School Contact

[beepbeep]

This is NOT a school bashing thread!!!

I was wondering what contact people had been having from schools and what we should be expecting as reasonable?

I have 3 children (2 at secondary yrs 7&8, 1 at primary- yr5). The secondary approach has been VERY different at the secondary to the primary.

Secondary - phone calls from form tutors, emails from head of year. Daily contact & encouragement from different teachers when homework is handed in or when the children have had queries via 'show my homework app'. Some teachers have emailed in response to queries & been really supportive of the children's work as well as being concerned for their wellbeing.

Primary - using Google Classroom. Homework (other than English is to go onto websites and find work). English has been 3 week project so nothing to hand in. Queried something with teacher on Google Classroom - only way of contacting them 3 weeks ago - no response. DD had maybe 3 at most 1 line comments on her work. No other contact, no phone call, email or anything for 7 weeks.

I realised last night that she could have been under the patio for 7 weeks & they wouldn't have known!!!!

DD is getting quite upset about all the contact her siblings are getting, she waiting for assessment by CAHMS and getting quite anxious about the situation at times.

DH & I are doing the best we can, he is a frontline key worker so doing all sorts of random shifts and I am also a key worker, working full time but mostly from home (luckily I'm able to be flexible around DH's shifts).

I have emailed the head of the Primary to ask for some more support, but I am wondering what would be reasonable to expect? The difference between the primary & secondary approaches are pretty extreme!

[Concerned7777]

Same eldest is in high school work set daily all teachers available by email during school hours. Form teacher rings once a week to see how we all are, if ds needs any work printing off, how hes coping,if he wants any help with anything.
Youngest 2 at primary both were sent home with a work pack which was completed within the 1st couple of weeks. Teachers available to contact by dojo If needed but no specific work set. Was told just to keep them reading and doing online activities like TT rock stars and education city.

[DominaShantotto]

One phone call. I've made them aware the child in question is really struggling, very emotionally volatile, is developing a stammer, speech regression and massive fear of the outside world... but school really do not give a shit.

They're doing prep work for next year I believe - the kids leaving this year have been completely written off. No SATs = school management (it's coming from there - not the class teachers) just no longer care about that cohort.

[CarrieBlue]

Minimum guidelines for schools would have been lovely. Instead, the government told schools to close to all but the minimum number of KW children and not much more.

LAs are not in charge of most schools since they were privatised into academies, so no overview in each area about what schools should be providing in any joined up manner.

But still with the ‘what are the teachers doing?’ posts. Especially from posters who say their kids are getting plenty of teaching resources provided, so complaining for the sake of it

[FraterculaArctica]

Eldest DC in Year 1. School set themselves up v quickly with Google classroom. Updated by class teacher every Monday morning with work for the week. We try and do most of it. Some work can be directly submitted online, lots of encouragement to email photos or scans of handwritten work. Brief comments made on all work submitted. They did weekly phone calls and these have now evolved into small-group video calls using Google Meet. Weekly emails from the Head who also contributes to the class stream.

[CrocodileFrock]

DD1 is at secondary school.

Teachers have been setting assignments and tasks. If DD1 has any questions, she can contact them via the school's messaging system. The teachers always seem to reply quickly and are keen to help.

The Head sends email updates to all parents at least a couple of times a week. We haven't had any phone calls or individual emails, but I assume that's because DD1 has been completing the work and has been in contact herself.

DD2 is at primary school. She has work set daily (on school days) and the teachers answer any questions she has via google classrooms. All work is marked and the teacher gives DD feedback.

DD2's teacher has phoned once to talk to us and DD. It was a nice surprise and DD was really happy to hear from her. We also have an email address that we can use if there are any problems with the work, and the one email I sent was answered within minutes.

The primary school also sends regular texts to parents, asking if they need any help or support during lockdown. They also offer help in the form of food boxes for families who are struggling, and general pastoral support.

The two schools have different approaches but for me the key thing is that I feel confident that if we needed any help or support, both schools would be available to help.

[StoorieHoose]

DD in S3 all classes giving work on Google classroom and being marked and returned. I've had an email from her Pupil Support teacher asking how she is getting on and letting us know if DD or I need a chat we can arrange it with her.

[fandajji]

DS year 8 gets a bunch of tasks set online with the comment "hand this in when you're back". As a secondary teacher who is now providing live lessons, uses deadlines, gives feedback, has regular contact with students etc this is very hard to see.

Luckily I am able to let him join in on my lessons and have linked him to other lessons in my school so he is learning. His school have been bad and after weeks of giving them the benefit of the doubt we are going to be re-registering him.

I'm so worried about all of these children who are at schools like his, the gap is becoming more irredeemable by the day

[fandajji]

Re-registering!

[fandajji]

DE. Ffs

[emz771]

Incredible.

Live classes 3 days a week, weekly phone calls with class tutors, work in the post that arrives once a week with specifically created work for each child.

Can’t thank them enough.

[NOTANUM]

Secondary - work set, almost zero corrections or feedback, zero "live" content.

Some of the work is completed on paper so no chance it'll ever be corrected.

I am very underwhelmed. They are not open to children of key workers either.

[NOTANUM]

Adding to above. No checking if a child doesn't log on and absolutely no phone calls.

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

DS year 8 gets a bunch of tasks set online with the comment "hand this in when you're back".

God, I wouldn't want that teacher's marking pile "when we're back"! Am glad that my school are still keeping lessons and homework and marking all ticking over (although I am procrastinating over getting down to mine this weekend...)

[Cathy1984]

My son's school has set work on an app called seesaw. It allows you to upload completed work and for his teacher to comment on it. There's no deadline pressures or anything but the fact his teacher can see it has been encouraging for him. His teacher has also called twice to check in and make sure we are all doing okay. He is in year 1 x

[ChloeDecker]

What about computers in the schools. Why can’t the teachers go into school and set the work from there?

Unless you are on the rota to go in, you are not allowed on school site

I think I have a right to question what those teachers that are not setting work are doing at the moment. All taxpayers have that right.

The fact that you are not experiencing ‘no work or contact ‘ from a school means that you really have no idea that teachers are not doing that. Far too many times parents in real life and posters on here have made that claim, only, when questioned, do we find out this is very far from the truth.

Have a read of this thread, assuming you are not being goady. It will helpfully answer your questions. There have been many many threads started, like this one, always stating the claim that it is not a teacher bashing thread but we all know....

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3894500-To-think-we-could-just-collate-all-the-teacher-teaching-related-information-here-and-have-done-with-it

[Saoirse7]

Notanum

Why would teachers call kids who haven't logged on?

During this time parents are the primary carers. I cannot imagine any parent being happy to be questioned as to why they haven't logged in. Especially if it is due to not having a device, not having access to internet etc. Do schools call during the Summer?

If it is a question of possible abuse then we aren't allowed to seek out anything or lead any 'investigations'.

In our school anyone who has no access to internet was provided with hard copies.

[emz771]

My youngest daughters teacher calls twice a week - and knows she loves nature so calls her with challenges of what birds and animals to see on the walk. Then my daughter uploads it and she gets a mark for each one. It’s really lovely.

[Howaboutanewname]

I think I have a right to question what those teachers that are not setting work are doing at the moment. All taxpayers have that right

No tax payer has the right to know if a teacher is experiencing some kind of personal difficultly - death in the family, serious illness, a miscarriage, mental health breakdown....None of your business.
and some of us work in private schools so no tax payer right there.

[NOTANUM]

@Saoirse7 Who is encouraging the millions of children to do any work in homes where parents need a gentle nudge?
Some studies are showing as few as one in seven are engaging with home schooling.
A phone call home to the parents mobile would be a great start to try to encourage some reading at primary level.

[BunsyGirl]

@ChloeDecker Oh yes I do have a right to question as I have seen a significant number of parents complain over multiple forums. There is clearly an issue with some schools and this needs to be resolved if schools are not going to be opening up any time school.

Who is preventing teachers from going on site if they are not on the rota? If teachers cannot set work from home the rota clearly needs to be revised so that teachers can go into school and set the work.

If you get paid out of the public purse then expect to be held accountable by the tax paying public.

[BunsyGirl]

@Howaboutanewname I am referring to state schools as I am not aware of any private schools that are not setting work. Sorry, but teachers can’t have it both ways. They can’t expect schools to remain closed for months and months and then not engage with their students. This is not all schools but it is some schools and that is not acceptable over a long period of time. If a teacher has a personal problem which means that they cannot provide remote learning the position should be exactly the same as when schools are open; someone else does the work. Classes are not put on hold for months because a teacher becomes sick or has a bereavement etc. Schools closed two months ago and the fact that some are still not providing work is disgraceful.

[Aragog]

I work in an infant school and I am currently overseeing the home learning provision.

We are only contacting by telephone certain parents - vulnerable pupils mainly. This is the preference for the vast majority of our parents from what we know.

Parents can contact us at anytime if they need us or want to query something. There are several ways:

• Via the home learning platform - as we are infants then we know much of the responses are initially by parent. They can leave messages on there.
  
  
• Via specially created year group email - this is monitored at least 2-3 times a day. The class teachers and I all have access.During the week we aim to answer that day where possible.
  
  
• Via the school's Facebook and Twitter messaging - I monitor this daily
  
  
• Via the school's website or general email address, or my phoning the school office - these are manned during school hours.
  
  
  I am monitoring all of the home learning provision and noting down those pupils where we have seen no response or access. This has been passed onto the school's learning mentor and I know she has contacted them to check all is okay and if there is anyway we can support them. We know some are preferring to do their own thing and that is fine. We have said from the outset that the home learning was optional and there for those who wish to use it, but that we understand it is tough and many are trying to balance wfh and childcare.
  
  We are doing no live lessons as that is not appropriate for our school community.

[AldiAisleOfCrap]

@beepbeep
I realised last night that she could have been under the patio for 7 weeks & they wouldn't have known!!!!

What a ridiculous comment, so could any , baby, toddler, pre school or home schooled child. However as a society we have to trust that the overwhelming majority of parents don’t murder their dc.

[ChloeDecker]

Oh yes I do have a right to question as I have seen a significant number of parents complain over multiple forums.

If you carefully read over my post, you will see that nowhere did I say that you didn’t.

[Andi2020]

3 kids
1 cancelled GCSE gets nothing
1 y10 googleclassroom no feed back
Only 3 subjects on it
1 at primary gets work but only feedback if Email teacher
I tell my kids you are not doing it for your teacher
YOU ARE DOING IT FOR YOURSELF
Schools do not want to put pressure on families my boys school advise do as much or as little as you want and safe.