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Original poster

Schools opening in the summer holidays!

502 replies

Biscuit0110 · 13/05/2020 16:48

GAVIN WILLIAMSON confirmed the Department of Education is looking into the possibility of propping up summer schools to help pupils catch up with their work after the pandemic.

It seems that after ruling out using the summer holidays to allow the children to catch up, it is now firmly back on the table!

What a positive development - will you send your child to school over the summer?

OP posts:
HathorX · 13/05/2020 21:40

Hmmm I can't see many kids liking that idea! I remember classrooms being stinking hot in summer. There's a reason the long break is July and August.

Redlocks28 · 13/05/2020 21:42

Let’s wait and see how many volunteers there are before counting on this ever actually happening...

DBML · 13/05/2020 21:42

@LondonJax

supervising work set by a teacher - no thanks

And in all honestly it wouldn’t even be work set by their normal teacher, as we couldn’t be asked to supply cover work for a period of time that we aren’t meant to be working.

The volunteer would literally have to find their own way...qualified or not.

tessiegirl · 13/05/2020 21:43

This is happening at our secondary. For only year 10's and for roughly 3 weeks. Teachers have volunteered and will get paid.

GrimmsFairytales · 13/05/2020 21:48

tessiegirl

What extra provision is being offered to those Yr 10s who can't come into school?

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 21:49

So that sounds good tessiegirl

It can be done!

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 21:50

Why wouldn't they be able to go in?

ineedaholidaynow · 13/05/2020 21:52

How are they getting paid @tessiegirl? Are you a state school?

peoplepleaser1 · 13/05/2020 21:53

That's awsome @tessiegirl! Hats off to those teachers! Lucky year 10s, how wonderful that they have teachers prepared to do this for them.

GrimmsFairytales · 13/05/2020 21:54

Why wouldn't they be able to go in?

What if they are shielding?

Or they have to isolate as a member of their family has tested positive?

Siriusmew · 13/05/2020 21:55

I thought they're attracting graduates with specialist knowledge and ex-teachers?

And how long will these people have to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the curriculum, assess the needs of the children they will be teaching an identify indivdual needs of each child? And to do so as a volunteer?

Now I understand that some schools might open to offer childcare during the holidays, but lets not dress it up as the equivalent to the standard of teaching they get in normal school.

tessiegirl · 13/05/2020 21:55

Each day will be focused on a different subject. You get paid £130 per day.

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 21:56

Then I presume they'd catch up from friends etc as if they were off ill in a normal school term

Blueemeraldagain · 13/05/2020 21:58

I’m a secondary English teacher and given everything else could really do without having to “unteach” whatever nonsense is poured into the kids’ heads. A volunteer who has seen A Muppet Christmas Carol trying to prepare my Year 10s for their 19th century novel exam? Please.

Having said that, it will never happen at my school. I teach at an SEMH secondary school with some of most vulnerable and and deprived students in London. Their behaviour is shocking at times. Swearing, fighting, biting, throwing furniture are common occurrences when situations are poorly handled. In my NQT year a year 10 student banged my head against the wall by my hair. Volunteers don’t last.

I am terrified about how the current situation will affect the futures of the students I teach. Life is so unbelievably stacked against them already and my colleagues and I work incredibly hard to help them become educated and well rounded citizens. The situations they live in means working from home is nearly impossible. They are falling further and further behind while well supported or more affluent students (and by well supported/more affluent mean having more than 2-3 rooms in total so you can work without your drunk dad kicking off in the same room, not having a pony) pull further and further ahead. We’ve handed out over 40 laptops (we are a small school of 60 students) and around half have been taken by absent parents/older siblings already.

However as many have said the students who need it most wouldn’t turn up to an academic summer school anyway.

singlemum81 · 13/05/2020 21:59

Fuck that shit

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 21:59

And how long will these people have to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the curriculum, assess the needs of the children they will be teaching an identify indivdual needs of each child? And to do so as a volunteer?

Presumably they will be told what aspects of the curriculum to cover and they will assess the needs of each child the way any cover teacher would (ie not really)

GrimmsFairytales · 13/05/2020 22:01

Then I presume they'd catch up from friends etc as if they were off ill in a normal school term

Do you think it's acceptable for a shielding pupil to have to catch up from friends, as apposed to learning from a teacher. Simply because their health needs prevent them from accessing in person, 3 weeks of work which is being offered to help pupils catch up?

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 22:01

A volunteer who has seen A Muppet Christmas Carol trying to prepare my Year 10s for their 19th century novel exam?

Why would you think this would happen?

fruitpastille · 13/05/2020 22:01

Many teachers are setting reading, writing, maths and topic tasks online to be completed each day and handed in/ feedback given. As well as being on a rota to cover child care in school. My primary children are doing this and I know the majority of local schools are the same. My high school child is set tasks online according to his normal timetable. Not private, just normal state schools. They need a summer break and so do the staff. I'm confident that they will be fine academically. I can see that gcse or a level might benefit from a bit of cramming in some cases.

tessiegirl · 13/05/2020 22:02

Just to be clear. The summer school will not be run by volunteers. The actual experienced school teachers have volunteered to run it.

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 22:02

GrimmsFairytales so should it not be offered then? In case some are shielding?

GrimmsFairytales · 13/05/2020 22:03

so should it not be offered then? In case some are shielding?

That doesn't answer my question. Confused

Siriusmew · 13/05/2020 22:05

Presumably they will be told what aspects of the curriculum to cover and they will assess the needs of each child the way any cover teacher would (ie not really)

Do you think its as simple as that with the curriculum?! You are deluded! And whats the problem with cover teachers? They have planning left for them by the teacher they are covering which includes differentiation for pupils, so they wouldn't be (not really) assessing the children! Do you know anything about state schools at all?

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 22:05

Yes I think its fine that those who are shielding catch up somehow. Hopefully teachers will help them catch up

ITonyah · 13/05/2020 22:07

The information from Denmark is really interesting and encouraging, rates of infection have fallen since schools reopened.

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