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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 10/11 year olds should be given an actual book?

234 replies

DinDjarin · 26/01/2023 21:01

DD(10)'s homework this week is to read up to page 10 in the book they are reading in class. The teacher has scanned (badly, so there's an inch or two of black around the wonky page) every single page of the book and uploaded it as a pdf on google drive. DD says they don't have a copy of the book in class.

I think they should be reading from a book at this age.

YABU - this is fine
YANBU - they should be given a copy of the book

PS is it even legal to scan and distribute a book like that?

OP posts:
Patineur · 26/01/2023 23:29

Back in the day schools would have 30 copies of the relevant books that would be passed down from year to year. I remember being schmoozed by publishers giving out free books in the hope that you'd adopt them for the entire year group.

I get it that prices have gone up and budgets have gone down, but it's a real shame that children aren't getting that feeling from an early age of sitting down immersed in a book till the last page is turned. I know some will have books at home and some will use libraries, but an awful lot won't - and those were the ones for whom availability of school books used to open so many doors in the past.

UnicorseTime · 26/01/2023 23:31

This is the truth of school budgets and the tip of the iceberg of underfunded provision in school

Yet people don't support the teacher strikes?! 🤦‍♀️

Forever42 · 27/01/2023 06:22

The posts about the better funding of the education system in Ireland are very interesting. I understand teachers are also better paid there. Yet on all the threads about strikes we are told teachers can't expect a pay rise because the country doesn't have enough money. Yet if Ireland, a supposedly less wealthy country affected in the same way by Covid/Ukraine etc can still.manage to fund its education system properly then so can we.

This government has done a real number on the British public persuading them that we cannot afford a decent education or health service.

Stickstickstickstickstick · 27/01/2023 06:28

Why don’t we just teach the same thing every year? Because new books are published. Because if we taught the same books we were teaching years ago there’d be threads asking why teachers never change the texts. Because different groups of children enjoy different texts.

Believeitornot · 27/01/2023 06:30

Schools don’t have money and certainly don’t have money to burn buying books.

That is how tight school budgets are after endless budget cuts. It’s hard to believe but that is the case.

Think about it. Do you think the teacher wants to sit there and scan page after page after page? No. They wouldn’t if they had the money to just buy the books.

Schools have been gutted and it’s the teachers and support staff left holding it together.

Believeitornot · 27/01/2023 06:32

UnicorseTime · 26/01/2023 23:31

This is the truth of school budgets and the tip of the iceberg of underfunded provision in school

Yet people don't support the teacher strikes?! 🤦‍♀️

Exactly this!!

This government wastes money and could find the money if it could.

This would have the long term benefit of ensuring that people are properly educated and, funnily enough, help the economy in the long run.

MintJulia · 27/01/2023 06:33

My ds is at an independent school, and they don't provide books either.

We are provided with a book list at the beginning of each year and asked to buy a set for our child. If the school can get an educational discount by buying in bulk then they order en masse, and add the books to the bill.

They put the relevant page on the class Teams group as well.

I think the days of schools providing books have gone.

Nectarines · 27/01/2023 06:43

If only we could afford to provide a book for each child…

I teach year 6 and we have studied eight books so far this year. That would cost around £50 per child/ 1500 for one class and we are only halfway through the year.

I like to expose the children to a wide range of literature, including brand new books. This means it would never be a one time investment.

I do sometimes photocopy pages for the children. I’m doing the best I can with a very limited budget.

For years now, schools have had ridiculously high standards to meet, an increasingly challenging curriculum and no money at all to support them.

that is why I am striking.

Original poster
DinDjarin · 27/01/2023 06:48

Two of the class books the equivalent class had last year were brand new. Even allowing for 5 to have been damaged beyond repair, there would be enough for all of DD's class.

@WhatHappenedToYoyos I don't believe you can add a voice over to a picture. Enlarging it on the screen just makes it blurry.

I remember having to buy books for school, but that was at secondary and only books that you were expected to annotate.

@MintJulia Id have nothing against that, actually. If they were prepared enough to say "we're studying x,y,z. These books will be made available online or you can buy ...." and give the isbn so we know to buy the same version. I'd even be willing to pay a bit extra if the school got a bulk discount and sold them. I'm well aware I'm lucky to be able to.

I don't see how they can work from it in class, they can't do any group reading or refer back to the book as there aren't computers/devices in the classroom for each child.

I also don't believe reading from a screen is as beneficial as reading from paper. It's a different experience.

OP posts:
QuillBill · 27/01/2023 06:49

Macaroni46 · 26/01/2023 22:27

The naivety of some posters thinking schools can afford to buy a class set of books! If only! When studying a text, we're lucky if we can afford one copy of the book between 3 classes.
Schools are seriously underfunded people!

Exactly, quite often we use YouTube for books, if we are only using thee story a few times.

And we won't be able to afford the paper or toner to photocopy them soon either.

WordtoYoMumma · 27/01/2023 06:49

Can't you buy her the book? I've had to buy copies of all the books my kids are studying (secondary) I thought that was standard.

The scanned one is a great option for parents who can't afford to buy the book.

YABU.

peaceandpotato · 27/01/2023 06:50

Offer to buy a set of books for the class

MrsMikeDrop · 27/01/2023 06:51

I do wonder what eyesight will be like in 20 years. Mine started going downhill when I started working and was on a computer all day

MelchiorsMistress · 27/01/2023 06:52

You are free to buy your child the book if you want.

youshouldnthaveasked · 27/01/2023 06:53

peaceandpotato · 27/01/2023 06:50

Offer to buy a set of books for the class

That sounds expensive

Whinge · 27/01/2023 06:54

Two of the class books the equivalent class had last year were brand new. Even allowing for 5 to have been damaged beyond repair, there would be enough for all of DD's class.

So they have copies of the books? How do you know they're not using them in class and the teacher is just being sensible by not allowing children to take them home?

Sillyheadoooooo · 27/01/2023 06:55

Just buy the book for your child!!

peaceandpotato · 27/01/2023 06:58

youshouldnthaveasked · 27/01/2023 06:53

That sounds expensive

Show quote history

Well yeah but the school can't afford it it seems and OP wants them to have the book.

peaceandpotato · 27/01/2023 06:58

Are they meant to be annotating their copy?

GCAcademic · 27/01/2023 07:00

Azandme · 26/01/2023 21:11

If they have the correct license and it's only for academic purposes they can. Our uni library can provide copies of anything to use in online courses or to print as long as they own an original.

Show quote history

The license only allows university libraries to copy a % of the book. It's 5% or one chapter.

Branster · 27/01/2023 07:01

Buy your child their own copy! What's the big deal? If it's a classic/popular read, you should already have it in the house.

There is no reason to complain about this sort of thing. You could get a reading list at the beginning of the year/term and source your own copies from a shop or library.

This is one area I don't think we should be scrimping on. Reading is food for the mind and soul. Parents are responsible for feeding their own children.

Hobbi · 27/01/2023 07:03

CLARCS rules allow copying of a chapter or 10%, whichever is shorter. Time to get on the PTA and raise money for books OP.

Original poster
DinDjarin · 27/01/2023 07:04

@peaceandpotato no, they're not getting a copy.

@Whinge I asked DD.

@GCAcademic I'm also unsure about downloading it to one of our devices so DD can read it. Does that still count as academic use once every family downloads the pdf?

OP posts:
Coffeecreme · 27/01/2023 07:05

at least they didnt ask you or expect you to buy the book, for a primary age child.
buy it if you want
otherwise your dc will use what the teacher has provided.

Whinge · 27/01/2023 07:07

So they have enough copies of the book your DD is currently reading, but they're not using them at all? I think you or DD have got the wrong end of the stick somewhere along the line as that doesn't make sense.