To ask how you would feel if the decision was made to adopt blended learning to allow for social distancing in schools

[livevomitlaugh]

just that really?
Yabu- I would be fine with that
Yanbu- I very much wouldn’t be fine with that

I think this is one of the issues where you really shouldn't be asking about schools in gene al.

It's probably unrealistic to get a question that elegantly covers every type of school.

But do you mean secondary schools?

I think YABU to think the same suite of options would be right for EYFS and KS1 as for KS4 and sixth form

I'd approve, certainly why not at secondary level other than perhaps for those doing A levels this summer.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

The schools closing in London are providing key worker support.

I think it’s better than the Covid Hokey Cokey. My dd is in year 10. Some of her friends have been out 4 or 5 times, in a GCSE year.

I’d rather continuous online than this mess.

Yes, same here. The disruption is unsustainable. How many more isolations an they expect our children in these years - in any years - to take?

We are up to six. Do we keep going to 10? Each time, grinding more of my teen's self confidence and security down to breaking point? It's callous.

How I would feel personally, pretty unhappy. Primary-age DC and we can both work from home but we can’t support home learning at the same time, so it means effectively part-time learning with a few worksheets off Twinkl.

I still have a ton of leave from this year to use up, though, so I suppose if they went off this week when I’m already off I’d manage personally. But I don’t think it would be a great thing for the nation’s children as a whole.

@AuntieStella

I think this is one of the issues where you really shouldn't be asking about schools in gene al.

It's probably unrealistic to get a question that elegantly covers every type of school.

But do you mean secondary schools?

I think YABU to think the same suite of options would be right for EYFS and KS1 as for KS4 and sixth form

Yes, agreed.

My eldest's sixth form is a week on site then a week online. Yr 12 one week / yr 13 the next.
It seems to be working well, in a reasonably affluent area with a selective intake and highly placed in league tables college. Also quite maths and science heavy in terms of subjects.

Younger kids, other demographics, etc I can imagine it could be a nightmare.

I'd be fuming, it would be completely unacceptable. Especially for primary school children.

Secondary?

Bring it on!!

No for primary plus we didn’t have the room last time so many would be excluded a high proportion of the time.

Secondary - no for yr11 and 13 unless cases start gaining ground then all in and all out two weeks each time

I work and do works and we have primary aged children so it would be unworkable for us. We can't afford it. I know school isn't childcare but it's kind of a given that they'll be there from 9-3 term time. I can't afford full time childcare.

Also the quality of home learning we had during lockdown was terrible, little to nothing and this wouldn't be good long term.

For primary you may as well just say there is no proper education until covid is gone. Part time schooling is so disruptive to kids that age and remote learning is just impossible, especially where you have parents working too.

For secondary, it would work for the kids who are keen to learn. For everyone else i think you'd find there are a hell of a lot of kids hanging around the streets on their days not in school. I doubt they would be keenly sat at their laptop/ipad at 8.30am (if they're lucky enough to have them) waiting for GCSE physics to start...

I doubt they would be keenly sat at their laptop/ipad at 8.30am (if they're lucky enough to have them) waiting for GCSE physics to start...

They actually do exactly this. They have to be present. But online can become staler over time so I’d use it wisely when cases are starting to gain ground.

Very much agree about primary though.

Lockdown #1 showed me pretty clearly that I can support home schooling a 6 year old, but I cannot do that while doing my job adequately.

My employer was patient and flexible last time because everyone was in turmoil and the situation was new. I did a lot of work between 9pm and 1am. We all survived. She didn't regress as much as many children in her class. I didn't get fired. But I can't do that again. Something has to give, and I'd be forced to choose between her education and my career. Choosing to deprioritise either could have lifelong implications.

Meanwhile our school has had zero cases of covid all term, despite being massive, and having a huge proportion of parents who are key workers and therefore exposed. So the policies they have in place are clearly effective.

Secondary school may be different as remote learning works better for that age group - don’t know.

Well it's definitely true that secondary age children don't require supervision in the same way, and can work independently. But they still require timely access to a teacher if they require support. As children progress through secondary school to advanced levels of study, parents are less equipped to support that. Parents aren't challenged by hearing a 8 year old read aloud or find out about Roman houses. But a 16 or 17 year old asking for help with Advanced Higher Chemistry or Physics is a totally different matter.

I have three secondary school age children - I can support the youngest as he is only 12. The middle one, well some of the subjects I'm OK with, not others. The oldest is 17 and doing Chemistry, Statistics, Biology and Engineering - not a CLUE.

And where is the support coming from if you're splitting the year in half and the teachers are teaching the same lesson twice to 50% of the kids at a time? Teachers cannot simultaneously be teaching one group and supporting the other group at home.

Call it what it is - part time school.

I would absolutely not be fine with it. My daughter is 5 and has mild SEN, she absolutely needs to be attending school in person for both her education as well as mental and physical health. I am currently a SAHM but have depression and anxiety and would find it very difficult to cope with her at home, both in terms of behaviour as well as home learning. I know I am not the only one - some of my friends are on their knees as a result of the mental and financial pressures of this year.

It also has to be said that to date we have had one positive case in DD’s school, so it would be ludicrous for the children not to be present in school, learning in person.

A massive YANBU from me.

@RaspberryCoulis

Secondary school may be different as remote learning works better for that age group - don’t know.

Well it's definitely true that secondary age children don't require supervision in the same way, and can work independently. But they still require timely access to a teacher if they require support. As children progress through secondary school to advanced levels of study, parents are less equipped to support that. Parents aren't challenged by hearing a 8 year old read aloud or find out about Roman houses. But a 16 or 17 year old asking for help with Advanced Higher Chemistry or Physics is a totally different matter.

I have three secondary school age children - I can support the youngest as he is only 12. The middle one, well some of the subjects I'm OK with, not others. The oldest is 17 and doing Chemistry, Statistics, Biology and Engineering - not a CLUE.

And where is the support coming from if you're splitting the year in half and the teachers are teaching the same lesson twice to 50% of the kids at a time? Teachers cannot simultaneously be teaching one group and supporting the other group at home.

Call it what it is - part time school.

Agree

Thankfully ours does all in or all out for remote. So 100% access.

Blended is part time at half provision or even lower.

@Vintagevixen

Absolutely not.

The way we have let our children down over the last 9 months is a disgrace.

My mum is a governor of a very middle class primary school in a very middle class area, also an ex teacher. Most of her parents are the kind who are very invested in their children's education, kids all have access to their own devices and wifi.

She was telling me on the phone the other day how far expected attainments have dropped even for her school, she said it was jaw dropping stuff, really shocking. Just proving that there is no substitute for face to face teaching.

Can you imagine how far back kids with limited access to devices/Wifi and uninterested or just too busy putting food on the table parents have slipped?

I can totally believe this. Everyone seems to focus on the poor kids with disinterested parents and no IT. The rich kids probably suffered because their parents were trying to work and pay the bills too. On paper we had it easy, two educated parents, both with degrees, DH wfh, me furloughed, plenty access to IT.

But dealing with a preschooler and a child who struggles with concentration was torture.

Throw in my own dyslexia. Frustration had me at breaking point, sticking my own nails in my other arm in frustration, i haven't done that since i was in school myself. I couldn't cope much longer to the point i stopped schooling the week before the holiday officially started. I'm crying thinking about it. I did my best i really tried but at what cost and did DS make any progress?

All our school do is upload worksheets. That's not teaching. I would only support at home schooling if the teachers did actual online teaching. Otherwise it is back to me trying to do my own full time, pressured, job delivering vital support to the front line while simultaneously trying to teach my children

In terms of motivation I think many of the kids (secondary) who wouldn’t engage with home learning are the same kids who wouldn’t engage in school. In terms of it havent schools been given money for laptops?

Agree the Homelearning should be high quality

I meant having a limited number o students in at any one time e.g you could have half of year 10 in on Monday and Tuesday then the other half on Thursday and Friday and ok the Wednesday have a deep clean the other 3 days Homelearning is provided

I don't understand in this example who is teaching the students doing home learning, as presumably the teachers are with the ones who are in? Are you expecting teachers to prepare and mark a full week of home learning on a Wednesday, or are you expecting that all the lessons would be live online as well as in school?

Lessons could be half in person and half virtual or it could be Homelearning with voiced over PowerPoints or prerecorded videos. I think as long as it meets certain standards it should be left up to the schools discretion. The Wednesday could be used for planning

@livevomitlaugh

Lessons could be half in person and half virtual or it could be Homelearning with voiced over PowerPoints or prerecorded videos. I think as long as it meets certain standards it should be left up to the schools discretion. The Wednesday could be used for planning

When would they be created?

So you think teachers should plan and produce a week's worth of recorded lessons in a day?! Do you have a time machine?

Half in person half virtual works abysmally unless you have the right set-up for it, which hardly any schools have.