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Original poster

If you are working full-time and have primary school aged children, how much home educating are you really doing?

30 replies

KitKat1985 · 18/04/2020 18:55

Just that really. Really struggling to keep up with the constant activities and learning resources the school want us to be doing with DD1. She's only 5 and has autism and needs a lot of adult support (she has a 1:1 at school) so she needs an adult with her to do everything really, so not like I can just set her some stuff to do and leave her to it. Me and DH are both working full-time in NHS roles and it's a struggle to do everything. I've been given lots of speech therapy work to do with DD at home which is an added pressure. I tend to do double shifts at work so have no chance at all of getting anything done on my work days, and on my days off I'm also trying to look after DD2 (3) and catch up on all the laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning etc; as well as try and take the kids out for a bit of daily exercise.

I've decided on my days off I'll try to do 3 educational things a day with DD1 but it's too much to try and do everything. I was just nosy really how other families working full time were managing and how much home educating you were really getting done?

OP posts:
dairyfairies · 18/04/2020 19:29

nothing. I am a lone parent to a primary school aged child and a child in secondary with autism and learning difficulties and I work 5 days a week.

doing my job from home with the DC is hard enough. if they don't have an education for a few months than this is much less of an issue than me losing our only income.

Trinpy · 18/04/2020 19:38

I'm working fulltime from home in an NHS job with a 6 and 4 year old. We do 1-2 hours work every weekday morning and reading every other day then they play while I work. However, if I was in your situation I wouldnt even bother with that. Do the speech therapy work if you can but otherwise just keep as much of a routine going as possible and keep it things as stress free as possible. At 5 years old she won't be missing much; the most important thing is that she feels happy and calm.

TiddleTaddleTat · 18/04/2020 19:42

Just following her interest.
No 'schooling' here

trilbydoll · 18/04/2020 19:47

Maths apps, bit of writing, nowhere near as much reading as I would like, plenty of time in the garden, too much TV Wink altho I have tried to steer them towards horrible histories, science max on YouTube, number blocks etc. I've just printed lots of worksheets from Twinkl and sorted out what activity books we have so they're easily accessible in the hope we are a bit more productive next week.

Bagelsandbrie · 18/04/2020 19:48

Well I’m a sahm and dh is also at home at the moment as he’s been furloughed and we’re doing no home schooling for ds aged 7 at all...! He does have autism and is very resistant to the idea of any “work” so we’ve just been totally laid back and just played / gone for walks etc. I think it’s a really strange time and children are feeling very anxious- I don’t think they should be under any pressure to do anything to be honest but I know others will disagree.

Dk20 · 18/04/2020 19:51

In working from home full time from 7 til 4.30 with ds(6) and 10 month old here.
Ds has autism and also has 1:1 support in school.
We get no school work done during the day, I just dont have the time to go through it with ds, the days are hectic enough as it is.
We do one hour in the evening together at 6pm once the baby is in bed and then do some on Saturdays and sundays.
School are setting a schedule every week of what we need to complete but I've told them I am still working monday to Friday and we will just do as much as we can.

norbert23 · 18/04/2020 19:55

I'm a primary school teacher on maternity leave with a 7month old, I thought I'd be able to do a bit more structured learning but it's incredibly hard to work it around both their needs! I'm reading with her when we can, trying to practise her numbers and letter formation and practising bonds to 10 / adding numbers for a few mins here and there. She's only 4 so I'm actually spending most of the time letting her play with her dolls, colour and draw and gardening/ nature walks. I've decided I'm just going to give in and enjoy the downtime and let her play with the baby 😀 as long as she feels safe and happy that's a win for me! X

Original poster
KitKat1985 · 18/04/2020 20:17

I'm so relieved with your replies! We're trying our best but certainly not doing anywhere near as much as the school seems to think we should be. And the school facebook page is just full of Mums who seem to be doing loads and it's just making me feel even worse!

OP posts:
stopandListen · 18/04/2020 20:23

None! The google classroom app our school is using drives me insane! Mine are 4 & 7 and really doubt this will have a huge impact on their long term education. Some parents are so stressed about it.

I've used Twinkl to print off some age appropriate work sheets but if I'm honest we only do a few a week, the rest of the time it's playing, baking, making mess and sibling squabbles.

GiveMyHeadPeaceffs · 18/04/2020 20:30

I have ds4 who's in P1 and frankly we're trying to do a bit of learning through play. He got a load of stuff home from school but it's too much, I'm a key worker and my DP is trying to work from home. I just think if we can get him through this without screwing him up we're winning. I just refuse to beat myself up about not being his teacher. These are not normal times and anyone who expects our kids to waltz into the next academic year without a hiccup is an eejit.

WanderingLost167 · 18/04/2020 20:36

We do about 2 hours a day. One is year 1 and we go through the school lesson plans and I've bought him a maths workbook that we do daily.

Year 6, she has Google classrooms and does about the same.

Hoping this time will consolidate young ones learning and help him get further ahead

mangocoveredlamb · 18/04/2020 20:39

I’m a trained teacher and work for the LA in education. We’re doing nothing.

DontAskIDontKnow · 18/04/2020 20:49

DH and I are both working from home. We’ve ‘time-tabled’ in 1/2 hour reading, writing and maths into the day. We are probably only getting about 10 minutes actual work from them in each of those slots.

I’m really looking forward to BBC Bitesize starting on Monday. I’ll feel better about the amount of TV they watch, as they will be getting something appropriate from it.

We’ve heard from friend who are still at school and they’re saying about how they are playing all the time and doing craft. That made me feel bad about not doing craft with them, but it’s nice to hear that they aren’t doing much structured learning either.

I feel most sorry for the children where their parents are trying to teach them all day. It must be very stressful for all of them.

Doryhunky · 18/04/2020 20:52

What daisy said

Rhayader · 18/04/2020 21:00

More like “home occupying” I give them workbooks and hope that they don’t regress too much. They aren’t progressing though.

Snuggles81 · 18/04/2020 21:46

Please, please take the pressure off yourself. Do as much or as little as you need for your family.
This is what I have said to the parents of children in my class.
All the lessons/activities I set are suggestions, some do them all, other pick out a couple to do and some do their own thing. There is no right or wrong way of doing this. Some children/parents send me photographs/work throughout the day, some once a week and some don't. It's all about what works for your family, as a teacher I haven't pushed my children to complete all their work, my secondary child still has 10 pieces not completed and that's before the new term starts. We are doing little bits here and there, they also have to come into school with me at least twice a week and on those days they do what I am doing in school.
Please don't stress over academic work, just getting through this challenging time is enough.

BatleyTownswomensGuild · 18/04/2020 22:02

In the same boat, OP. DS (6) is also ASD and has 1:2:1 most of the time at school.

Managing to do about 3 or 4 5-10 min activities a day. Trying to keep to a routine because DS is really struggling with the lack of structure and loss of school. It typically breaks down like this:

Usually about 5 mins reading,

5 mins a day trying to teach him to tell the time,

5-10 mins on physical exercises set by the occupational therapist

15 mins of creative stuff - play doh and the like.

We also do a lunchtime walk.

DS likes screen time for learning so he also watches Alphablocks, Numberblocks, and gets some learning games on apps. I pretty much leave him to his own devices with these so I can answer emails etc.

To be honest, he spends a good 80% of the time either on the trampoline or amusing himself while I try and squeeze meetings in and get on with work. It's proving bloody hellish. I'm totally knackered and feel like I'm half-arsing work and parenting simultaneously...

I wish to God work would furlough me. Would make life infinitely easier.

BilboBercow · 18/04/2020 22:17

Next to none. Doing both is impossible

pitterpatterrain · 18/04/2020 22:21

Only trying it on the weekend, during the week when we are working is way to stressful on all sides

jennymac31 · 18/04/2020 22:24

I'm WFH full time with DD7 & DS2 at home (DH is a key worker and can't WFH). If I can get an hour's worth of schooling done during the day then I feel like I'm winning. It's bloody hard work trying to do school work with kids when I've got teleconferences happening every day.

Ostanovka · 18/04/2020 22:30

None. I'm not going to make them do work after I've spent the day ignoring them, plus I'm too tired. I've told school, they said it's fine.

SallyWD · 18/04/2020 22:33

I'm only working part time but we really rush through the school work. It takes about an hour and we do the minimum. Other kids are posting all these extra things they've done - videos, PowerPoint presentations, poems etc but I struggle to do the minimum.

SallyWD · 18/04/2020 22:33

I'm only working part time but we really rush through the school work. It takes about an hour and we do the minimum. Other kids are posting all these extra things they've done - videos, PowerPoint presentations, poems etc but I struggle to do the minimum.

IndieTara · 18/04/2020 22:34

Single parent here too, been wfh for the last 4 weeks full time and ' encouraging' DD to do schoolwork with varying success whilst working.Abnormal hrs to try an de facilitate this.
Ive just been made redundant though so will have more time soon...

Parker231 · 18/04/2020 22:34

My colleagues with primary age DC’s says there is no schooling going on whilst both parents are working from home as there is no available time. They are doing reading at bedtime but one colleague said that her four year old knows all the words to the Frozen film as she’s watching it on repeat all day.