Year 7 the lost generation

[Marzipan12]

I've heard this a few times now, the thinking is that year 7 have missed out more than anybody else. This annoys me surely at this point every year group has missed out. My child is year 8, missed over an entire term of year 7, disrupted learning so far in year 8 and home learning for half a term. Every other year group has missed the same. Some year 7 parents think their kids have missed out more, regardless that they had time back in school to finish year 6 and didn't miss an entire term of their first year in high school. I would say this puts year 7 at an advantage over other year groups. They certainly are not the lost generation that some are making them out to be in fact they are one of the more fortunate year groups.

Exactly @hardboiledeggs.

We've all lost a year of our lives. Lots of us have lost people we love. It's shit all round. Nobody anywhere has had a good year.

Some people have been hit harder financially than others. Some people's safety has been more compromised than others. Some people's opportunities have been more curtailed than others. But nobody is having a good time.

Globally, some governments have addressed this fairly well. The citizens of those countries have experienced less of an impact. But overall it's been a crap year. Unless you're Jeff Bezos.

Geez, you are heavily invested in your Y8 winning the Disadvantaged Olympics.

All years have had a tough time. I think last year’s Y13 have it worst, but I would, as one of my children is in that year. The chaos over exams yes or no, the results, losing places at university for many, then the revised results, paying 9K fees and 6K accommodation then every single social event and face to face lecture cancelled, trapped in their accommodation with strangers in an unknown city not able to make any friends.

I’d say similar for this year’s Y13, the Y11s whose GCSE results are being assessed in totally different ways from school to school, the R-Y1 who have missed so much developmental socialising, stuck at home with their parents parents and no children to play with.

It’s been shite for everyone.

I have a year 7 child, he didn't get to go back to primary at all after March, not even for one day. His school only had reception and year 1 back. They didn't have year 6 back as no room with keyworker children.

My year 9 child is finding it much harder missing school for so long, he's become very disengaged with his education.

@LuaDipa

All kids have had it tough. They have been kept home and separated from their friends and it has been pretty rubbish for all of them. I feel most for the kids who were sent off to uni and charged a fortune for accommodation that many will not be using, and those that were supposed to be sitting exams tbh.

To be fair some have loved it. One of my GC would happily never go back.

I have a child in Y7 and a child in Y8. The Y7 child has missed out on much more: no real closure at the end of primary, no residential/school play/leavers assembly/leavers photos. On the last day of school they weren't allowed to hug their friends goodbye. I could see some of the teachers holding back tears because of how obviously shit it was. They had no transition days for secondary school either. It was incomparably worse for them than for my now Y8. I also teach in a secondary school and cried with the Y11s/Y13s who suffered the same thing - sent home in March with no send-off and no closure from a whole chapter of their lives. Every age group has lost learning, but the school leavers had it worse, no question. That said, I wouldn't call them a lost generation. There are children in the world growing up in refugee camps and war-zones. Ours have just missed a year of school.

Every year group has lost out in different ways but as a teacher I would consider the Year 10s having lost out the most. Year 7 and 8 have got enough time to catch up and settle down.

Year 10 lost out a big chunk of the end of Year 9 which was crucial ground work for their GCSE courses. They then started their GCSE courses with all the stress and restrictions of covid - in and out of school due to isolating, teachers unable to help them in the same way (we can't get close to them in class to check their work in class) and then remote learning. Many have lost a year of learning at a crucial time. Next year they will then have to sit full GCSE external exams.

Year 12 are to some extent in a similar position to the year 10s but in our school we started the Alevel courses in year 11 and because they were able students, who chose to study the subject, did really well with remote learning so we are way ahead with the course content.

It's been an awful time for so many people and I don't think it is necessary to be putting so much of your energy into arguing over whether year 7s or year 8s have had it worse and comparing their respective experiences of the bloody Bunsen burners

No age is a "lost generation". It's scaremongering. They've had different experiences this year, is all.

Basically from what I can see is,that everyone thinks the year their kids are in had it the hardest!

But the lost generation guff is pure Mills and Boon melodrama

Well it's not really. It's being used inaccurately here as the children in question are neither a generation nor lost. But at the time it was coined it was considered to have resonance and it makes sense in that context.

I think "lost generation" is s bit too dramatic, they aren't an quite returning from the ww1 trenches.

Having said that I think Corona will take its toll on a lot of generations, with the younger (between say 7 and 25) being most affected.

@DogsAreShit

Well it's not really. It's being used inaccurately here as the children in question are neither a generation nor lost. But at the time it was coined it was considered to have resonance and it makes sense in that context.

I was talking about it’s use in the context of this thread - where it’s being applied to Year 7s! The original context I have no issue with, but that wasn’t actually the point.

Oh ok I agree with you then.

I have a year 7. I don't think it's a competition, but in my opinion year 11 have had it worse.

The I feel sorry for those who started University in 2019, they've had two very important years completely fucked about.

I have a Y3, a Y7 and a Y8. The Y7 had a very chilled lockdown 1, didn't have much work to do, was still in the safe primary environment and was very happy to not have SATs. My Y8 was still adjusting to secondary, and had regular tears because she is conscientious and found the project based workload overwhelming and stressful. She produced some good work and gained some valuable skills but it was a really hard time for her. The latest lockdown they have received zoom lessons and followed their usual timetable so it's been much less disruptive for my Y7 than it was for my Y8 last year.

I think year 11s have suffered the most. Disrupted year 10 and now year 11. That's nearly two terms of their GCSE years. Missed year 10 exams, and now missing real GCSEs.

Parent of yr7 have never claimed yr7 have had it worse. OP YABU where have you even seen/heard this?

Yes it was a shame there was no primary leavers party/ assembly/ residential etc but not the end of the world.

If anything yr 3,4,5,6 have had less time in school, less remote lessons & less contact with friends. Agree with all posters that say whatever the age children have missed out on different things. There was a post the other day about pre-school parents missing soft-play - can totally understand that as much as I understand parents of University students feeling sad their experience is so different to normal. Parents don't need to compete about whose children have had it worse.

@Marzipan12

55%think I'm being unreasonable. So 55%think that year 7s are the lost generation and have had it harder than any other year. Unbelievable. So their attitude is exam year groups have had it easier than their precious year 7s. Sad world we live in.

What's unbelievable is your attitude! Just rude.

@Marzipan12

55%think I'm being unreasonable. So 55%think that year 7s are the lost generation and have had it harder than any other year. Unbelievable. So their attitude is exam year groups have had it easier than their precious year 7s. Sad world we live in.

Well, you think that your precious year 8 is more important so 🤷🏻‍♀️

I guess what I'm trying to say is year 8 should be treated as a priority.