Why not secondary schools?

[barbites]

I get that getting primary kids to school will help some parents get back to work. But as a parent of a year 10 child I'm confused why it's only a hope that they might return before September. Theories on this?

@Murray I feel like you are doubting my ds. I have checked every piece of work he has done and none of it was required to be submitted. He receives answer sheets a few days after work was set. He is a very conscientious student, doing everything set, bright enough to hopefully understand the content but 100% self learning. I can see this will be a useful skill in the future and he is making the best of the situation, but some feedback and encouragement from school would be a bonus.

The discrepancy between schools is worrying. It would be less than 8deal of GCSE and A level exams are canceled or modified next year to take into account the schools that aren't setting as much work. I to think Year 10 needs to be prioritised. If schools have been advised not to do live lessons (I can't see what would be wrong with live delivery via speaking rather than showing faces) then at the very least they could direct kids towards video resources made by other organisations and mark all work that is set.

Is some of this discrepancy due to kids being economical with the truth and school leaders not keeping parents informed? It's so much easier to help teenagers with their work if parents are also told what the work is.

My DDs school is doing live lessons - she's fine - but in normal times, I have to rely on her to tell me what homework she has. Whilst kids need to learn to manage their own time, some struggle with motivation and time management and parents can only step in when we know what we're supporting them with.

I think everyone is frustrated. There's no definite right thing to do here and I am sure teachers are as worried for their exam year pupils as parents are. It was good to hear Y10 and Y12 mentioned in Boris'speech and at least know they are on the radar.

I think returning for years 10 and 12 could be in the form of one or 2 lessons a day with some pupils in, in the morning and some in the afternoon. I don't think anyone would expect it to be business as usual.

Murray I feel like you are doubting my ds

Just want to endorse what Murray said. I typically have 4 in a class like your DS bigbanafeet. Their work is marked and returned immediately and they are making great progress.

I am having more luck than Murray but am spending a HUGE amount of time trying to encourage the others.

@bigbananafeet12 Oh no, absolutely not doubting your DS! Sorry if that's the impression I gave. I was just observing that having teachers who are poised and ready to give feedback doesn't seem to be increasing engagement from my experience. And I don't think that's anyone's fault, necessarily. An online classroom is nowhere near as good as all being in the same room.

@MurrayTheDemonicTalkingSkull what is an online classroom? Honestly, nothing my kids have submitted has received any feedback.
Haven't wanted to contact school as fearful as being labelled pushy or unreasonable...

@barbites We're using Teams, so each of the classes I teach has been added to a Team, which I consider my online classroom. As we're on a timetable, I log in to that Team at the beginning of the period and post the work I expect pupils to do. Then I'm there waiting to respond to pupil questions or feed back on work they've done. Of course, if pupils send me questions or work to be marked outside of that time I'll do that when I can, but the idea is that I'm instantly available if I'm needed.

@MurrayTheDemonicTalkingSkull that sounds brilliant. Can you understand where parents whose kids are getting nothing like this are concerned? I'd be delighted with this arrangement!

@barbites I also don't think it's unreasonable to expect some feedback, but it may depend on the school's policy, the health of the teachers, access to technology (loads of my colleagues didn't have a device or broadband, which blew my mind a bit, but the school lent them laptops and WIFI dongles), etc.

I would contact the school and ask them politely what's happening - that's not pushy or unreasonable. We've been doing online classes on timetable on Teams since the first day we were closed, but we were already set up on the system for use during the year, so it was a bit easier for us.

@MurrayTheDemonicTalkingSkull Thank you 😊

Because this is just about the economy. Secondary school kids can arguably look after themselves allowing parents back to work. That's why Primary. It's a joke.

Plus, if you send older pupils back they will also decide they can meet up outside of school and with people from other schools. Younger kids can't do this.

My Ds had a mass email to his year from head of year. It says some children have done no work at all so will be contacting parents this week.

My point is some children are getting no education at all. My Ds does some , he has ditched art as he knows he isn’t going back till September

@Kidneybingo perhaps I'm unusual, but my kids still do what I tell them they can do...so it would be a no to can I meet up with xyz....

Why is it teacher bashing to wonder what they are doing? Generally they would be in school teaching. Currently they are not. Since March my children have had no teaching and no contact except a call from the head of house. I'd rather one zoom lesson a day than 20 pieces of homework I have to talk my children into doing whilst wfh!

I am teaching 5 lessons a day because that is what my Head demands. Other Heads have made different demands. The Unions have also advised.

If you look at the eleventy billion teacher threads on here you will see that we can do no right. If you got your one zoom lesson a day, the eleventy billion minus 1 would want something else. This is a one size fits all response by indivdiual schools to unprecedented circumstances. If you don't like it, tough.

@Lostmyshityear9 I'm untitled to be dissatisfied with what I'm experiencing. Good for you teaching 5 lessons a day!
I've not been derogatory towards teachers. It's been interesting for me to see what some schools are offering. It's not what I'm experiencing which has led to me asking my questions.

@barbites my DS's school have gone a step further so teachers are actually speaking to the pupils for part of the lesson and the pupils can respond eg DS will speak in Spanish to his Spanish teacher.

DS has also been working in small groups, obviously virtually, with some of his classmates to work on science projects.

He does have to logon for class registration at 8.30 and then has a full school day so it is quite intense and gets homework in addition. But it does highlight the huge differences between education provision for Y10s at the moment.

And in answer to why not secondary schools?

• social distancing will be impossible with all children in.
• secondary school children are pretty dispersed and many will need to use public transport to get to school.
• no childcare required for the majority
• most schools are struggling for budget with the basics like soap, let alone the massive supply budget they are going to need for the coming years so I assume at this point, the Government is unwilling to fill that gap from a financial point of view
• many staff are shielding or vulnerable so won't be in. Some will resign rather than be forced to go to school because we can afford to make that choice. Recruitment is largely not going ahead at the current time. You can't run a full school with lots of staff off and no supply teachers 'cos you can't afford to pay them.

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@ineedaholidaynow brilliant, sounds really good. My dd was up by 9 today which I regard as a result! She would be up for registration if required!

I'm untitled to be dissatisfied with what I'm experiencing

Whatever. It wont' change anything, assuming of course individual teachers are doing what has been asked of them. You can complain about individual teachers if they clearly aren't setting work at all but it will go nowhere if they are doing as they are told.

On BBC news last night a reporter mentioned that if YR 10 do go in before summer it would bebto discuss progress with teachers so no lessons. If this is true I can't see how exams next year can go ahead/be assessed as normal.

@Violetparis I agree. I can see them not doing GCSE's next year either...

Also, there's no guarantee schools will be back in September.

@barbites mine do what I tell them too, but it's not true for all teens.

perhaps I'm unusual, but my kids still do what I tell them they can do...so it would be a no to can I meet up with xyz.

I think you are more unusual than you realise! I also think you’ve got a reasonable gripe about your DS’s school. Fair enough if it were difficult to get things organised at short notice, but really having no feedback on his work since school shut is unreasonable.