Page 8 | To expect homework and revision to be put on Teams?

Riversideandrelax · 2024-06-25T13:34:26+00:00

At my DD's school they use Teams but also have a paper planner. Some teachers put all homework/revision on Teams whether it is online homework or real life work. (Some go above and beyond and give summaries of the lesson's learning!) Some put the instructions for the homework on Teams but don't add the worksheet or whatever you need to complete it. Some just don't put it on at all. My DD is in Y7 and has autism. She is immature for her age and has a lot of executive functioning issues and motor skill issues affecting her writing.She does her best with her homework but I keep an eye on Teams to make sure she completes homework/revision. The problem is in class sometimes she doesn't get all the homework written down due to her motor skills. She also sometimes misses school and then does not know about the homework or test. Wouldn't it just be better to put it all on Teams then everyone knows? And include the resources so if someone wasn't in class they can still complete the homework. Surely in this day and age that's not too much to ask? It would make such a difference for my DD. I like to hear opinions as to if I am unreasonable before talking to the school.

Original poster

Riversideandrelax · 12/07/2024 09:02

Newbutoldfather · 12/07/2024 07:30

@Riversideandrelax ,

‘The headteachers answer to this issue was that my DD doesn't need to do any homework. So she misses out on that learning because they can't sort out their homework policy.’

I do think you (and the SENCO) need to help your daughter to help herself by giving her additional strategies and also accept that schools aren’t nuclear power stations, nothing will explode if she misses the odd task.

Fundamentally, if prep has been set in class and your daughter knows she has missed it, she needs to ask someone or copy their book. And, as I said above, in Year 7 homework is helpful but not essential (it helps more as people go up the school).

Ultimately, it is a good thing if homework is set on Teams, but you do have to forgive the odd teacher who misses the odd task. If I had got in at 7:15 (as I used to), spent an hour preparing lessons, taught until lunchtime bar a 20 minute break, had a lunch duty, grabbed a bite, taught until 4pm and then run Oxbridge extension classes from 4:15-5:30pm, then Year 7 Teams probably might have slipped my mind. That would be an exceptionally busy day, but they did happen.

By the sound off it, the SENCO did send a reminder to teachers, and hopefully they will remember more.

If you want a solution rather than a moan, you could ask her form tutor to help her with her homework diary, I have done that for struggling pupils (though I refused to tutor Year 7 as it was about twice the work as any other year group, mainly due to parents expecting the same level of support as primary).

The thing is my DD is already working on other things. She can't do it all at once. If she's not in class she doesn't know she's missed it and she's just not reliably able to ask someone. There is a policy around having to ask teachers what they missed but again, this is not something she is able to do. And ultimately it's just all over the place and not easy to keep track of.

And fair enough but how long will she struggle for? It could be all through Y8 and beyond.

Forgiving the odd teacher who forgets the odd task is not a problem (as long as they don't expect it to be completed.) but as I've said that is not the issue. It is certain teachers who never use Teams.

And I get you're busy. But I'm a nurse and work longer shifts than you, often no break, no lunch, but I can't let things slip my mind. It's not a race to the bottom, I'm not saying that but in other professions it just doesn't happen like that.

She's not really had much input from the form tutor, tbh. I'm not really sure what they could do but I'll mention it in September.

I think the best approach is going to be saying she doesn't have to do any homework/assessments and then if they're on Teams we do it and if not at least she knows she won't get into trouble.

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Newbutoldfather · 12/07/2024 09:17

@Riversideandrelax ,

I hate to cavil but seeing as you are criticising teachers…..l

‘And I get you're busy. But I'm a nurse and work longer shifts than you, often no break, no lunch, but I can't let things slip my mind. It's not a race to the bottom, I'm not saying that but in other professions it just doesn't happen like that. ‘

When my poor son was in hospital a couple of years ago, the quality and attitude of a lot of the nursing staff was absolutely shocking (there were a couple of very nice and professional exceptions).

My son was left in huge pain while they were all having a nice gossip and typing into screens. One nurse shouted at my son to stop crying and get up as he had wet the bed (he was immobile and getting up took him 10 minutes of level 10 pain due to a misdiagnosed bone issue) because she needed it changed as her shift was about to end.

And, on discharge, had to remind them to prescribe an H+ inhibitor to go with the NSAIDS, and his discharge notes were sheet one printed 7 times, rather than the actual 7 sheets (the prescription was probably not nursing but doctor error, but nurse was doing discharge and really should have noticed).

Was going to complain but, honestly, what’s the point!

Wasn’t going to go there, but you did decide to compare nursing and teaching. And, in my personal anecdotal experience, teachers are more careful and the stakes are lower.

Original poster

Riversideandrelax · 12/07/2024 09:23

Newbutoldfather · 12/07/2024 09:17

@Riversideandrelax ,

I hate to cavil but seeing as you are criticising teachers…..l

‘And I get you're busy. But I'm a nurse and work longer shifts than you, often no break, no lunch, but I can't let things slip my mind. It's not a race to the bottom, I'm not saying that but in other professions it just doesn't happen like that. ‘

When my poor son was in hospital a couple of years ago, the quality and attitude of a lot of the nursing staff was absolutely shocking (there were a couple of very nice and professional exceptions).

My son was left in huge pain while they were all having a nice gossip and typing into screens. One nurse shouted at my son to stop crying and get up as he had wet the bed (he was immobile and getting up took him 10 minutes of level 10 pain due to a misdiagnosed bone issue) because she needed it changed as her shift was about to end.

And, on discharge, had to remind them to prescribe an H+ inhibitor to go with the NSAIDS, and his discharge notes were sheet one printed 7 times, rather than the actual 7 sheets (the prescription was probably not nursing but doctor error, but nurse was doing discharge and really should have noticed).

Was going to complain but, honestly, what’s the point!

Wasn’t going to go there, but you did decide to compare nursing and teaching. And, in my personal anecdotal experience, teachers are more careful and the stakes are lower.

That would have been an HCA not a nurse changing the bed and probably the ones 'gossiping' too as nurses don't have the time. There's usually not many of us per ward either so not lots of nurses to gossip with anyway! It hardly changes my point, though! In your case it wouldn't have been acceptable to say 'I've done a 13 hour shift, I've had no breaks so sorry but I can't remember everything!'

And that's fine if you want to go there - I can take it! 😂

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Phineyj · 12/07/2024 09:32

The norm in most schools would be that the form teacher would help a student in this situation. They'd spend a few minutes with them in tutor time and could find out from other reliable students what work was set and/or email the teacher concerned themselves to clarify.

The problem is occurring, if I've understood correctly, because your daughter is often disregulated in lessons and so is missing them because she's with SEN/the counsellor/whatever.

I don't think the homework is the main issue here. It's that the school aren't meeting your DD's needs well enough so she's not able to stay in lessons consistently.

Doing the homework if you've missed the lesson isn't always terribly helpful anyway.

Does DD have an EHCP?

I have a SEN DD about to go into y7 and throughout primary she was regularly excused homework and other tasks if she was disregulated (private school, heaps of homework). It's a reasonable adjustment.

Original poster

Riversideandrelax · 12/07/2024 11:37

Phineyj · 12/07/2024 09:32

The norm in most schools would be that the form teacher would help a student in this situation. They'd spend a few minutes with them in tutor time and could find out from other reliable students what work was set and/or email the teacher concerned themselves to clarify.

The problem is occurring, if I've understood correctly, because your daughter is often disregulated in lessons and so is missing them because she's with SEN/the counsellor/whatever.

I don't think the homework is the main issue here. It's that the school aren't meeting your DD's needs well enough so she's not able to stay in lessons consistently.

Doing the homework if you've missed the lesson isn't always terribly helpful anyway.

Does DD have an EHCP?

I have a SEN DD about to go into y7 and throughout primary she was regularly excused homework and other tasks if she was disregulated (private school, heaps of homework). It's a reasonable adjustment.

We are in the process of getting an EHCP. She really needs one!

And yes, exactly she misses lessons for those reasons and the school has now suspended her a couple of times so she's missed more!

So far, I've always liked her to do the homework so she doesn't miss too much. At Y7 level I can fill in any gaps she needs. But it's not just homework, it's knowing when assessments are and what needs revising.

She's never been given any help like that.

There wasn't really homework in Primary bar SATs workbooks in Y6. The complexity of secondary school has completely overwhelmed her.

I'm going to say if the homework/revision is on Teams it will be done and just ask her to be excused of doing the homework or doing the assessment if it isn't. If they just want to put a blanket ban that's fine but I'll still support her to do what she can.

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Phineyj · 12/07/2024 11:56

Oh, well that's good then - having the EHCP in place will help prompt the discussions that you need. Detentions can always be removed & assessments and so on caught up. Especially in year 7 and 8. If she's got a consistent adult to talk to daily (a common provision in EHCP) and her needs are being met more effectively, then she may be able to start applying some of the self-organisation strategies that various people have suggested.

You may like to start researching whether there are any other schools that might meet her needs better, as you'll be able to name one in the EHCP? Even if you wouldn't have originally been in their catchment.

Original poster

Riversideandrelax · 12/07/2024 20:16

Phineyj · 12/07/2024 11:56

Oh, well that's good then - having the EHCP in place will help prompt the discussions that you need. Detentions can always be removed & assessments and so on caught up. Especially in year 7 and 8. If she's got a consistent adult to talk to daily (a common provision in EHCP) and her needs are being met more effectively, then she may be able to start applying some of the self-organisation strategies that various people have suggested.

You may like to start researching whether there are any other schools that might meet her needs better, as you'll be able to name one in the EHCP? Even if you wouldn't have originally been in their catchment.

There aren't any other local mainstream schools that are better for SEN, tbh. I got DD into this one on appeal.

She does have a consistent adult to talk to - her learning mentor but they are working on so many other things I think homework hasn't been a priority.

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