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'd love to say that my family could work with that, but experience shows we definitely couldn't.

I simply cannot wfh and homeschool, even part time. Not with two primary aged kids. While virtual lessons sound useful in theory, in practice we can't afford two laptops/tablets so both kids can learn at the same time, and even if we could there's limited space in the house. I can't imagine how we'd work out both of them needing to be in zoom calls while I'm on my phone in a meeting, with all of us in one room. It wouldn't be workable, and I am not even slightly comfortable with them using laptops/tablets unsupervised in their bedroom (when we did zoom calls with the school during the 1st lockdown they specifically said kids couldn't be in their bedrooms anyway)

And we're lucky in that I can wfh, and my job no longer involves customer service and therefore no longer need to be aware of sensitive information being accidentally recorded/overheard.

Disaster for us as we both work FT and have three primary age kids. How do you do blended learning with no supervision?

@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?

This is simply not true in this form. There is a substitute for f2f teaching. Blended and full online learning for secondary is a wonderful option and can work great. BUT

1. Blended learning is not something you pull out of a hat. Majority of teachers have no idea how to pull it off as never before had they learnt about the theory/psychology/pedagogy of it. As it was not high in the teacher's curriculum for obvious reasons.

I think a big problem is around expectation. The majority of parents have no idea how teaching works and have unrealistic expectations around switching to blended learning at a moment's notice. It doesn't work like that.

1. If done correctly and theory is applied in practice with care than attainment should not fall across the board. Some kids will do better, some will fall behind. But just because it's blended learning it doesn't mean that falling behind is mandatory or that it can't be remedied.

IF
Dfe gave guidance that ALL secondary SCHOOLS were to prepare properly and implement blended learning as of sept all kids would be in a much better position!

The biggest issue for me would be the diversity in quality of delivery and the impact this has on educational outcomes. Some (largely private?) schools have the right tech, motivated parents etc to get this right and minimise negative impacts. Others will do a bare minimum which will leave pupils struggling, behind and unmotivated. A great way to exacerbate already existing privileges.

I’m a teacher.
Just finished for Xmas and thank god because Covid is rampant in schools. So many of the kids have it (majority asymptomatic). There’s a local school with 600 kids self isolating.
Definitely think schools should go completely online now as it’s totally out of control and the gov are gearing up for a massive problem in the 5 days rule change at Xmas. Online learning is a nightmare for a teacher, so much extra planning. But blended learning probably the worst option as it’s virtually impossible to teach a class and online at the same time.

@Suzeyshoes

I’m a teacher. Just finished for Xmas and thank god because Covid is rampant in schools. So many of the kids have it (majority asymptomatic). There’s a local school with 600 kids self isolating. Definitely think schools should go completely online now as it’s totally out of control and the gov are gearing up for a massive problem in the 5 days rule change at Xmas. Online learning is a nightmare for a teacher, so much extra planning. But blended learning probably the worst option as it’s virtually impossible to teach a class and online at the same time.

I don't know the terminus technicus, but these are 2 separate things:

A) Half irl + half online synchronously
B) IRL + not IRL is doing work/learning asynchronously

A) needs tech, setup, testing and knowledge to operate. AND a differently structure lesson plan. Huge work for teachers who are are not always up to date in pedagogy/and mostly tech

B) easier setup, still lesson plans need to be amended, but it's not as hellish as option A.

I am all for full online schools thought. It has it's challenges, but it is still easier than A or B in many sense.

Apart from the fact I need to work and can't home school small children and work at the same time.

We have one laptop, 2 children and I need the laptop for work. Our internet connection is terrible and nobody can watch Netflix or game online while I try to do zoom calls for work so attempting to tune into live lessons won't happen. Our connection just doesn't have enough bandwidth for more than one person to be connected.
We won't get any help from school with access to devices as they don't have any to give us (and we're not 'poor' or on any radar for help).

Then there's all the kids that have truely awful home lives and more time at home means more risk or harm and neglect for them. Nobody is going to even attempt to home school them. The impact of part time schooling is massive.

I'm in France so all people/kids wear masks all the time. Never seen anyone without here (Normandy).

DD at Lycee is one week at school one week online at home. Very few cases.

3 at college (11-15) very strict separation of classes. Very few cases.

I teach at uni/business school and I've been all online since October. Works well for me as I write online resources as part of my job. Not given a single sheet of paper out this year which is ace.

No, it's not a tenable solution.

Neither is full-time online learning for a majority of under-14s. Only at that age and over do I think it's reasonable to expect the student to have the maturity and self-motivation to cope and crack on with that mode of education alone. There are still big online safety issues. And over-16 would apply to some.

For primary and at least lower secondary you are expecting more supervision and input from parents which, whether they work or are at home with caring responsibilities or for other reasons, isn't practical.

Access to home broadband plus suitable devices is an important issue but on top of that, you can't expect parents to sack off all of their necessary daily routine to follow a school timetable on Teams.

Homelearning for many will be doing their best to keep up with reading and a bit of other English and Maths. Some won't do anything, that isn't a criticism. I live in an urban area with my children attending a school that's just become an academy due to safeguarding issues and falling standards. Many families are just coping with keeping roofs over their heads, food on the table and clothes on their children's backs. MH and drug/alcohol problems too.

To be properly settled in a classroom environment, kids under 14 need to be in full-time. In my view the government are doing the right thing now keeping schools open, carrying out more testing in secondaries from January. They do need to get rid of the self-isolation for well children rule as that isn't practical any longer really. Certainly not if they're still saying exams and SATs will go ahead in just a few months time.

Or we close schools indefinitely but then funding would have to be diverted from schools to the home environment. Laptops, free broadband, something like the old tax credits system so one parent can stay at home or free childcare available for a single, working parent. Everyone accessing lessons from a central provider. A lot of teachers and other school staff out of their jobs. Not something easily reversed in a couple of years. And a seismic societal change that not many want. An increase in MH issues and, for many of a whole generation, a lost education.

I'm all for home education where parents decide on that but blended learning isn't that and just doesn't allow for the flexibility needed working in the home environment rather than classroom.

Schools need to stay open full-time.

Islington had just announced its closing schools

I would wonder how the bloody hell I was supposed to work full time and facilitate home learning.

I would also be very concerned for vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Can any teachers on here tell me if they are experiencing lots of staff/kids getting seriously ill with Covid? Eg requiring hospitalization?

Because it does not matter if Covid is rampant in schools. In the same way it doesnt really matter if the common cold is, as long as its asymptomatic.

Then the focus needs to be on keeping vulnerable over 70s isolated from it, just for the next few months, while we wait for vaccine roll outs. Every time I go to my supermarket it's full of older people shopping in person. These are the people most at risk - there needs to more support for THESE people to limit their contact, not for younger people.

‘Because it does not matter if Covid is rampant in schools. In the same way it doesnt really matter if the common cold is, as long as its asymptomatic’

Except for vulnerable and older staff. 😡and the fact that ‘a symptomatic’ carriers spread it even more.

It matters if it’s allowed to rampage through secondary schools because they do not exist in a vacuum. It will leak out into the more vulnerable community (and will affect vulnerable kids and teachers).

Plus schools rely on teachers working when ill. They can’t if it’s covid so the system collapses.

And it’s over 50’s who are vulnerable too. Why do you think they are in the first vaccine roll out?

Plenty of over 50’s and 60’s where l work. But hey, the kids are asymptomatic so it doesn’t matter about them....

Very happy and would be grateful there was less chance for more people to get sick. I’d be even happier with fully remote lessons.

I think if they did it until the vaccines were rolled out to the vulnerable it would be much better. Letting it spread through schools was wrong, much better if pupils and staff are safer and have a plan rather than the constant yo-going that’s going on now.

Far better we keep the economy going with businesses open and let schools go remote. Working parents have always had to juggle work and children, it’s a known before making choices in life.

@Suzeyshoes

I’m a teacher. Just finished for Xmas and thank god because Covid is rampant in schools. So many of the kids have it (majority asymptomatic). There’s a local school with 600 kids self isolating. Definitely think schools should go completely online now as it’s totally out of control and the gov are gearing up for a massive problem in the 5 days rule change at Xmas. Online learning is a nightmare for a teacher, so much extra planning. But blended learning probably the worst option as it’s virtually impossible to teach a class and online at the same time.

Gosh, you are a teacher? And you think “all schools” should go completely online? All of them, in the entire country, regardless of the number of Covid cases in individual schools? No wonder teachers are getting so much criticism both on here and in the media.

Working parents have always had to juggle work and children, it’s a known before making choices in life.

It is completely unnacceptable.

I say that as a parent who would be able to accommodate it.

The absolute guaranteed outcome of this is that those children not of age or inclination to work independently, and who have parents unable or unwilling to devote pretty much half their working time to teaching/supervising them, would immediately be put at a massive educational disadvantage.

It just isn't ok, it would never be ok for more than an absolute emergency measure. And we've already had that, so on even thinner ice. We've already got kids at a significant disadvantage thanks to the summer.

Teaching blended is a pain in the fucking arse so no, I don't want it. It's been bad enough doing it this term. I hate it.

@Carlislemumof4

No, it's not a tenable solution.

Neither is full-time online learning for a majority of under-14s. Only at that age and over do I think it's reasonable to expect the student to have the maturity and self-motivation to cope and crack on with that mode of education alone. There are still big online safety issues. And over-16 would apply to some.

For primary and at least lower secondary you are expecting more supervision and input from parents which, whether they work or are at home with caring responsibilities or for other reasons, isn't practical.

Access to home broadband plus suitable devices is an important issue but on top of that, you can't expect parents to sack off all of their necessary daily routine to follow a school timetable on Teams.

Homelearning for many will be doing their best to keep up with reading and a bit of other English and Maths. Some won't do anything, that isn't a criticism. I live in an urban area with my children attending a school that's just become an academy due to safeguarding issues and falling standards. Many families are just coping with keeping roofs over their heads, food on the table and clothes on their children's backs. MH and drug/alcohol problems too.

To be properly settled in a classroom environment, kids under 14 need to be in full-time. In my view the government are doing the right thing now keeping schools open, carrying out more testing in secondaries from January. They do need to get rid of the self-isolation for well children rule as that isn't practical any longer really. Certainly not if they're still saying exams and SATs will go ahead in just a few months time.

Or we close schools indefinitely but then funding would have to be diverted from schools to the home environment. Laptops, free broadband, something like the old tax credits system so one parent can stay at home or free childcare available for a single, working parent. Everyone accessing lessons from a central provider. A lot of teachers and other school staff out of their jobs. Not something easily reversed in a couple of years. And a seismic societal change that not many want. An increase in MH issues and, for many of a whole generation, a lost education.

I'm all for home education where parents decide on that but blended learning isn't that and just doesn't allow for the flexibility needed working in the home environment rather than classroom.

Schools need to stay open full-time.

Excellent post. I completely agree.

Far better we keep the economy going with businesses open and let schools go remote. Working parents have always had to juggle work and children, it’s a known before making choices in life.

It is a known however when I had children I didn’t anticipate them bring home full time for 5 months, trying to home school two children with additional support needs while also working.

It’s fine to say “keep the economy open”, but what about the parents who work in those businesses? While school isn’t childcare, people do plan their working lives on the reasonable assumption that their children are at school during the working day. Those parents should just stop work then to educate their children?

I don't see how this really works for primary school children. Hence my YANBU.

Secondary, I think there are good arguments for this to be done at a local level but should not he across the board.

It's hard as we have not been impacted at all this term. Both my children have 100% attendance and no bubbles has closed. But I also understand this is not the same experience as many.

Working parents have always had to juggle work and children, it’s a known before making choices in life.

How many parents do you know that factored in a global pandemic when deciding to start a family??

I also worry about the impact of online on many children, the technical subjects' difficulties via online, pastoral support etc. Teaching is so much more than online can be. My school is closed and online only at present. Everyone is desperate to get back.