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AIBU?

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Original poster

Maybe it would have been a good idea to give schools the heads up?

54 replies

cansu · 04/01/2021 20:17

This might sound radical but would it have been a good idea to let headteachers know before 8pm that they need to move to home learning from tomorrow rather than ask them to get started on welcoming students back today??

OP posts:
GhostPenguin · 04/01/2021 20:39

How is it up to the unions to plan home schooling?

Schools are prepared for this, unlike the government they realised weeks ago this was likely to be required. What doesn't help is the amount of time they had to waste planning for testing that came way too late with zero actual clarification on what this would entail and who would do it and being threatened with legal action just 2 weeks ago for doing the very thing the government have now made law.

Also, love the logic of sending the kids back for one day. Hope that was enough time for them to spread the covid they caught at Christmas. This level of incompetence wouldn't make it onto Yes Minister.

pumpkiiinpiiie · 04/01/2021 20:40

Don't suppose anybody knows whether 'early years settings' that can stay open includes those nurseries within a primary school?

Original poster
cansu · 04/01/2021 20:40

caringcarer
That is awful and I would push back against that decision. The school should operate a rota if they are short of staff.

OP posts:
babybythesea · 04/01/2021 20:42

My post does not make much sense, sorry.
The gist of it - we know how our online learning will operate in general. We’ve identified the websites we want to use, what the broad content will be (one maths exercise each day, one English, one ‘topic’ - for each year group, plus some extras which will vary between year groups - phonics for reception and year 1, some spelling for year 2 etc etc).
What we haven’t got ready to roll tomorrow is the specific content for this week because we had planned to be in. And we were in today, using that planning. It can’t just translate immediately to be suitable for online. It needs altering. We can do that, but it will take a day, plus we need to get the computers etc out to those that need them. We need a day.
We were as ready as we could be but we can’t give out school computers just in case, because we need them in school.

Original poster
cansu · 04/01/2021 20:44

FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue
Preparations for online learning is being ready with a system. The teachers need to now set the lessons. Contrary to popular belief, the lessons that are delivered face to face are not the same as those that can be set online. Teachers plan their lessons for the week each week. They don't just say Oh it is week 4, here is the lesson. If we had known this even a few days ago, the lessons could have been adapted and posted ready online for tomorrow. Vulnerable and key worker groups could have been organised ready to go tomorrow. That work will now need to be done.

OP posts:
GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 04/01/2021 20:48

Total fucking shambles. We're all supposed to be in tomorrow for a training day and the SLT have been working all weekend to redo the risk assessment and put plans in place. God knows what's happening now: how many DC in when we start on Wednesday? How many staff?

I'm not even sure I'm at work tomorrow or not. Which is a much smaller problem than that faced by a working single parent who has to get to work tomorrow but doesn't know if their school will count them as a 'key worker' or not.

echt · 04/01/2021 20:53

@cansu

FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue Preparations for online learning is being ready with a system. The teachers need to now set the lessons. Contrary to popular belief, the lessons that are delivered face to face are not the same as those that can be set online. Teachers plan their lessons for the week each week. They don't just say Oh it is week 4, here is the lesson. If we had known this even a few days ago, the lessons could have been adapted and posted ready online for tomorrow. Vulnerable and key worker groups could have been organised ready to go tomorrow. That work will now need to be done.
Couldn't agree more. In Victoria, any expectation of closure, or holiday period, was not equated with preparation time. We were given several pupil-free days at the start of lockdown(s) to specifically prepare for remote learning.
Mochatatts · 04/01/2021 20:54

Why even bother having them in today. What a bloody joke.

2020out · 04/01/2021 20:58

Thankfully, I'm in a London primary so spent today getting all sorted for online learning. Would be so angry if we'd only found out now. Especially if we'd spent the day setting up a testing centre.

So many hours of wasted work from so many people.

And that's just the school. Poor kids.

user127819 · 04/01/2021 21:07

@caringcarer

Just got email from Headteacher she is going against rules about allowing vulnerable children and children of key workers in to school and said school is closed until after February. What to do now his SW will be furious.
Is that not illegal? Just who does she think she is to force doctors and nurses to stay at home to look after children in a pandemic?
Littleposh · 04/01/2021 21:11

Haven't schools had since March to get this sorted??

And why were they pushing for it to happen, if they weren't prepared for it??

caringcarer · 04/01/2021 21:13

@cansu, he has a SW and a school plan but he has not been allowed to go to school throughout this pandemic not have key workers children and there are only 3 of them. Luckily I am an early retired secondary teacher and I will do Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics with him. I would not mind him doing online learning but they only do 1 1/2 hours each day and they give children a break out of that time. He is supposed to be doing a Btec Sport but not even started course yet. He is so good at Sport swimming for his town and playing cricket at county level and really enjoys all sport. I can't really do that with him well at least not the practical bits. He is in Year 10 and his school say things like because of pandemic children won't be able to do many subjects/qualifications. I am so sick of complaining he is being descriminated against because of learning disability.

SuperlativeScrubs · 04/01/2021 21:21

It's ok, because of this our school can close for 2 days to plan what to do for keyworkers etc.

Guess our patients can just sit in the ward and wait for 2 days. Grand.

danni0509 · 04/01/2021 21:22

@borntohula

Don't know whether the fuck my 8yo is at school tomorrow or not as he has an EHCP. Fucking stressed.
Same situation!
Rachellow · 04/01/2021 21:27

My headteacher told us in October to prepare 2 weeks of online learning in case our bubble closed and we were ill. The resources were printed and packaged in November. It was an absolute hassle and took me nearly a full day of half October half term but so thankful we did it now! These were given out today and we are spending today and tomorrow planning our interventions and familiarising ourselves/children with microsoft teams.

MellowYellow101 · 04/01/2021 21:32

@borntohula

Don't know whether the fuck my 8yo is at school tomorrow or not as he has an EHCP. Fucking stressed.
I imagine the senco will reach out in the morning. I think legally they are offered a space so maybe just keep at home tomorrow then send in as normal on Wednesday after SENCO confirms x
caringcarer · 04/01/2021 21:35

When I was teaching I used to have to prep online 'snow lessons' just in case it snowed. IT technician put these on school server but only opened to students if it snowed and students sent work back for marking via a drop box. Foster son has not had one piece of work marked or feedback during whole of lockdown. My niece has had superb teaching online and 4 1/2 hours each day. It is so variable between schools with some teachers working their socks off and others doing very little. I suspect it depends on the Headteacher of the school.

Chel098 · 04/01/2021 21:38

@Littleposh

Haven't schools had since March to get this sorted??

And why were they pushing for it to happen, if they weren't prepared for it??

I agree with this. Emails should of been at the ready to send out to parents today... what was the point of the head opening the schools today!

Numbers of KW parents should have already been organised before this point just in case..

Winegumaddict · 04/01/2021 21:42

No it's not up to the unions to organise schools but did the schools really not see this coming? Further lockdowns have always been a possibility. I understood schools had been preparing for online learning since they shut the first time? Almost every industry has had to adapt to uncertainty and change schools should be no different. I'm not teacher bashing as they do a great job but can't have it both ways too dangerous to all be in school but utterly unprepared to teach online...

SteelMack · 04/01/2021 21:44

@Winegumaddict

Teaching unions called for this if they didn't prepare that's completely down to them!
You know "teaching unions" and school leaders aren't one and the same thing don't you?
SteelMack · 04/01/2021 21:44

@Angeldust747

You assume that this was planned in advance enough to put a plan in place!
It wasn't
Subordinateclause · 04/01/2021 21:45

I'm ready in principle for online learning but no I'm not ready with lessons that can be delivered online from 9am tomorrow. When I left work at 5.30 I was ready to teach in person tomorrow, as I had today - everything is photocopied, trimmed to fit books etc. Not all of it will translate to online tasks and will need to be replanned. We were halfway through a maths lesson for a start, were going to finish it tomorrow!

Lovelydovey · 04/01/2021 21:48

But schools were told that they would be opening. Do we seriously expect them to plan to be open and to plan for remote teaching at the same time, so that any switch is immediate? That’s an unreasonable expectation in my view.

SteelMack · 04/01/2021 21:49

@Littleposh

Haven't schools had since March to get this sorted??

And why were they pushing for it to happen, if they weren't prepared for it??

Yeah schools have had since March to plan for a uturn at 8pm which fucks up their planned lessons for the next day. Confused

And no schools didn't push for this. Unions did and the general public did, maybe some but not all schools - they mostly got on and did what was asked of them and had their time wasted yet again

2020out · 04/01/2021 21:51

@Subordinateclause

I'm ready in principle for online learning but no I'm not ready with lessons that can be delivered online from 9am tomorrow. When I left work at 5.30 I was ready to teach in person tomorrow, as I had today - everything is photocopied, trimmed to fit books etc. Not all of it will translate to online tasks and will need to be replanned. We were halfway through a maths lesson for a start, were going to finish it tomorrow!
Exactly this.

I love when people come on here and tell teachers how to do our jobs. We actually know. It takes time to plan lessons. There is limited time between 8pm and 9am and some of us, shockingly, use it for sleeping.