree petitioning MP probably our only hope of effecting any meaningful change to address the inherent discrimination in the current set up.

And so the homeschooling plus full time bloody job is underway for another week. I'd better get off Mumsnet!

It’s totally ridiculous.

School = teacher / TA doing their job. On hand to help and answer questions. Child in a classroom and engaged in work.

Home = parent doing their job. Child ignored apart from the odd 2 minutes here and there squeezed in between calls. Child in bedroom, disengaged and probably reverting to roblox every 5 minutes.

Incredulous that gov think this is acceptable, and that no one outside education or who doesn’t have kids, realises this is the actual situation. The press should be highlighting this far more than they have.

Just chipping back in to say that after my ranting last night, I still feel the whole thing is an utter nonsense! Beyond unacceptable, and the attitude of 'it's only another few weeks now anyway' - it's still 9 weeks for us at home before there's any hope of a proper education, routine or interaction with their friends. That's a long time!

Interview with Gavin Williams. Schools will reopen in September, compulsory and fines unless good reason.

Schools will reopen in September, compulsory and fines unless good reason

I want my DC back NOW.

As for the fines, they've made it very clear my DC aren't welcome in school, I'll now choose when my DC go in and when they're kept off based on what's best for them.

or everyone who wishes for a longer summer — would you be happy with no half-terms, just 7-10 days over Christmas, a week at Easter, and a few other long weekends sprinkled through the year? The school days have to happen sometime.

Longer school days would work much better - it happens abroad, and we could just follow the private school format here.

Kids miss out so much on not having a proper summer break - and it's a vicious circle. When you do have a long summer break, things get set up to offer summer clubs or summer camps.

Kids should have a life out of school! being stuck at home during the lockdown doesn't qualify as a proper break.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-53221741