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AIBU?

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Original poster

Covid primary schooling and virtual lessons

185 replies

Merryoldgoat · 09/02/2023 21:29

I’ll try to be brief - I’ve been speaking to a friend from a different area who I’ve not had a proper catch up with in about 2 years.

She said during the school closures her primary aged children (Y3&Y4 at the start) had virtual lessons every school day.

Not for the full school day but about 2-3 hours depending on the lesson.

Normal state school in a mixed area.

Was this normal? We didn’t have a single online lesson.

YABU - my kid’s school had regular virtual lessons

YANBU - no virtual lessons at my kid’s school.

OP posts:
Whattheladybird · 09/02/2023 21:59

First time: nothing. Directed to oak academy and Joe wicks by the time we got to after Easter.

second time, about 1-2 hours of work were set each day. And there was a daily 20 minute open chat to the teacher where things could be explained but there was no pressure to explain.

MajorCarolDanvers · 09/02/2023 22:01

ShirazSavedMySanity · 09/02/2023 21:48

Schools had NO idea what they were doing. They found out when you did that they were closing and they ploughed on as best they could.

there are many different reasons for not having online learning. Ours didn’t because a) most of the families only had a phone to use to access the internet b) families had multiple children in the same home accessing one device c) teachers had their own children to sort out / safeguarding concerns.

schools did the best they could under the circumstances. They had never used (or heard) of teams prior to March 2020. It was a massive learning curve.

True for the first lockdown.

But they still didn't have a clue for the second or the third.

Botw1 · 09/02/2023 22:01

Our head teacher actually had the gall to send out an email asking parents not to email the teachers as they had their family life to consider

😂😂

tonystarksrighthand · 09/02/2023 22:03

Yes. Private School. Full school day on zoom.
Was fucking horrendous.

Attictroll · 09/02/2023 22:03

Basically nothing first lockdown-second full on teams school which tbh was very well organised with exercise breaks, chat, maths and storytelling- kids well behaved even had to ask teacher to go off screen to the loo.

Kept dc sane seeing friends.

Attictroll · 09/02/2023 22:04

State school and a local pub organised collecting old devices and turning them into chromebooks for some kids in borough

Sugargliderwombat · 09/02/2023 22:04

If he had an ehcp maybe you should have sent him in?

Original poster
Merryoldgoat · 09/02/2023 22:04

Thank you everyone. All of the replies (well most) have been very helpful.

I would have expected some provision during the 2/3 closures and of course nothing during/at the start of the 1st.

We had no worksheets, no Google classroom, no curriculum notes, literally nothing. His EHCP came through just as the 3rd started so he had in-school provision and they didn’t have a teacher - a TA only who must’ve been absolutely run ragged.

Somewhat naively I thought this was what all school were like.

Im trying to understand if the school has a generally lackadaisical approach, and Covid highlighted that, or if it was just the norm and that wasn’t a symptom of a larger ongoing problem.

OP posts:
BeanCounterBabe · 09/02/2023 22:05

The first lock down was appalling. Not even a welfare phone call because the teacher judged my daughter didn't need it. Big assumption from him. Second lock down 3 hours of online lessons a day which was good and I appreciated the school had taken urgent to rectify the lack of provision in the first lock down.

Despite all the disruption and not having a adult available to support much of the time due to work the kids doing really well. Youngest is excelling in year 8 despite all the gaps to education in years 5/6. If anything she has become very independent and able to study herself without reminding from us.

One of my kids has an EHCP and really struggles to work at home. She doesn't seem to have suffered too much long term harm apart in maths which she hates. I am now paying for a tutor for her which I appreciate isn't an option for everybody.

IlIlI · 09/02/2023 22:05

DC at standard state school. We had one or two whole class lessons and one quick 1-2-1 with class teacher or a TA each day plus a few tasks for them to do independently or with parents each day. I was surprised at how well the school did and how quickly they were able to organise themselves, and keep all the timings in check.

Original poster
Merryoldgoat · 09/02/2023 22:05

Sugargliderwombat · 09/02/2023 22:04

If he had an ehcp maybe you should have sent him in?

He didn’t get it until just after closure 3 started. I sent him in then as they gave him a place.

OP posts:
BeanCounterBabe · 09/02/2023 22:08

Merryoldgoat

That does sound pretty poor from the school. Are you concerned this means the school is not a good one even now post lock downs? I can see your point.

BadHabitsGoodFun · 09/02/2023 22:08

All on line learning in Lockdown 1, so lessons set on line and marked and feed back given. Then Zoom lessons in Jan/Feb 21 and for any subsequent isolations (my class was isolated 3 times!).

It was shit, we had no idea what we were doing (Primary teacher) and it was a bloody steep learning curve. Parents complained in the first lockdown that they had no Zoom lessons and then complained in the 2nd lockdown that we had too many Zoom lessons. 🙄

noblegiraffe · 09/02/2023 22:10

What third closure? Schools closed twice.

Sugargliderwombat · 09/02/2023 22:10

Jesus so many critical comments on here about shit provision. Maybe it was shit because there was NO WAY for teachers to win. If we set too much we had complaints from working parents , we couldn't do teams because not every family has enough devices for every child, we did prerecorded videos over slides and then did slots where children could login to chat / ask questions etc. We also had children in school and our internet couldnt cope with all teachers being on zoom / teams at once. How quickly everything is forgotten and although the world stopped everyone looks back and just thinks teachers did a shit job.

Badgerandfox227 · 09/02/2023 22:11

Definitely down to the school. Mine set work for us to do, but no online lessons.

I know of relatives teaching in other primary schools and friends with kids at other schools where there were daily online lessons, which increased in amount as you went up the school. In these schools, the TAs went in to look after key worker kids, whilst the teachers then taught lessons to all kids online. So everyone had the same level of education.

It wasn’t good enough, and I blame the head who was 1 year from retirement and couldn't be bothered. The kids stuck at home with parents working full time had a rough deal compared to the 15 or so kids who were going in daily, seeing their friends as normal, getting some stimulation and a full days lessons.

noblegiraffe · 09/02/2023 22:13

In these schools, the TAs went in to look after key worker kids, whilst the teachers then taught lessons to all kids online. So everyone had the same level of education.

Unless, of course, the kids didn't have access to the online lessons.

Don't forget that the government didn't actually get around to sending out laptops to all those kids till after the second school closure was over.

Botw1 · 09/02/2023 22:14

I wonder if hcp were allowed to use that excuse?

Sorry your relative died, but we didn't know what we were doing

x2boys · 09/02/2023 22:14

Merryoldgoat · 09/02/2023 21:36

It might. My son has an EHCP and the provision was extremely poor and he might need a new school and I’m trying to understand if the poor provision was ‘just Covid’ or ‘shit school’.

Show quote history

My son goes to.a special.school ,all the kids have an EHCP,.school.was closed from March 2020 to September 2020 and they didn't even phone us for about six weeks
not having a go.at you ,but I was sick of reading vulnerable children could go.to.school because in reality the most vulnerable kids couldn't .

SweetSakura · 09/02/2023 22:15

First lockdown- zero..nothing from school except a few emails saying what the staff were up to - baking,.walking their dogs, gardening etc.

Subsequent lockdown- about an hour (max) of pre.recorded videos a day.

It was rubbish.

I paid for a tutor for my children as I was working full time from home and we also used outschool and similar providers as they enjoyed learning online

(Their private drama /dance /music all adapted to online within a couple of weeks of the first lockdown and if worked really well)

Vgbeat · 09/02/2023 22:15

My daughters school hardly anything. I ended up setting up a zoom school and about a dozen of her friends. The school I teach at did full lessons everyday on teams

noblegiraffe · 09/02/2023 22:16

Their private drama /dance /music all adapted to online within a couple of weeks of the first lockdown and if worked really well

Of course it did, because you had the facilities to access that sort of privileged stuff.

It wouldn't have worked well if you didn't. And many didn't.

StillWantingADog · 09/02/2023 22:16

Our school is good generally
but was totally shit in covid.
first lockdown virtually nothing happened at all other than some worksheets emailed out

they sort of got it together for the second one but still no live classes of any description

Ttbhappy · 09/02/2023 22:16

Merryoldgoat · 09/02/2023 21:37

I’m not obsessing - I’m asking. You’re not required to answer. You could also ask WHY I’m interested if you wanted to know rather than just assume something else.

Show quote history

Well said.

Sugargliderwombat · 09/02/2023 22:17

Merryoldgoat · 09/02/2023 22:05

He didn’t get it until just after closure 3 started. I sent him in then as they gave him a place.

Show quote history

Ah so he probably did have poor provision if he was in for the first one, everyone did. We had no idea how long it would go on for or how families could access online learning. The guidance was to prioritise wellbeing and provide something for home. We couldn't organise kids to come and collect chrome books or other resources because that wasn't essential.