To think if this goes on much longer that children, college and uni students should repeat the year?

[Walkerby]

Just that really. Even if they go back after Feb half term (big if) that’s just one term in school/college/uni under their belts in close to a year and most of that catching up what they missed first lockdown.

With this on the hoof home learning way below the quality of in-school learning whichever way you look at it, and such disparity between kids in what learning they’re getting/achieving from home, surely they deserve the opportunity to all get on a level playing field again and where they deserve to be education-wise? To get at least one consistent academic year of education out of the two now affected by the pandemic? It’s disrupted two academic years now and counting, and consequences are inevitable for all age groups. Why should all those in education during the pandemic suffer the dent in their education/chances that they’ll likely be left with?

There must be ways to help would-be new school starters in September if that happened, so much has been said of the benefits of starting school a year later like other countries. They’d need to make the right provision for the first year of would-be-starters to be nurtured and further EYFS educated, state funded so parents aren’t having to find another year of nursery fees, and I know doing that would be no small potatoes but its possible. Mine are in secondary now but I’d have been right behind a slightly later start though I know not everyone feels the same.

There’s no right or wrong opinions on this are there, just putting it out there as genuinely interested in what other parents and teachers are thinking.

I have two DS who are both at different unis doing different subjects. The unis have taken slightly different approaches with CV19 (voluntary versus mandatory CV19 testing and different restrictions etc). but both are receiving good online lectures and seminars. One of my DS does lab work and has been allowed to continue this although it's face to face. I don't think they should have to repeat a year.

If students should repeat a year (if teaching has been sub-standard - and I'm not sure how that would be judged) who would pay? Course costs at uni at 9k+ and accommodation 6k+ and there are also living expenses.

That's an at least 1 extra classroom needed in every school and the staffing implications are huge. It's not an awful idea in theory but the practicalities would make it very difficult.

God no. My dd would go right off the rails if forced to go over all the same work again for her gcses that they have been ploughing through. She is ready to move on the 6th form college and would be devastated.

I'm not in favour of increasing the age at which children start school but maybe that's because I'm in an area where the benefits of a very early start are huge.

There is an ongoing thread about this in the Covid topic I think.

Where are the extra teachers coming from to deal with new intakes when the other kids are still there? The classrooms? University admission? Parents waiting to go back into the workplace? Kids who have continued studying throughout lockdown and are more than ready to move on?

Totally get that the theory is way less complicated than reality, and that while it may suit my kids it would be a terrible idea for others.

Any other ideas on how to mitigate the impact of the disruption for them?

This would cause huge financial issues for the university sector, who are already on their knees.

Also, there are bright children in every year and some of them will be even further ahead of their peers when this is over. Holding them back wouldn’t be a great idea.

And the starting later like in other countries comes after 3 years of almost obligatory, full-time nursery.
I'm in one of those countries and when my daughter started primary at 6, she'd done full time nursery from 3 and the final year of nursery she learned to read, write and si basic maths. Starting primary at 6 where I am means a 30 hour week with bums on seats and 2-3 hours homework every night. One child in the class was unable to read and write when he started primary and he had to attend a remedial course in the afternoon.

What in earth do you plan to do with the bulge double year going through?

Better to adjust expectations for a few year.groups than try to manage that for the next decade or two.

Another coronavirus thread, yay!

@SOLINVICTUS

And the starting later like in other countries comes after 3 years of almost obligatory, full-time nursery. I'm in one of those countries and when my daughter started primary at 6, she'd done full time nursery from 3 and the final year of nursery she learned to read, write and si basic maths. Starting primary at 6 where I am means a 30 hour week with bums on seats and 2-3 hours homework every night. One child in the class was unable to read and write when he started primary and he had to attend a remedial course in the afternoon.

I always come on to say the same. My family live in a country often quoted as 'starting later', and so many posters on here ignore the fact that by that age all the children are fully literate and often fluently bilingual.

I have been really fortunate that DS1 at university and DD at college have had really good remote learning. If they were to repeat it would be extra consolidation and still remain ahead. The answers need to be addressed in the area where the gap has increased. I suppose targeted resources ra than than blanket decisions.

@Squirrelblanket

Another coronavirus thread, yay!

What were you expecting from the title?

The kids currently in each class need to move on so the next lot of kids can take their place. Repeating a year would require extra classrooms and teachers, and at university they’d have to pay for another year. It can’t realistically be done.

I do think there is something to be said for this but at the same time my Y6 is ready for secondary next year despite what may well be two years of disrupted education. DD is year 8 so she was year 7 in the March lockdown, she had her daily taught timetable live via google classroom from day 1 of the March lockdown. Full lessons, full days the only content she missed was being able to practice stuff in labs. She is back to full live timetable again this week so again all that’s missing is the lab experiments. I don’t think she would benefit from repeating the year in any way, but last year her friends at another school did nothing from March to September.

Many children are emotionally ready to make the next move (to secondary school, to start gcses, to leave school) forcing a repeat year would be emotionally damaging.

Starting school later works in other countries cos its set up for that. You'd have to change the whole primary system.

I'm in France where school used to be mandatory from age 6, optional from age 3 (it is now mandatory from age 3).

The first 3 years they are in classes of roughly 28-32 children with 1 teacher and 1 TA. They are basically learning how to behave in school and start recognizing numbers and letters and writing their names. The behaviour is to do with waiting your turn, interacting with others etc. They also play a bit.

Age 6 they start learning to read. No more toys in the classroom, bums on seats all day. My DS (6) can now read pages with 15 lines of text (no pictures) and writes with a fountain pen. He is learning maths, has a (4-5 stanza) poem to learn off by heart every 2 weeks and has dictation tests.

My nephew is year 2 and is in the UK. He is reading books with 3 or 4 lines per page and seems to have zero homework. He "learnt to read" 2 years before my DS but my DS has overtaken him really quickly by learning later.

Also in France, if you don't meet the required level you re-do the year. This is mich better than a blanket holding everyone back a year.

@SOLINVICTUS

And the starting later like in other countries comes after 3 years of almost obligatory, full-time nursery. I'm in one of those countries and when my daughter started primary at 6, she'd done full time nursery from 3 and the final year of nursery she learned to read, write and si basic maths. Starting primary at 6 where I am means a 30 hour week with bums on seats and 2-3 hours homework every night. One child in the class was unable to read and write when he started primary and he had to attend a remedial course in the afternoon.

Another one here who thinks this is worth repeating. Yes there are countries where children start formal education later, but it doesn't mean they've done bugger all learning before that.

Universities would have no new students & current students would need to pay for an extra year - where is the funding coming from?
Nurseries would be full to bursting & no places for newly turned 3 year olds who are just as entitled to a place as anyone else.
Pupils in Scotland up to S2(ish) are possibly in a slightly better position - the curriculum is not as prescriptive and each level is already taught across several years. They are not required to have completely covered/achieved every single aspect of a level before moving on so a focus on literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing could, for the most part allow pupils to be back to roughly where they would have been without the interruptions. Not perfect but a bit more manageable. As I understand it the English curriculum is a bit more prescriptive but happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.

Sorry, ridiculous idea. Who would fund it? Are all years going to repeat? What about the reception kids due to start in September? They stay at nursery? Or they join the repeat receptioners?
Bonkers!

YABVVVU

Many children are emotionally ready to make the next move (to secondary school, to start gcses, to leave school) forcing a repeat year would be emotionally damaging.

If students should repeat a year who would pay? Course costs at uni at 9k+ and accommodation 6k+ and there are also living expenses.

God no. My dd would go right off the rails if forced to go over all the same work again for her gcses that they have been ploughing through. She is ready to move on the 6th form college and would be devastated.

Where are the extra teachers coming from to deal with new intakes when the other kids are still there? The classrooms?

The kids currently in each class need to move on so the next lot of kids can take their place. Repeating a year would require extra classrooms and teachers

Plus, many, many students are getting a good education. Different from other years, yes, but my dd in her first year at University has a pretty full timetable and is working hard - don't believe the sensationalist headlines to be true across the board.

Soooooooooo many reasons why this is a ridiculous suggestion.