Pupils re-sit a school year - start year later as per mainland Europe?

[Fizzydrinks123]

I understand arguments against not re-sitting a whole academic year and was on board with this during March 2020 etc

However, my concern is the emotional impact this is having on the young - they know they've missed out on lots of social as well as academic development.

Is it right to just move them on to the next level of their education knowing they've missed out on so much and expect them to step up to more demanding work?

In mainland Europe it is usual for children to start school a year later than here in UK.

I understand university may be adversely affected due to funding - but the kids currently at university aren't happy paying out £9,000 and asking for refunds.

Am I being unreasonable to suggest re-sitting an academic year is seriously considered?

The new variant is so much more contagious that there will be more uncertainly ahead until the summer.

Are the current Year 6's really ready to go off to senior school? It would seem better they go back to junior school they know and re-sit that year and prepare to move on to secondary school the following year?

I've always wanted longer xmas and February school hols. Who wants to get up in the dark all winter when illness is rife.

I'd rather a shorter summer holiday. It's so much easier to rush around when it's warm. We don't have actual holidays anyway, just stay with family.

I can't think of anything worse than more time off in the winter when the weather is shit.

[quote Cocomarine]**@Imaginetoday* what about the kids who don’t need* to catch up, who are pretty bored now?

I definitely see your logic about the longer winter holiday, but the idea of a long holiday entertaining your kids when even a trip to the park is cold does not appeal. I’m not just being precious - I think it’s important for kids to get a good, total break - and I think the quality of that is better in summer. Maybe cut summer to 4 weeks, and make winter 4.[/quote]
Are there lots of kids that have not missed education then? I’m surprised by that...my kids left school a few years ago so genuine question.
Given they missed March into summer term last year and now all of this spring term probably?

Slightly different view from my side DD2 Yr12 and her cohort is already expecting to have to repeat year 13, so 3 years in sixth form..

She is now panicking about her one subject which is a BTEC, it seems as of now no provision has been made for BTEC which they sit an exam for this month. She wanted to get this out of the way to concentrate on her 3 A level courses so is obviously now stressing about it as she has missed so much of this school year with SI etc..

How would families of young children afford an extra year of nursery? And how would new nurseries be set up, registered, and opened in time to find extra places for these children?

I'm surprised by all the 'I'm all right Jack, my kids go to private school, and I don't want to pay an extra year/They've been doing fully timetabled zoom classes, so I think no one should benefit from an extra year'.

I think it's the best of what is essentially going to be a lot of bad options.

We will be lucky if children make it back to school this term. They probably won't. They missed over a term last academic year. Probably some weeks isolating in the winter term. Now another term. We are beginning to look at the best of an academic year lost. Many, many children will never pull that back. Even if the schools go back in the Summer term they will be spending a lot of time dealing with emotional, safeguarding and mental health issues that went unnoticed during lockdown.

They should go back in the summer term. Patch up glaringly obvious holes in the disadvantaged children's learning. Put in place a lot of sport/outside learning activities. Art. Drama. Music. Anything like that.

Then restart this year in September.

School preschools can take the rising 5s that should have been in reception. With any gaps in this provision in areas where onsite school preschools are lacking plugged with hours funding elsewhere.

The rising 4s can access outside preschool care/nurseries etc. Many, many of whom are really struggling at the moment as parents have been withdrawing children left, right and centre.

Rising 5, is one year group in comparison to the 14 year groups who have had their education interrupted. Plus they will benefit from not being made to intensively learn phonics and taking baseline assessments for another year, which is much better for the children anyway.

Universities will be fine. I imagine there will be a lot pausing their courses this year and returning next and they had a lot of deferrals last year, so will not suddenly have zero freshers.

As for university leavers. It would do them a favour if there are less of them. The unemployment later this year is likely to be scary.

And those in private school. You can spend the time making your kids even more elite in things like sport and music and other extracurriculars. So it's even winning for you (just think of all the GB gold medals in the Olympics in a few years time ).

I am a secondary school teacher, we have rewritten our syllabus to account for missed time, but also most have kept up. We provided work a high proportion engaged and engaged well.

My daughter was in Reception, now in year 1 and is so bored as she kept up with her work last year, not by going to school as I never used her key worker space, and the work she is being set at the moment is so easy for her if she had to repeat again I would go from having a child who loved and enjoyed school to one who would find it a massive chore. I did nothing exceptional with her, just the work set by school daily.

My son is in Reception, he is also ahead as big sister took to teaching him last year.

Yes I understand some are behind but why penalise them all.

@carrie105 - you took the words straight from my mouth - I was about to post exact same comment "I'm alright Jack"!

Just catching up with the thread and I was struck by the people saying "my dc would be bored". As it goes, my dc is at super selective grammar, so I'm sure will do fine too.

It isn't about my personal circumstances, I'm thinking about all the country's dc and how awful the present situation is for them. In one of the newspapers yesterday a photo made me feel so sad - it was a young child, who unknown to their parent, had laid out their school uniform perfectly on the floor for the next morning in the shape of a person, so excited to be returning.

It is the picking themselves up and dusting themselves down to then move on forward. It is the lack of interaction with peers and how it may affect their emotional development.

Someone mentioned about private school - they wouldn't want to pay for an extra year.

I don't see that is relevant - the majority of the country's dc attend state schools, so if a parent has chosen the independent sector that comes with an element of risks as regards fees - all eventualities should be considered to ensure there are enough funds for come what may - ie. lose job, global pandemic etc......

So, yes the private sector could either carry on as if they've just finished Year 13 and head off to university without the hoi polloi.... or could travel or volunteer or,or,or any number of things but it would be wrong not to look at other options because it might cost some private sector parents a few bob more...!

@ultrablue - are you UK state sector? you say your dd is looking at re-sitting a year? How has that option materialised, if you don't mind me asking?

I was thinking about this. The argument you will have is that where does the 'extra' cohort go. I'd say move to the European system and start formal schooling at 6 - there's a shedload of evidence this is successful.
Of course, you would need more pre-school provision, but then won't there be lots of unemployed from hospitality sectors, etc that might be willing and able to retrain?
Ironic if we did move to the European system - now we're not European

I agree Fizzydrinks.

Also, what an amazing opportunity to bring back things like PE into the curriculum properly. Currently cut to the bone as there isn't enough time to fit it in.

This could be the catalyst for improving the Country's education system if we allow it to be.

@notafanoftheman - yes that's what I'd understood that formal learning of language etc didn't start until proper school (age 6) in France and moves quicker pace because children are more ready/mature.

Bit like trying to get a child to potty train before they're ready - it's pointless, when they're ready it's a doddle - there is an element of pushing development ahead in the UK is what I've heard from people I've spoken to about comparing our system to Europe, but not exactly on top of it now as my youngest dc is Year 11.

Yes, carrie agree with what you say, but it looks as if we're in the minority.

However, I think when everyone sees how bad things are going to be with covid cases over the next few weeks, I think others may start to think how can we just continue to tell our dc "it'll make you tough" putting up with this depressing experience. We know it won't make them tougher at all. (I work in healthcare, so see bit more how this new variant is meaning lots of people isolating etc as much easier to catch).

yes @Twillow agree with what you say re. maybe looking at different system.

I guess it would mean one year of reception children having delayed school - no argument I can see that this would ultimately damaging - some other provision provided etc as suggested above; however, the whole of primary and senior school just moving on to college, senior school as if Covid never happened - is damaging, IMO.

Where are the extra nursery places coming from?

carrie105 has a range of suggestions above - it's not a suggestion and the solution I'm after providing, it's the putting heads together and accepting we're in an unprecedented experience of isolation for our dc and what might be a way of returning them to a more normal life.

As someone said above, lots of social problems will come to light - dc whose parents have had many worries during this time will impact on their dc. DC having opportunity of returning to a world of familiarity where people know them and then building a base upwards from that.

We now know young people's brains do continue to develop until 25, there is a lot going on for our children and we can't compare our coping abilities to what we expect our dc should cope with (again not my dc, I'm speaking about wider society).

The fact that some kinds grow up in war zones is just pointless comparison, yes life is shit - doesn't mean we shouldn't look for ways to make it less shit.

Why can’t we be flexible about this and have some children repeat the year and some move to the next one, depending on their achievements.
It isn’t fair to treat everybody the same, some thrived during lockdown, some didn’t do any work, some were already behind, some already ahead, some had lots of interruption due to bubble bursting, others didn’t.

That would mean less Reception places available, might be solved by moving the cut off for the year, so for ex instead of taking DCs that are 4 on the 1st of Sept maybe cut off earlier, 4 on the 1st of June for ex (meaning 3/4 of them, leaving 1/4 of the places for the ones repeating the year).

carrie has not addressed what's happening with the babies at the end of maternity leave, and has done no sums.

@NoSleepInTheHeat and where are the babies going to go to nursery?

There’s a knock on effect for children in year 9 & 10 too. Obviously many have been fine & wouldn’t appreciate repeating a year, but there are vast swathes of children who either have to work really hard with the help of their teachers just to scrape through, or who haven’t received any quality home learning provision who won’t be able to catch up in the time they have left before important exams. They will literally end up with shitty results & an incomplete secondary education.

I would support repeating the year as I can’t see there being a buoyant jobs market waiting for school leavers or graduates anyway & those who are particularly able could expand their studies & do even better.

money would have to be thrown at it, like money is being thrown at everything else. The babies may have to delay starting - family members may step in - money given to businesses to expand - people employing mothers' help, nannies etc.. creative thinking for one year of babies that won't know any different -v- every other school year who has lived through the pandemic and mental health been shredded.

@elf2015 - agree - those that need the stability of returning to school and having a running jump back at school/emotional/mental health development etc get that opportunity and the ones that don't, could maybe add to their CV supporting other children that hadn't been so lucky and become "support buddy" or something for younger children.

It would be one year of babies affected while things were being rebalanced.

It's a bit "won't someone think of the babies?" I'm thinking of the children.

God no! My DC aren't behind so they'd be totally bored repeating work. Eldest is gearing up for the 11+ exam in autumn, so would be hugely frustrating to have that delayed a year. The focus should be on helping those catch up that need to, and maybe adjusting the targets to reflect time missed, not stagnating everyone. Lots of pupils have been on throughout as keyworkers, lots of schools made excellent provision (not ours sadly), to hold everyone back a year would be ridiculous.

Plus nurseries won't be prepared to expand just for one year!