Two independent schools to defer summer term until June - August

[BoardingSchoolMater]

I sincerely hope my DC's schools do the same.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8238469/Schools-summer.html

Thanks for clarifying River, and I hope you didn't think my tirade above was directed at you! It was directed at the view that everything needs to be solved by teachers shutting the hell up and not being workshy by giving up their holidays. We need to focus on why closing schools causes so many perceived problems, without blaming teachers for this.

Non-teacher friends are, as my ex-DH was, often surprised at the compliant way in which teachers accept some pretty crap working conditions and the way in which we often get treated by senior staff, students and parents. Therefore I really do resent this idea that teachers have got to change holidays when many have already been doing more than their fair share during this time.

Above all we need to focus on what is best for the kids and I would argue it is absolutely a priority over the holidays that they get to socialise, see family that they are able to see, participate in team sports and have downtime in a non lockdown world, rather than sit in a stuffy classroom in August catching up on their phonics.

Teachers are hardly alone in not being able to carry over leave. Employees have zero leverage to enforce their employment contracts under these circumstances.

I would rather not have online learning for the extortionate amount our school is charging. Trying to sort online learning for 3 children and trying to work at the same time is a complete nightmare. So whilst the concept of online learning is great, no thought has been given to parents that are working at the same time. I'd rather have the option of taking nothing and paying nothing. Older children can be left alone but younger children certainly can't.

I appreciate teachers are working incredibly hard but unfortunately it's not working for some of us.

This means that they get enormous benefits (which mostly they don’t appreciate) - generous sick pay, pensions, etc

However, the trade off is that they must be prepared to do their bit when the public requires them to do so. A generous package such as the public provides for teachers does not come at no cost
Eh? So teachers are some kind of reserve squad to be activated when there is a national crisis? I thought our pay and conditions were based on the job we do day to day, year to year; not some potential that we might one day be called up to serve in a crisis.
I can't even start on the "generous package" that has led to a teacher shortage.
But, thanks for doing your bit for the retention issues, if we can make it work financially I will have no qualms about leaving teaching when this is over, and patronising and insulting shite like this is a big part of why. 👏👏

If this goes on for much longer, it would be fairer to ask everyone to redo a year, from reception to A levels

Most children had already done 2/3 of the year.

It doesn’t seem practical to require schools to have an extra year group in; not least from a purely practical and logistical point of view.

Cognitaparent1

Have you taken it up with your children's school.

If this goes on for much longer, it would be fairer to ask everyone to redo a year, from reception to A levels

I wonder what support (if any) would be put in place for the missing university year.

Teaching will happen from where the kids are rather than where they should be

I actually think this is a great idea. If all goes to plan and they are actually allowed to open when they propose. The kids and parents will be able to relax as much as possible in these difficult times and not stress over homeschooling which let’s face it isn’t a walk in the park then the kids go and do their schooling with actual teachers in the summer. Yes they will miss out on the long summer holidays but I’m not sure how much freedom we will have by then anyway to be visiting here there and everywhere. That way the kids don’t miss out on education and hopefully the home environment would be less stressful at the moment.

Re leave

Actually in the nhs we’re all forced to take it share across the year or lose it. No option to defer

Re signposting to stuff

I’m out at work all the sodding time the kids are awake. How am I suppose to signpost them to anything?

That may be the case under normal circumstances @Helspopje, but the gov. uk website is very clear that where the current situation has prevented employees from taking leave, they will have the ability to carry it forward up to two years.
The problem with teachers and school staff, is thatvthere all take their holiday at the same time, so the only way to carry OT forward is to close the entire school.

Actually in the nhs we’re all forced to take it share across the year or lose it. No option to defer

That certainly isn’t true for my NHS front-line sister and her DH. They both had their Easter leave deferred last week but can have it later.

@FrippEnos yes many parents collectively sent a letter to the school protesting against the fees being charged. We successfully negotiated a discount for the lower years where online learning isn't available but for all other years the school says it can't reduce fees further because it will make a loss and won't survive. It's owned by a massive corporate so I don't believe this at all. We all intend to come together and pressurise this corporate.

We are happy to pay a fair amount for what we are being given but the school is just taking advantage and being completely unreasonable. Some of the responses we have had from the school have been shocking.

@EYProvider Generous package? What a joke!

I will preface this by saying I am not a teacher (but I know a very large number of teachers).
Teachers pay for their degrees. They pay for their PGCEs. They work ridiculous hours every week in term time, in very stressful environments, even pre-pandemic. Their salary is apportioned over the year and they don't get paid for all those weeks theyre not in school. Their pay is pathetic compared with the private sector for many degrees. Why a maths graduate would ever go into teaching, I cannot imagine- my DH and his cohort earned three or more times the average teachers' salary a few years after graduating. Similar for science and engineering graduates. The private sector has plenty of pension schemes and lots of private companies offer excellent benefits. I know companies with subsidised canteens, table tennis, pool tables, and games consoles in a recreation room, a wide variety of free snacks at all times, any drink you can imagine including beer, whereas teachers don't even get free tea or coffee in their workplaces.

Being a public servant doesn't mean one should have to put one's life on the line, that's a ridiculous expectation, unless one is in the armed forces or fire/police service. (Pretty sure they're not giving PPE to teachers, or even school cleaners).

Yeah- early years has rubbish remuneration and is long, long hours. I'm fully aware of that. Mainly because it's seen as women's work, but also because you don't need particularly high level or expensive qualifications to work in a nursery.
Teaching has been desperate for recruits for twenty years now. I am certain that if it was so cushy and wonderful that would not be the case. (Never a recruitment or retention crisis for tube drivers, is there?)

@Newuser82 do you have children? How can I have a nice relaxing time at home with my kids [sic] when I am WFH? At least with the work they have been set by their schools they are gainfully employed during the hours I am needed most. They can play unsupervised for some periods, but not 8-5 every day.

Ooooh another thread bashing teachers. Here we go again.

Just putting it out there - I've just closed my laptop and have stopped working for the night. I opened it late today - at 8:30am. I've put in a 12hr shift but we have people asking us to be more flexible?

Also....this excellent remuneration package we get - am I missing something? Has my pay been secretly too low for the last 15 odd years? Because I currently earn approx £46,000 per year and someone I graduated with now earns high six figures working in conveyancing law. I am also still paying off 2 student loans. But yes we are rolling in it!

I am curious as to who will set school work for the next 6 weeks if we move to have the summer holidays now and who will chase our vulnerable pupils who are currently being failed my social services as they are snowed under.

I am also curious as to what this new term will look like as there are approx 22 weeks from 24th July to 18th December and we usually only get one week off mid October. We can't be advocating a 13 week term?

The government have already said the schools won’t be opening over the summer holidays. Teachers, children and parents will need a break by then to hopefully start schooling again in September. Although how social distancing will work in a school?

I wouldn't mind but it was actually a thread about what independent schools were doing, so y'know their clients are paying thousands and thousands of pounds for that provision from their already taxed income... How dare they actually expect something for their money?

Ha, yes I have two young children, a 6 year old and a one year old . As I have stated homeschooling is by no means a walk in the park but if that was taken out of the equation then it would certainly be less stressful for me as having to support the older one with his full timetable of work while looking after a clingy one year old is not my idea of fun. But yes when the schoolwork is done we are having as nice a time as possible . However I am still off work with the younger one so I appreciate your circumstances may be different.

I am also saddened as a parent and a teacher that all we keep hearing is about the children who will miss out on their education.

Education is SO much more than reading. writing, maths, core subjects and schools setting in some cases a ridiculous amount of work daily. There is education in everything we do and parents should be able to use this time to support their children with other skills etc. There is of course no issue with doing some work with your child but I would argue too much and making your child work from 9-3:30 writing sentences in Reception (yes this happened) is doing nothing more than causing more stress.

ALL children will be in the same boat whenever we go back. No parent will be standing at the school gates on the first day we open asking their child to reel off the periodic table to ensure we all know how clever they are and how much learning they did over the lockdown. No one is going to judge a child if they knew what a subordinating clause was before lockdown but have now forgotten. I seem to have forgotten what day it is on a regular basis.

WE. ARE. IN. THE. MIDDLE. OF. A. NATIONAL. CRISIS.

I can't say it enough. I doubt anyone was that worried about school work during the plague and yes I am aware that is as ridiculous as it sounds but it is true.

If parents have issues with the work being set, this needs to be taken up directly with the headteacher as teachers are simply following the lead of the person who has set the expectation.

Honestly, I am not trying to goad or even judge although I can see this may seem like it but I am so worried we are going to be sending a large number of children back to schools once this over with serious mental health needs.

In my opinion, the school that reopens and sets the expectation that we simply pick up where we have left off and start day 1 teaching a full timetable is not in this for the kids at all, it's more about them valuing results rather than child mental wellbeing.

But that's my 2 pennies worth.

Surely teaching staff in private schools should also have their wellbeing taken into account, despite parents paying for an education?

I have a couple of friends who work in the private sector and the only benefit they sighted (they taught in the state sector prior to this) was the longer holidays.

I'd be interested to know what a private school teachers contract states and how a school plans to get around that in terms of HR legalities etc.

My school has been fully open and all the children have been in! I hope no-one suggests we work through the summer holidays!

My school has been fully open and all the children have been in! I hope no-one suggests we work through the summer holidays!

Is that an SEN school, @Icequeen01 ?

@BertNErnie teachers (included at private schools) are entitled to say they won’t work over the summer holidays, but they will have to weigh up the risk of redundancies/schools going under if parents pull their kids out. It’s like many businesses during this crisis, employees can refuse to wage reductions etc, but many have accepted them to keep their companies afloat.

I have 2 children. 1 in private and 1 in state (due to complex SEN).

My child in private school is being very well supported online with 3x weekly 1to1 zoom sessions with her teacher and well planned lessons and resources being posted out weekly.

Once they reopen they will stay open in the Summer to further catch up (they will have a 2 week summer holiday late August to give staff and students a break between terms).

The school is very hot on mental health and wellbeing and thinks that children suddenly being shoved into a new classroom, with a new teacher, having suddenly gone up a year group in September after 6 months off will be EXTREMELY detrimental to children. Not academically, but mentally and emotionally. I fully agree. And feel very lucky that our daughter is at such a wonderful school.

My child in State school isn't being anywhere near as well provided for with e-learning. I like my child's teacher and I think she is doing her best, that is just the reality of the situation. So far it looks like State schools will be closing for Summer.

Ergo, state school children are going to be hugely disadvantaged due to Covid. Even the middle class ones. The disadvantaged children (and my child and others with SEN, who are really going to suffer being out of school for 6 months), may very likely face long term life long consequences from this.

Teachers are working hard. I 100% agree. But I really feel something has to give.

The children need to go back to some semblance of normality after this. To their classroom. To their teacher. Ideally that will be in May. If not, as a Country we need to step up and be creative. If that means a few weeks of school in the Summer, then maybe we can support teachers with extra pay and bonuses. Or leave in lieu by extending a holiday in the next academic year that can be planned for (when they may be able to go on an actual holiday if borders are reopened for next year).

If the children can't make it back until September, perhaps they could go back early (late August once the weather has got rubbish as it always does in late August) into their old year groups for a half term. Make the October half term 2 weeks to make up for it. And have the academic year transition after that for next year.

Or as has been said upthread. Just let everyone repeat a year. Next academic year may have further lock downs going into Winter. That will be absolutely catastrophic to the mental health of school children having already jumped up year group (or school) that abruptly after such a long absence. That wouldn't just affect disadvantaged or SEN childen. A further winter lock down on children that have been off for 6 months and gone up a year group is going to be severely detrimental to even the strongest children in a school.

Repeating a year also has the benefit of raising the school starting age to 5, as we have the lowest school starting age in the World. Though admittedly the effect on universities would be complex. Maybe let this year's 6th form leavers go up if they are happy with this Summer's grading system. The ones that aren't can stay on and take the proper exams. (Also, means a lot less school leavers to tip out into what is going to be an impossible jobs market. Many school leavers this year will be unemployed for a very long time).

I don't know if any of the above are the answers. But, I really hope someone up high does have an answer.