School not teaching key worker children

[Frenchcroissant]

Hi all, my two dd are going to school everyday as both me and my partner are key workers. One is in reception and not bothered about her, but older is in year 5 and she's told me that they don't do any learning at all. I told her she can do the same work as home children but at school, but apparently that's not allowed, teacher said she's got to do all learning at home, she's just playing, colouring and watching Disney movies. That's not right, is it? Why is she not doing same as the children at home?

It has been made aware to our parents regularly in our newsletters that we are only providing the same learning experiences to those in school as those at home. It would be massively unfair to provide key worker parents not only with childcare that others who still also work can't receive but then give their children an advantage too.

At schools around here children who go in are being taught as normal, just in smaller classes.

It feels massively unfair, especially to those at home juggling work and home learning.

I guess I'll have to speak to the school on Monday, then. I find the headteacher quite scary, I don't like complaining so dreading it a bit to be honest.

My dd is at home, I'm key worker now working from home, so there is no way I would send her in.
She gets no teaching from her teacher, the work set is pre reorded from oak academy.

I do feel this has been made harder by so many sending in dc when they don't need to. Perhaps the school should toughen up.

I would have thought all round it would be easier to have teacher, teaching class as normal but on line? To all of them, whether in school or at home.

Schools can't be tougher about so they have in, Dear Gavin has basically said anyone can go in who wants to. Nevertheless schools need to be providing an education, not childcare and I agree that your circumstances are not acceptable. Your school,seems to have gone for the minimum it can and at he least, children in school should be completing the work set.

The children going into school are only being looked after, and the staff, many times any staff member on the rota might not actualy be a teacher, my friend said the school cook was in supervising the children some days, its purely child care when the school is shut to everyone else.

@Pesimistic they should be receiving in school the same as at one. It is NOT just childcare provision

*home not one

You might find week 1 was deliberately like that. The last school I worked in had 96 of 201 pupils in early last week as many more parents stated they were key workers this time around.

By Friday when the HT and staff had made it absolutely clear the children coming in would not be advantaged over the other children, and that she'd be double checking all of the necessary place requests, that number dropped to 34.

My DD is not in school but my best friend Is a TA in her class. They have between 7&11 children in in each class with atleast one child who needs one to one supervision. She's found it really challenging to get all her live lessons up and work marked all whilst making sure her in school group are all happy and understand the work.
The school do still say that those in school will just be supervised to complete the work being set for home learners but those at school are definitely doing more and getting a wider range of learning.
I would maybe wait and see what happens on Monday and in your case consider asking a parent whose child is at home how much learning they are doing.

All the children in my school are being taught by their teachers and receiving their normal curriculum. This week, my Year 5 class have had English, maths and a reading session daily, as well as RE, art and geography. Then in our 'spare time' i.e. in the evenings and at the weekend, we set and mark work online.

That's so weird. They should be able and encouraged to access the same online learning that those at home get, definitely ask the question.

But equally I think it's very unfair if pupils in school receive a proper face to face education and the ones at home don't get that. Essentially I feel that all pupils should be treated as equally as possible.

All kids in school where I work are getting full time schooling in year groups. I'm not entirely sure re the kids at home but I know they are getting work set for them with some recorded lessons etc. I assumed all schools would be doing the same as our school have said deffo not just childcare this time.

Rather than complaining, can you say to the head that you’d like to print out and send in the home learning for your daughter to do instead of colouring and watching videos, and would that be ok? Do it via email. I really cannot see that a head teacher is going to refuse to allow a child to work independently on maths and English set by their teacher while in school, especially not via email.

I think they’re doing it deliberately to stop anyone who doesn’t need a KW place taking it. You work in the preschool - is her dad on the scene? If working from home could he keep her there? I’d so that’s that’s they’re hoping you’ll do I imagine.

How?
We are zooming live lessons from the classroom so those in and those at home get as much of a similar experience as possible, but those without internet access don't get that. They get printed out worksheets and explanations but it's not the same. What else can we do though?

We (in Scotland) are starting online on Monday. The keyworker children that are coming in will have full access to the work the others are doing, with a teacher or TA there to give them a hand when required.

My DD (yr 2) is going three days a week and there are five in her class and they have the same teacher as normal and are most definitely working.
Maybe they're just working out the logistics as it's the first week but dues to seem right.

Doesn't!

I would check whether what your DD says is true. I know if I put a video or DVD on at point in the day that is the only thing my class will go home and say they did. I had great mirth when my little one was in infants where I teach and when I asked what they had done would only ever say "watched this..." "coloured" etc... despite knowing full well all the other bits they had done. Thats just kids.

ATM our pupils will spend most of the afternoon doing colouring, dvds, i-pads etc as we are setting 3 tasks a day for our infant children - the same for at home and in school. We don't believe its fair to give a "full timetable" so those parents who really are juggling older children and WFH feel stressed to high heaven trying to get it done. We get through this in the morning thanks to quite intense teaching so we can spend the afternoon supporting online learning while one of u sand a TA supervises more free choice activities.

It's not ideal but times are harder than the first lockdown...last time 5 of my pupils were in...now 15 are. I'm only 4 short of my usual full class size and at times actually teach more pupils as we have to double up to free staff to support home learning.

Last time educare was Creche. This time it's full curriculum.

Sorry also meant to say, we took 3 days to get into swing of it as we didn't have a clue how many children would turn up on day 1, parents were still sorting WFH out etc and school was trying to decide how to best manage with 0 hours notice of a lockdown. I would give it another day or two (i.e. into next week) before taking it that this is how things will be. We set really simple online games for the first two days just to get kids working again while everyone found their feet.

All staff are at school, full timetable of learning. As are children at home.

I haven’t read al the comments, but I guess the teachers are busy planning and marking home learning stuff. It’s hard to do both.
I believe the point of schools being open for key worker children (ie children of parents who can’t wfh and have to ‘go out of the house’ to perform their role which is critical to keep the country going), is so they have somewhere safe to go.
Children in school shouldn’t get ‘teaching’ over and above what the children learning from home get. It’s so they have somewhere safe to go so the adult can still perform their key worker role.

No definitely they should be receiving the same at school as the children at home are. Speak to the head.

@MissMarpleDarling

Same as lockdown. My son went last time for a few weeks and did nothing I was surprised. You can do the homelearning after school with them so they do not fall behind. This time I kept him home so he can atleast be learning.

Last time the curriculum was suspended. It was childcare and there was no expectation to provide a prescribed level of home learning activities either.

I would just ask the school what the situation is re them working in school. Then ask about taking part in online learning during day if they say they aren't.