AIBU to think that a child having a zoom one-to-one with parent present isn't a safeguarding issue?

[dramalamma]

I had a parent teacher meeting over the phone yesterday for DD (7). She's been really struggling to engage the last week after being really good at keeping up and is refusing to watch the teachers videos so her teacher suggested a one on one zoom call just to help her with one maths concept and touch base. They do have class zoom calls twice a week but she's the oldest in a composite class (youngest is 4) so it gets a bit crazy and she doesn't really get to say what she wants to.
I've just had a message (very apologetic) to say headteacher has said she can't do this as it's a child protection/safeguarding issue even if I'm there the whole time.
Do other children/schools have one on ones? I can see how it's not necessary or advised when they're at school but surely during lockdown it's a bit different and with the parent present? Any ideas how I can challenge this/find a way around it?

Billyismybunny
Your experience is what I've encountered.

Both at the school where I work and the school my DC attend, one to one is not allowed under any circumstances. One of my DC's classes have a voluntary "come and ask any questions" session every day, if only one child turns up then the meeting is immediately cancelled. I think the teacher arrives five minutes late, giving children a chance to tune in.

@Solidaritea

It's about protecting the teacher and is very sensible.

A child and parent could make up something about the teacher and lead to serious consequences. I'm sure you wouldn't but it does happen.

Could be solved by the teacher recording it, or by having it 1:2.

This.

We have to have two members of staff on any teams lessons/meetings with children or class so that false allegations about staff can't be made by children or parents. Can sometimes be difficult to manage as there are not always two members of staff available.

Our school is refusing any zoom (primary) due to safe guarding reasons. Something to do with teacher unions

Its preposterous. What are all the SEN childrem who need 1 to 1 supposed to do

My Y2 child has a 1.1 on Teams every week with the teacher. It isn’t recorded. I’m usually in the background, but don’t spend the entire time in the room. It’s an invaluable session - far more useful to my child than the whole class live lessons.

If the school are concerned for the teacher they could insist the parent is there and also record the call.

Very bizarre decision - I would challenge it. A phone call might not be a good solution. I know my daughter wouldn’t respond as well if she couldn’t see her teacher on screen. They are too little.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

There are lots of teachers on here. Perhaps some of the teachers on here saying it isnt possible can learn from some of the teachers who are making it happen. Really we need a centralised teacher resource sharing platform where standardised policies can be shared, in the same way childminders often use generic policies from PACEY with adaptations. For example my sisters school has a parental code of conduct which must be signed etc for 1 to 1 contacts to go ahead.

Rubbish.

A peripatetic teacher doing music lessons on a 1:1 basis with a few children and an LSA working 1:1 with a child as they normally do in school is very different to expecting a teacher with a class responsibility of 30 children who is probably also teaching key worker children in school to do 1:1 meetings.

If a child in my class was struggling and needed a 1:1 session I absolutely would try my best to do it. However putting all teachers into one large lump and saying if one can do it then they all can is wrong.

Talk to the school about other options. A video message? A phone call?

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Its preposterous. What are all the SEN childrem who need 1 to 1 supposed to do

Ds school are providing it. Ds is getting his lesson support and his iep work each day. I will be forever grateful for the fact that her hard work has made it possible for ds to engage in school even when he can’t be in.

There was a Staffroom thread that made it clear the majority of secondary teachers and many primary teachers are NOT provided with a school laptop so the poster who said all teachers have been provided with them since the 90s is talking complete nonsense.

Did a school really say they can't do online lessons because of unions? The unions are not saying that and I'm sure the vast majority of teachers are doing online lessons. I'd be very surprised if that's what the school actually said and it's not more to do with live teaching not necessarily being the most effective method for that school.

And there are quite a number of grumpy posts about teachers needing to step up but the OP is a perfect example of a teacher trying to do the right thing but being told by their management they can't. Many people on MN seem to assume class teachers have lots of autonomy to make their own decisions about policy. We have to do as our managers tell us same as in most jobs!

Hope you find a way forward OP.

@Rowenasemolina, you are sadly rather misguided. I teach many many 1-1 sessions, on my own in a room in non-pandemic times with a student giving them an individual music lesson. How we mitigate the risk is by having a timetable where the other music staff know who is where at all times, by having windows in each door so anyone passing can look in and windows on the opposite wall to the door, so anyone passing the outside of the window can look in.

If a kid comes and asks me to explain something, I let a colleague know "I'm just going into room A with X to explain Z. I'll be around 10 minutes." Job done.

I continued to teach live 1-1 lessons in the spring, but don't have the head space right now. They were delivered over Teams and in each lesson, a parent waved to me even though the students were all 14+. When I called a kid in November who had not been in school since March, I asked to see parents; it was actually a lovely thing because they thanked me profusely for getting in touch and they could put a face to the name.

Safeguarding is NOT just about children. It is about the adults too. I'm lucky in that in my current schools, both have given me laptops. One is state of the art and runs Teams. The other is ancient & tries to run Google. In the Google school, because I do specialist work only, I am just covering bubbles at the moment so don't need it. In the first school, I am delivering a live component of each timetabled lesson. I will not use my own device for any of it for safeguarding reasons, safeguarding ME, I use the school-issued machine instead. The only photos on it are those taken with a school device and stored securely on their servers. On my phone, I don't take photos of anything to do with students.

To the OP, I think the Head is trying to safeguard their staff, but not going about it very sensitively. The teacher may well be using their own device - potential safeguarding issue. The teacher may have their own children about - potential safeguarding issue. The teacher may live in a flat/house share where anyone can wander in - potential safeguarding issue. I know these sound extreme, but the Head has to be sure and it is much easier to issue a blanket "no" than go through the whole shebang with every parent.

One thing you could suggest is going into school to meet the teacher after the KW/vulnerable kids have gone home e.g at 4pm for 15 minutes. With you & your DC in a classroom, you could easily be socially distanced. The Head could sit in too so everyone feels comfortable. It's not ideal but I find constructive comments much more likely to yield results.

@Subordinateclause
Yes. I am a primary school teacher currently providing online learning to my class including some live lessons on a laptop paid for by me. I do have a work ipad but it's not suitable for all forms of online learning. Some parents would be surprised to find out how much of their child's education, in covid and none covid times, is subsidised out of the teacher's own pocket!!

Dd (8) has 1:1 instrument lessons and I’m not in the room.
Ds (13) has 1:1 teams calls with his 1:1 support assistant (SEN)