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

@Letseatgrandma - sorry yes it is, I thought I had put that in my post but obviously hadn't!

I’d love this. Tbf our school was a bit slow to start off with but as off this new term we’ve got loads sorted.

We have real time lessons in the morning. A full day of subjects with google class room videos daily. And the day finishes of with a recorded video of our class teacher reading a book. We have cooking, science P.E video links to some great choices amongst the usual maths and English, phonics. Plus weekly juniors school online assemblies through google meet

There was a few rumblings about us still having to pay full whack but I’m impressed with the constant contact and online and real time support. They have stressed though that the children won’t be told off if they don’t complete any work.

Actually thinking about it - I think our teacher may need a rest over summer

Looking at the website for Abbey College it looks like it's always open during the summer offering courses so staffing must be already in place and it's just doing a bit of shuffling around.

Sorry - I have been working and trying to bludgeon the teenagers to do something.

I will try to RTFT, but this has already stood out:

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

Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times over. This is why my DC are at boarding schools. I can't begin to replicate what their schools offer. My Y13 son was in our yard earlier, trying to play football in a space the size of three plant-pots (to give a very tiny example).

If they had been younger, I could have supported them with all their education (in fact, I HE them all when they were younger, so am not at all opposed to this idea). However, there's absolutely no way I can, while working FT, replicate what they would be having at school now. Debating Society, Philosophy Society, sport, Art, Drama, Music, visiting speakers, positions of responsibility within the school context that really matter to them. And so on...

@BoardingSchoolMater

Actually you can educate your children, more so than you think.

If they can help you prepare a meal, they are learning vital life skills.

If you can give them a needle and thread and ask them to sew a kissing button back on - life skill.

If you can show them how you access and use internet banking - life skill.

If they help with house work - life skill.

If they can get some work and use a saw, screw driver and a few nails to “make something” - life skill.

There is sooooo much you can do with them.

Quite often kids can do complex maths; complete sophisticated extended writing, but wouldn’t know how to repair a split in their trousers, or cook themselves a healthy meal.

They might not be getting the ‘traditional education’ right now, but the education they COULD be getting at home right now with their parents, is priceless.

• missing. (Autotext)

And wood not work.
Good god, I hate my phone.

Haha- apart from the internet thing which hadn't been invented, my father learnt all those things at boarding school.

@KrakowDawn

Oh I’d expect so at Boarding School. The children are living very independently from their families aren’t they? And it’s good preparation.

But you’d honestly be surprised, particularly with children who go to state school, how very few of them can chop an onion, or handle a piece of raw meat. If they loose a button, they must see the sewing teacher to put it back on, there’s little chance of them taking it home to fix.

Dealing with money, knowing how to ensure security is in place online etc ...all skills that are being overlooked in favour of shoving English and maths down the children’s throats.

I’m not saying English and Maths aren’t important. They are incredibly important. But this time is an unheard of opportunity to learn about life skills and about relationships.

Pop some yoga on for them. Do a fruit taste test and encourage reading. And reading with help their English anyway. Reading every day can raise GCSE grades achieved.

I think you've really misunderstood what that poster meant, OP! (Debate club )

Workshy teacher here.
Here's my day yesterday.
Online from 8am till 4pm with wee and lunchbreaks. Responded to over 60 emails from children.
Set maths, writing, reading, spelling and vocab, science. All differentiated into 4 groups for ability. Marked them and offered responses as they came in. Rang and talked through learning with 3 children without ICT at home.
Completed safeguarding spreadsheet, safeguarding home calls.
At 4pm, held team zoom meeting where we discussed assessment in September and the rota for the next fortnight because we have to keep the school open for keyworker children. I'm asthmatic so i'm not in class but I am making and delivering school meals and paper copies of work. Divided up several long term planning objectives to get done for the next few weeks. Discussed getting laptops to kids without any ict. No idea how because school have barely any that work. Planned postal service for next week to try and reach those children we can't deliver paper copies to.
Planned the next days work. Began devising a remote SRE plan so parents don't have to deliver the year 6 sex ed.
Then at 7pm zoomed the year 7 HOY to chat about how we are managing year 6 transition this year. That will be an ongoing issue.

All this while trying to also get my own kids to work.

Yeah, sitting on my arse.

And now i'm off to fire up my googleclassroom again.

There is education in everything we do and parents should be able to use this time to support their children with other skills etc

I mean that’s great and all but very naively doesn’t take into account parents who are still working full time!

@DBML
Urgh - they have been able to do all those things since they were quite small (probably due to the early years HE).
What they get at boarding school is massive. I couldn't have imagined it in a million years before they went. Even the fact that the day starts with Chapel. Yes, I could replicate this locally. Only I can't, because all the places of worship are shut due to lockdown. And so on.
Not that Chapel is the main reason they go to school, obviously. However, it's the way the day starts, and they should be there at this moment!

Morning Op

Whilst perhaps not particularly useful for your own children who get all their learning needs from boarding school and require little input from yourself, the advice still stands for the majority of children.

Some of the most important skills my son has had to learn are actually patience, independence and just how to be bored.

I can’t always stop to help him as I’m working from home. So he needs to either wait or figure things out for himself by watching a YouTube video or googling.

Also he’s useless at being bored and this can make children more demanding. Although I say that, he’s getting better. It’s actually very good for children to cope with boredom. They are so used to instant gratification these days, from their phones and all that info at hand. Being bored actually helps to improve their resilience and concentration span.

Good luck. I am sure most parents don’t even realise the wonderful job they are doing.