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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Home schooling - bit of a disaster

85 replies

Foncusion · 20/01/2021 17:35

Child is last year primary. Provision for remote learning is patchy at best. They seem to just get set a ton of work and have to work out themselves what needs to be done. There are two chaotic calls a day which are short and the same loud kids get their voices heard and the quiet ones get no chance. Teacher is often busy so can’t clarify after the call. It feels as though we are sitting doing homework all day with no live lessons. Also work isn’t marked and there’s no feedback. Is anyone else in primary getting live lessons? My older kids are and it works much much better. My primary child gets really stressed at having work set in bulk like this with hardly any interaction. It’s so hard too when both parents are working to suddenly have to stop to help him build an Egyptian pyramid or create a functional volcano out of plastic bottles, with no prior warning. There’s no interaction, it’s so lonely for him and frankly it’s just not good enough. Should I raise this and ask if live lessons could be introduced? Before anyone thinks I’m teacher bashing I’m not. Teacher is normally good, but I feel this is so disappointing even under the circumstances of a pandemic. It’s a fee paying school so feel very conscious that our money is going down the plug hole

OP posts:
Minikievs · 20/01/2021 20:53

My DS is Y6. No live lessons at all. A few videos or links to YouTube etc and then worksheets to complete.
They mostly get "marked" but on a very ad hoc basis so he doesn't really then correct the work that he's done wrong.
A few passive aggressive comments on the classroom link about kids not watching the videos etc properly as the worksheets "are very complicated if you've not followed the video" Hmm

It's much better than last time (just crappy Twinkl worksheets emailed round) but no live lessons is poor from the school and I'm pretty pissed off.

Stovetopespresso · 20/01/2021 20:59

my ds year 6 has needed so much intervention from me! so stressful while wfh, other 2 dc studying, trying to keep everyone ok while also wfh. the instructions from the school seem really complicated and teacher-y

It's not something I can leave him to get on with. no live lessons but recorded ones - I find them full of teaching terms I don't understand but am assured ds should!
naturally he plays on this. I have him in my "office" opposite me, if i see him smiling i know he's playing Minecraft and not working Grin

a friend was really surprised that he hasn't been offered a place at school as he has dyslexia and I have been struggling. but this time I am determined to dig deep this time. great communication and support from the school though but they expect much higher standards than I can deliver. They let him use a laptop tg, but drew the line at letting him record his answers. I ended up scribing for him today, virtually doing the work for him!

JoeWicksSurvivor · 21/01/2021 07:45

We get one live lesson a day where the teacher simply reads a chapter of a book. It’s annoying because reading is something I can do with my child. I’d rather they did a brief maths or English explanation in that time. I can’t do that.
Pre recorded short videos would be even better so we could watch at a time to fit in with my WFH and rewatch if unsure.
There are 3 classes in each year but every teacher does the exact same live book chapter reading.
If they each pre recorded one short 20 mins video lesson (each on a different subject ) that would be much better.
There doesn’t seem to be any joined up working across the school.
Yr 6 Primary

thegreenlight · 21/01/2021 08:16

My school is doing live maths and live English every day with a recorded lesson in the afternoon which sets tasks and gets children to complete some tasks along with the vid. All live lessons are recorded so anyone who can’t make it at the time can access it or go back over it if they need to. I hope it’s working well - no complaints from parents (yet!) but it’s so difficult to please everyone.On my son’s class parents WhatsApp they were moaning about no live lessons, and now they have them they are moaning about how much time the children spend in front of a screen!

KeyboardWorriers · 21/01/2021 08:48

@thegreenlight that sounds like a really sensible balance from your school. I would be delighted if my children's school provided that.

JoeWicksSurvivor · 21/01/2021 09:44

@thegreenlight your school has got it right. I wish mine would do similar.

Abraxan · 21/01/2021 09:50

Stovetop

Has he tried a talk to text type app?
One of the children in my school uses one at home - he posted that he'd used it to write up a piece of work yesterday - and I was impressed at how accurate it was.

Whatdidisay · 21/01/2021 09:53

Our local primary is fully online lessons all day for all years. Its excellent and the kids are learning as normal.

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 11:03

Gosh that wouldn't work for us. I'm glad ours isn't online all day!

thegreenlight · 21/01/2021 11:05

KeyboardWorriers
JoeWicksSurvivor
Thank you so much for saying that - it feels a bit like an echo chamber and I just want to get it right!

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 11:10

It must be so tricky for schools with the varying needs of the families.

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 11:12

We've been able to do maths and writing so far this morning (short video, structured task) and now decide to do our daily walk while it is sunny. When we come back we can do reading and topic but in our own time, and finish with an end of the day zoom. It really is fantastic. I don't think it would be great for a 9 year old to be stuck to a screen all day or not able to go at her own pace.

This is making me think I will email school to tell them (I've told them so on our weekly phone call but I think I will do so officially.)

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 14:38

I've emailed school and had a lovely reply. Definitely email your schools to encourage them if you like their provision. I think it must be so tough for them at the moment!

MrsNWT · 21/01/2021 15:12

It's a fee-paying school?!

Why are you asking us? Get on your email.

Totally unacceptable in any case and if it's a private school then YES you can expect way more in return for your money.

FreeButtonBee · 21/01/2021 15:29

I like to get all the worksheets at the start of the day so i can have a read of them and help plan the day. EG totally new topic - that will need to be reinforced by me. Something done before and being mastered - can leave them to it. I think you might need to spend a week or two helping him to plan his day - this is a skill that will be needed in secondary so it really pays to reinforce this now.

that said, no live lessons at all in a private school is really taking the piss.

We are in an inner london state school. 3 live lessons a day (30-40 mins for Y1 45-50 mins for Y3) at set times and a set weekly calendar so everyone knows where they are. Worksheets circulated in advance and sometimes they have time to make a start on them in the lesson, sometimes done after. All are marked and really lovely feedback given (much more than i was expecting). The also do guided reading once a fortnight or so.

Provision was extremely patchy last year but they have really pulled up their socks and I have been extremely impressed.

ohnothisagain · 21/01/2021 18:28

Year 3, and we have live lessons from. 9 to 3:30 every day, with teachers and TAs supporting. same for all years, from reception on, and we had had the same during the 2020 lockdown

ohnothisagain · 21/01/2021 18:33

To add, for most children at our school both parents work full time. We can’t support a full curriculum at home! Very few keyworker places are taken up (5% of kids), because provision is so good at home.

Theforest · 21/01/2021 18:37

I am pissed off but we get no live lessons. Year 5.
I am also working and feel like I am failing at it all. DC isn't getting teacher interaction that he needs.

I have asked many times for live lessons via class dojo but to no avail. Getting more frustrated by the day. Guess I will have to call the Head who will probably fob me off.

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 18:38

Wow I'm so glad our school didn't decide to do all day live lessons for primary. I'm even more impressed with our schools offer and how well it has suited my child now!!

Dannydevitoiloveyourart · 21/01/2021 18:44

@Marmite27

My reception child has live lessons at 9am, 10am, 11am, 1:30pm and 2:30pm.

State school, so I’d say definitely not good enough if your paying fees.

That sounds like hell 😱 how do working parents manage? Especially given that with a reception child you would need to be there with them helping them do the work or making sure it’s getting done.

I think for the younger primary school aged children (age 4-7), one live session a day is plenty so that the children can hear their teachers’ voice. And everything else should be pre-recorded so that working parents have more flexibility to try and do the lessons around their employment.

By spreading out live lessons like that your school are putting children of working parents at a massive disadvantage.

ohnothisagain · 21/01/2021 18:47

@RememberSelfCompassion no live lessons is great if you have loafs of time on your hands. it doesn’t work for working parents - children of working parents won’t get anything if no lessons are offered. luve lessons aren’t compulsory, but not offering them means seriously disadvantaging children.

ohnothisagain · 21/01/2021 18:51

That sounds like hell 😱 how do working parents manage? Especially given that with a reception child you would need to be there with them helping them do the work or making sure it’s getting done.
Its awesome! i’m in phone conferences most day, i can’t support my child. Any decent live lesson doesn’t need parental involvement, that’s the beauty. takes the kids snout a day or so to understand how to logg on, and off they go

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 18:54

Fulltime live lessons would be very difficult for children sharing tech, or for children that don't want to be sat staring at a screen all day. Or for working parents who can't supervise at that moment - we have short videos so the ccild can be set up in between work calls. I think we're really lucky.

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 18:57

Its precisely because of working parents/shifts/sharing tech that I think our school didn't go down the full time live lesson option. Also that they're not always that good....

RememberSelfCompassion · 21/01/2021 18:59

Danny. Agree completely.