Covid primary schooling and virtual lessons

[Merryoldgoat]

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.

I think, if your particular agenda is to consider the quality if your child’s school and its fit for them, it’s probably most useful to think about their daily operations for the last very nearly 2 years, rather than the historic response to the lockdown?

It seems odd to focus so specifically on lockdown provision rather than the last 23 months?

"It’s not bashing to point that out occasionally which I didn’t even bloody do."

No, but you've started a thread which effectively invites everyone else to.
If you want support for your son's situation, why not ask for it? Why bring Covid and virtual lessons (or lack of them) into it? It's irrelevant.

Haha. Forgot that one. The disbelief on being told that teachers have to provide their own laptops.

The only virtual lesson my DC had was a recorder lesson 😂

Oh I bet that was fun all round!

No online lessons till the second lockdown here and then they were 20.mins am and 20mins pm.
Nothing really useful apart from the children got to see friends online.

The work set was totally inappropriate for eldest child who has SEN.

This was our proof that the school weren't meeting eldest needs. Prior to this child was struggling but school were saying the right things. This showed they didn't adapt work for different abilities. Homework was always too hard and we were just told to change it ourselfs 🥴but that work was adapted in class. Yet through lockdown it wasn't.

Incidentally we moved child to a new school after lockdown which has been very beneficial. Needs are being met., Regular support in place. Assessments showed child was more than 3 years behind in English and maths at this point.

Most importantly child is happier

Socio-economic differences between different school cohorts also had a part to play in different provision. We had to consider the fact that even our most privileged families were generally sharing a device suitable for school work across all their primary-age children, plus often an older sibling or a wfh adult. Trying to make provision fair for all was a constant juggling act.

@cantkeepawayforever

I am and that’s my main focus but prior to the lockdowns he was really happy and engaged and loved going.

Im trying to paint a picture of my son‘s journey and where the big issues for him occurred.

He was diagnosed in 2018 so even though his EHPCP wasn’t granted until 2021 he was on the SEND register before covid and they had started the assessments before the official application but broadly happy and enjoying school.

The disconnection started (completely expectedly) during covid but it’s not got better and it’s getting worse.

I’m not bashing teachers - I haven’t once bashed any of his teachers. I’m talking about the school as a whole.

Like, the actual building? Because if you're saying provision was poor, but you are not talking about any of the teachers in it then......?

I agree with cant, why the fuck are you talking about something that happened 2 years ago when trying to decide whether the provision in his school is any good now?

In addition, the answer is NO child with an EHCP is getting a good deal in state schools right now. Any of them. There's not enough funding, not enough resources and certainly not enough staff.

prior to the lockdowns he was really happy and engaged and loved going.

And yet managed to get an EHCP that are like hen's teeth. It can't have been going that well.

There was inconsistency within the same school for my two DCs. DS2's teacher put much more work into creating usable, printable content than DS1's. They also did a weekly zoom quiz to check in with the children. DS1 had recently been diagnosed with ASD as well as other SPLDs. The only direct contact school had with us about him Mar-Sept was one phone call about his learning targets in the May. Neither child had the maturity to cope with doing the work set, and no work was submitted during that second half of the school year. All they could cope with was a daily check on BBC bitesize, sometimes doing something of interest for a while, sometimes a total failiure.

Jan-Mar 2021 there was a live learning session each day. My plea to get my SEN child into school was ignored. Limited work attempted again. DS2 sobbed into my lap most days, taunted by the sight of children he was prohibited from playing with. We could hear the chosen ones playing on the playground at break and lunch from our garden for that extra touch of bitterness that some children were legally permitted to play and others were prohibited. (That one's on the government, not schools, but it really didn't help with the daily battle to try to attempt some learning)

At least second time there was more effort and consistency made into some form of educating, and they knew the children were alive.

In addition, the answer is NO child with an EHCP is getting a good deal in state schools right now. Any of them. There's not enough funding, not enough resources and certainly not enough staff.

My youngest son has an excellent specialist provision actually and he is having all of his needs met by brilliant teachers.

So why are you wanting a new school then?

schoolsweek.co.uk/councils-seize-millions-earmarked-for-special-schools/

"Special schools have been hardest hit by unfunded pay rises as their pupils’ additional needs generally mean staffing costs make up a larger part of their budgets.

Graham Quinn, the chair of Special School Voice, said budgets in real terms have fallen 25 to 30 per cent in the past eight years.

It was “totally untenable and unacceptable”, with schools closing hydrotherapy pools, cutting back holiday provision and compromising their statutory objectives to deliver education, health and care plans."

They're also struggling to recruit more than any other type of school:

schoolsweek.co.uk/special-schools-bear-brunt-of-recruitment-crisis/

The school I worked at prepared children for a couple of weeks in advance, home learning packs were issued and everyone was online 8.45-3pm from the first day of lockdown to the last.

Lessons designed for minimum parent support and teachers online all day. Interventions run for those needing additional support.

Plus a large number of keyworker children in school every day, also following live learning online with TA present to support.

@noblegiraffe

Whatever. Just because the EHCP process is a fucking mess for many it wasn’t for me. Two children, diagnosed and EHCPs granted by 3 & 6.

Local Authority were kind, listened, assessed properly and granted.

He was happy. And loved school with friends. He loved learning. He has trouble with behaviour, appropriate communication, managing his emotions, and following the teacher’s agenda.

I actually find your implication fucking stupid.

My older boy is suffering. He’s in mainstream. My youngest is in specialist and doing extremely well.

He’s 5 and non verbal with significant overall difficulties.

Older boy is suited to a mainstream and has the ability to meet academic expectations but is very unhappy in the environment and the adjustments that are supposed to be in place are not consistently being implemented.

My DC, who went to the primary school I work at as a TA, had zero online lessons.

First lockdown was a steep learning curve for all. Very few teachers were as tech savvy as they needed to be. My then year 6 child had zero work set at all (I was not happy). My yr 4 child though had lots of guidance, relevant websites and tasks set each day - I made my 11yo those too. We were hindered by only having one device for them to share.

Second lockdown kids did registration live online, then the lesson plan was posted and the teacher available from home to contact with queries.
Teacher would also be trying to get ahead as the usual lesson plans needed to be totally redone.

A days lesson plan for a full class of thirty reception aged children wouldn't occupy a single child with a supportive adult at home for more than an hour or two. So the teacher was having to adapt all her lesson plans and add a lot more more content for those at home. For that lockdown I was in school with a keyworker class.

It was crazy times back and feels like a different life looking back!

I would add though that both where I work and my DCs secondary school are now ready to swap to online learning at the drop of a hat. No more snow days!

I'm looking forward to rocking up in my old people's home in 30 years, playing some bingo and listening to chat about how school teachers didn't work hard enough in the lockdowns.
It.will.never.stop.

I think you would perhaps have got better answers/advice/support to your situation had you posted on the SEN boards. AIBU combined with a click-baity reference to Covid provision in schools is just asking for a bunfight.

My DD's school did 3 virtual lessons everyday during both lockdowns. We were lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) that the school did so much for the kids. I think part of it may have been because the school has a lot of children from deprived backgrounds/looked after/vulnerable kids, so they went above and beyond to try and keep things ticking over for them all and to keep the school community alive. However, our school was the only primary school in our town that did this (from speaking to friends with kids in other schools). I would also say that during the first lockdown, the government basically suspended education, so there was a lot of confusion over what was expected from schools, and what was/wasn't being delivered. Schools were caught between a rock and a hard place.

Just because the EHCP process is a fucking mess for many it wasn’t for me.

Right, so the school in question managed to get your DC through the EHCP process during a pandemic and you're questioning whether they're shit? No, they're miracle workers.

And your disingenuous 'I wasn't criticising the teachers when I suggested that the school was shit'

And the idea that you'd get any answers to why your DC with an EHCP is struggling at school by going on AIBU and setting up a shitty poll about whether your kid had online lessons during lockdowns two years ago?

That's what's fucking stupid.

@noblegiraffe 👍🏽

Mine didn't even get online work! They said "just have fun learning at home, whatever, you can manage, art, history, reading, maths, practice writing and spelling" sent a few twinkle sheets and that was that!

My son was in childcare hub nearly every day (Monday to Friday) because of my job in the community (Monday to Friday), so he did stuff there, but not learning. On days I could keep him home because I was wfh he watched documentaries and horrible history 😳

We did do some arts and crafts and tried to do more "academic work" but he wasn't a fan, he was only year 1.

I'm also a loan parent, was smashing out 40+hours week working with the homeless, we never stopped provision and carried on doing face to face, with hardly any PPE, the 3rd sector (charities) were swamped. Welsh government also decided the pandemic was the best time to "eradicate homelessness " like wtf how Drakeford? HOW?....

My child returned to school speaking like David Attenborough with the historical knowledge of Lucy Worsley and the mannerisms of Brian Cox.

Fab parenting by me 🤣👍🏼

I don’t think online “lessons” are the be all and end all. I did online “lessons” (as a teacher) and for the usual number of kids in a primary classroom I think they were next to worthless. I couldn’t teach properly, they couldn’t focus. I also did so, so many differentiated, prerecorded lessons with resources etc and feedback from kids and parents was that these were more valuable. I did specific video for children who were struggling, phone calls and individual resources for those who requested specifics. I also had the option of arranging one-to-one SFL sessions for pupils who would benefit and wanted to engage. Feedback was detailed written or verbal (recorded voice note) for every task.

So many people on here say they were given a couple of Twinkl worksheets which were never marked. I can’t comprehend.

bet you’re a tory voter.