Private schools are performing better during Covid?

[Hoolieannabanana]

I know private schools perform better than state schools but are they actually better just now or is there just a perception that they are as they are having more live lessons? What makes them better just now in particular?

DD's school are rewarding DC's next week with a day off. They still have to get up and register, albeit a bit later, they will then be given a list of optional tasks that DO NOT require computers, and then need to turn up to an assembly later in the day, and share their creative talents. Great idea.

I don't accept that private schools "perform" better than state schools, during a pandemic, or not during a pandemic.

Why do you take that as read OP?

Are you seriously asking what makes wealthy, well-resourced private schools better in a crisis than under-resourced state schools?

If that isn't totally obvious to you then... Wow 😳

The problem that we (and our neighbours) have is the local internet network. It's slow, cuts out regularly, and is particularly bad during working hours when we are all trying to use it.
Incidentally all families on the street count as as Keyworker families.
One family is double Keyworker, so obviously in.
Other state school families... Doing best we can. No space in school if there's a parent at home.
Private school family... In school. There's space.

My DSS's half sister (who lives with his mum, he lives with us) goes to private school. She's 7, but is still attending. I asked DSS how come, and he said it works differently for private schools. Apparently their entire school are still attending. But with brilliant safety precautions in place.

So, that could be one reason.

Money talks. Money always talks.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

I don't accept that private schools "perform" better than state schools, during a pandemic, or not during a pandemic.

Why do you take that as read OP?

Really? Why on earth do you think people pay for them?

Private schools will do better due to resourcing. I teach at a state primary in a deprived London borough. We were given 50 chrome books by the DFE, which we have given out, alongside lending all of our in school tech. We still have many families in situations where 3+ children are sharing a phone to do all of their work.

We also have many families where the parents can’t support at all as they don’t speak English. Families living chaotic lives and desperately worried about money. The problems are big and complex.

DS is at a private school and has live learning everyday as his school timetable as if he were at school. We've had two calls a week to check on his mental well-being (he's in his element, lazy toad not having to get his arse out of bed to wash and get the bus) and if he were not to finish any work they'd contact us immediately. He's in y at 11 but it's like this for all years apparently.

DD is at state primary and has 6 pieces of work to complete through the course of the day and to be turned in on teams. She has a call with her teacher once a week and a class catch up with 10 of her peers too.

DS definitely has better provision but to be honest I'd expect nothing less considering we are still paying full school fees.

And the parents care just as much as those whose DC are in private school, I’m sure. But in many cases they just are not equipped to help with learning for a whole host of reasons.

A lot of it simply down to resources and autonomy. Private schools can afford the technology, they have more control over their curriculum and a better teacher pupil ratio.
My 2 DS are in a private senior school and have had full online lessons from the start of the first lockdown. Sport and extracurricular have continued in an adapted format as have parents’ evenings and school meetings.

My DC have their own desk and laptop. I am wfh in a job where I have some ability to flex my schedule so if one of them needs me I can often stop and help.

Any school with this level of resourcing should be doing well. In this sense private schools are better placed to continue teaching as normally / fully as possible rather than simply being better. This situation has highlighted the underinvestment in state education.

I teach at a large inner city comp with a big social and ethnic mix. We are doing live lessons as well as providing pre-recorded lessons and tasks for the students to do.

The biggest signifier in the progress our kids are making is the provision of tech at home and parental support, not what we are providing. We have given out as many laptops as we can but it's not enough.

Take my year 13 class - 75% of the kids have their own laptop, place to study, parents who can support, accessing all online live lessons, completing work, making progress. The other 25% have to contend with issues like: no tech, parent in prison, one is homeless, looking after disabled younger siblings.

My year 10 class is exactly the same- maybe 2/3 are flying - accessing all my live lessons etc. The others have no tech, no printer, younger siblings, parent with addiction issues etc.

The lockdown will massively exacerbate social inequality.

I work in a state school in a nice middle class area. (just to set the stage)

On Monday morning the catering staff sort and deliver food parcels to those that have FSM.

Food tech supplies PPG, FSM, and LAC with ingredients for the weeks practical lessons.

DT supplies a work pack of materials for the same (and a few more) and has subscribed to home licences for various programs (on top of what they already have)

Other packs have included, stationary, paper, card, tape, glue.

On top of that we have provided laptops and wifi dongles (with some money on them).

We have just received the government laptops that were promised last year. (they are actual netbooks with no facility to add apps or programs).

And We still have pupils that are doing research on phones because it is the only way that they can connect to the net.

This doesn't take in to account the work that the SEND department is doing with their current cohorts.
Or how lessons have to be differentiated to try and take these issues in to account

If you have read all that you may have some idea why private is better than state.

@ChazsBrilliantAttitude

A lot of it simply down to resources and autonomy. Private schools can afford the technology, they have more control over their curriculum and a better teacher pupil ratio. My 2 DS are in a private senior school and have had full online lessons from the start of the first lockdown. Sport and extracurricular have continued in an adapted format as have parents’ evenings and school meetings.

My DC have their own desk and laptop. I am wfh in a job where I have some ability to flex my schedule so if one of them needs me I can often stop and help.

Any school with this level of resourcing should be doing well. In this sense private schools are better placed to continue teaching as normally / fully as possible rather than simply being better. This situation has highlighted the underinvestment in state education.

Yes totally agree with all this.

I have one in private and one at state. The difference in provision is night and day. State school are STILL not doing any live teaching, no recorded lessons, no phone calls etc, literally sending a white rose maths lesson and load of twinkl worksheets. It's shocking, the head is a self declared technophobe, she's had since March to get to grips and still nothing. My child in private by contrast has to be up, dressed and in registration by 8.45, he has live lessons all day, mental health seminars to attend, sports skills videos to practice from, all work is marked and returned the next day. Yes, we pay fees so of course the expectation is higher but why can't state offer at least one live lesson per day?

Fiftysixthnamechange

Could you lay off the generalisation of "why can't state".

You have already partially answered why your child's school (primary?) doesn't offer live lessons.

@FrippEnos

Fiftysixthnamechange

Could you lay off the generalisation of "why can't state".

You have already partially answered why your child's school (primary?) doesn't offer live lessons.

No, I can't 'lay off' state education and the lack of actual teaching. It's 2021, no headteacher in the country, especially one with 800 pupils, should be flapping their hands around whining 'I don't know anything about computers so we can't do any live teaching' it's ridiculous. Do you really think a few twinkl worksheets is adequate? And I've got no cause for complaint?

Fiftysixthnamechange

So you are going to generalise against all schools because your child's school isn't doing something?

I agree that your child's school could be doing more.

But if you can't see why generalising against a whole group is wrong, then there is no hope for you.

@FrippEnos

Fiftysixthnamechange

So you are going to generalise against all schools because your child's school isn't doing something?

I agree that your child's school could be doing more.

But if you can't see why generalising against a whole group is wrong, then there is no hope for you.

Aren't we all just speaking from personal experience though? I'm sure there are many state schools providing an excellent education, sadly that's not my experience. It's not generalising a whole group to speak from your own experience.

Fiftysixthnamechange

It is generalising to talk about "why can't state" and not why can't my child's school.

Your experience is of one state school not all of them.

@FrippEnos

Fiftysixthnamechange

It is generalising to talk about "why can't state" and not why can't my child's school.

Your experience is of one state school not all of them.

We are ALL talking from personal experience. Noone has all the answers! Some state schools are shit, some private schools are shit (although they don't tend to stay around for long). Some state schools are excellent. Some private schools are excellent.

@Fiftysixthnamechange

why can't state offer at least one live lesson per day?

Couldn't agree with you more.

Its appalling that they don't. None of the schools in my local authority area are delivering live teaching.

Frodont

I am not disagreeing that the provision at Fiftysixthnamechange's state school is not brilliant.

I am pointing out as you have just done that not all state provision is rubbish.

Generalising about it won't help and is frankly offensive to those teachers that are providing more that what has been generalised.

@Frodont - people pay for the extra curriculars, the lovely green lawns and buildings, the swimming pools, the endless resources, the trips abroad, the longer school hours, the old boy network, the fact that they think it will help their children elbow past the hoi polloi when applying for University or in the workplace, for sentimental reasons, because they've got so much money it would seem wrong not to, because they are scared of the state school system, because they are keeping up family traditions, because they like the idea of small class sizes, because they like the idea of buying advantage. And hundreds of other reasons. But selective private schools really are not going to get better exam results for bright pupils than an average state school. The poster who said that private schools "perform" better, I assume she meant they do better in the exam grade league tables. Well in theory yes, but it's impossible to know as there aren't any state comprehensives who exclusively take children who have been tutored and tested from day 1 of their education and then have to pass a tough exam to get in!

Do they deliver better 18 year olds into society? Nah, I really don't believe so.

[quote GintyMcGinty]@Fiftysixthnamechange

why can't state offer at least one live lesson per day?

Couldn't agree with you more.

Its appalling that they don't. None of the schools in my local authority area are delivering live teaching.[/quote]
In our local authority all primaries and secondaries are teaching live. You can’t generalise to all state from one area.

Parents are buying into the "more live lessons=better" narrative with no understanding of good practice at all. This is understandable as there's just no research or understanding of good online practice, so 'number of hours in front of a teacher' is having to act as a proxy for good education. I have friends teaching in the private sector who say that private schools are filling the maximum amount of time with live lessons to justify their fees.

Private schools generally teach in a more didactic 'chalk and talk' way which is more easily transferable to online learning.
If we taught this way in the state sector we would be panned by Ofsted, our methods don't translate as well to what are essentially lectures.