Are teachers allowed to teach during lockdown?

[gingajewel]

I’m sure I’ve read somewhere the government have told teachers that they are just babysitters for key workers children and are not there to teach? Is this government legislation please?

I'm sure they havent been told it's against the law to teach. However, they are probably down to a very minimal staff and very few children of mixed age and ability, so any teaching would be pretty pointless. Also they're still expected (as far as I know) to send work home or work remotely with children who are at home, so it's not like they have nothing to do.

The problem is that schools have very small groups of completely mixed ages and have to keep them apart.

Kids are doing tasks, but not proper lessons or following the curriculum. Not really much different to what is being managed in home schooling really.

It's probably more a case of "dont worry we dont expect you to teach, just babysit" rather than "you must not teach"

My understanding is that yes they are effectively babysitting. For example in my council, our hubs are being staffed by each cluster school on a different day and by a rota of staff. Plus the fact that each child is in on different days would make it very hard to teach them

More that it's totally impractical - if school staff (teachers and TAs) are on a rota sometimes only doing 1-2 days a fortnight, and children aged in some cases 3-11 are doing various days and hours depending on shifts, who would teach what?

This isn’t lockdown.

At my dc’s secondary the children are doing their normal timetable And are still in uniform and the other children at home are getting the lessons they would have had on Show my Homework.

At the primary I teach at, we are doing lessons but in a less intense way. We can’t entertain them for weeks and weeks on end by playing duck, duck goose and watching a film. It would be like a never ending wet playtime.

Instruction here is that children in school will have been set their own work by their own teacher so teachers/TAs are supervising and maybe playing games etc, no teaching as would usually happen.

Union advice is that we are expected to provide learning activities for our pupils, but not to actively teach and marking of work is not expected either.

Live face to face lessons are actively discouraged for various safeguarding (on both sides) reasons. Recorded sessions or just material being given to the pupils is preferable.

There is very little official guidance, but the DfE document references "care" for children rather than education:

Schools, and all childcare providers, are therefore being asked to continue to provide care for a limited number of children

Certainly where I teach the group within school are made up of children from YrR to Yr6 and it is very difficult to teach as such, especially as we are in on a rota on non-consecutive days.

The main priority was to ensure that as few people as possible were on site.

Essentially it will be the same as the children at home - the class teacher has set work and the supervising adult will help the child complete it. Not teaching.

Can I ask why you want this ‘government legislation’ @gingajewel ? What are you going to do with it?

@Letseatgrandma really no need at all, as if times aren’t hard enough, really don’t need attitude.
A friend asked if the schools were still teaching or babysitting, my child was there but she is three and doesn’t do sit down lessons. I thought I had read on here no teaching was going on, I actually don’t care if they are teaching or not! I’m not as precious about education as 90% of people in here so there was no need for your venom at all. It was a question!

Guidance says "Schools, and all childcare providers, are therefore being asked to continue to provide care for a limited number of children - children who are vulnerable, and children whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.

It doesn't say don't teach it says continue.

But it depends on the skills of the staff available and the children attending.

We are still teaching but doing more cooking, art, music, outdoor work that blends itself to smaller group work. There are still daily lessons in Maths and English.

Those at home have work packs, access to online lessons and some live online lessons.

It is business as usual but in a difference sense without exams.
Children still need to develop.

If she’s three then her day will probably be much the same as before although she will probably be mixing with older children which will beneficial to her really.

I really think if the government started telling teacher and TAs what they could and couldn’t do in schools during this crisis there would be riots. And they would have to supply schools with new equipment as everything in a EYFS classroom is educational and the people with the children are educators.

If I’m playing magnetic fish with a three year old I’m going to ask her how many fish she’s caught and if she caught one more how many would she have.

Thankyou for all the nice messages! Luckily I’m working from home now so kids are off with me, homeschooling is going great 😂😂😂😂

Love OP's incredibly rude response to @Letseatgrandma who was literally just asking a question... No self awareness at all.

No venom intended-I just wondered what you wanted it for. It was, as yours was, just a question.

No schools I know of are teaching the key worker children, it is purely childcare. That’s not to say teachers are not allowed, just that it’s not expected.

@CaryStoppins wasn’t incredibly rude at all, I didn’t need to be questioned about why I wanted the information, why does it matter why I wanted the information to anyone but me?? All I asked for was help and guidance not a lecture as to what I was going to do with the information? What was I expected to say, to go to the school and tell them there not following government guidelines?!?! Is why people thought I was genuinely asking?

Gavin whatever his name is, said that the settings would be for caring for the pupils who needed it, and not educational.

We have a hub setting from tomorrow.

10 pupils from reception to y6 and 2 staff, in an unfamiliar school setting, from 8-5pm. A different 12 kids tomorrow. A mix of those on Wed but not all.
Very tricky if there was an expectation to teach. Our pupils have been told to bring the work they were set remotely to be able to do some of it there if they want/can. Otherwise it's just caring for them.