Schools opening in the summer holidays!

[Biscuit0110]

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?

DS is only in year 3 but his school are doing an excellent online provision and are managing to introduce new content- a combination of engaged families using zoom and probably a lot of educated parents who aren’t working. (Private school).
So no I probably wouldn’t use it. I would support school going back a week or two earlier in September though - we get 9 weeks off!

Who's going to teach them?

Unfortunately, in secondary schools at least, the ones who most need catch up sessions are probably also those least likely to attend. E.g. my DS!

As a retired teacher I would be happy to do this, but would support my non retired colleagues to not be forced into it. They need a break completely away from school for their own wellbeing too.

Look at the PMs questions for today - easy to do on catch up, and its all there. No reporting yet for links, as it only happened a short time ago. I am sure it will make it in tomorrow's papers.

@Biscuit0110 they haven't missed half the school year. AT MOST it will be a third

Absolutely not. If lockdown stays as it is now, where we can go out, or even better, we can mix with another household by summer the kids will definitely need their summer holidays.
This hasn’t been a break. We don’t have a garden, we’ve barely been out and we’ve been stressed trying to do school work.
There’s no way I’d send my primary child. I’d consider the secondary age one doing a little bit of catch up time but not full weeks or the whole summer. Maybe one day a week.

There is a real possibility that the summer break (August) wont be any meaningfully different from now. In which case i'd be happy for her to go in one or two days a week and see her friends and get a change of scenery.

Volunteers/retired teachers? Fine by me. I'm an ex TA but i'm struggling with this long stretch of home schooling my DD. I'm sure a volunteer wouldn't do any educational damage to DD. I might even volunteer myself!

I'd be very surprised if any of this went ahead though tbh. For reasons given upthread.

At last we seem to have some solutions, I am grateful. The children losing half a year at school - particularly the older children, it is a complete disaster. Very worried about the state of most children by the time the autumn arrives. So this is very welcome news.

Considering that the government aren't paying for schools to make safety modifications like more sinks or subsidise extra cleaning costs and materials, I'm surprised that they would announce this. Teachers already gave Easter up for free. Summer would be taking the piss unless they are paying extra.

OP do you actually think that come the summer the situation is going to be under control enough to allow summer school?

I will also volunteer. I will do what I can for the children.

Wonder where they will hold these schools? I assume they will need Safeguarding Leads in.

My DS has been working a full timetable with live classes with his school 8.30 to 3.45 plus homework. Neither he or his teachers have been sitting around having a holidays in the last few weeks.

My daughters' teachers are working very hard and keeping us well informed. So no, I would not support any proposal that they carry on through their well-earned break. And I see little value in the school being opened over the summer if staffed by volunteers that she doesn't know.

If her regular teachers ask her to cover some work from home over the summer, we'd support that.

My child is in y12 and can walk to school. She would attend as long as friends were attending

cuppa yes I think it will be fine for the summer.

It was indeed mentioned on PMQs but its a bloody stupid idea. The children who would need it most wont turn up. Let's not pretend that most people who think it's a great idea are just considering it as free summer holiday childcare.

Also if they are targeting the children who haven't engaged with school lessons in the last few weeks how many will be keen to go to summer school?

So they will get people with no previous knowledge of the exam boards teach kids. This will not end well.

This is a joke right?

No.
My kids have worked every school day since lockdown. They have had to be self disciplined because my work hours have increased and they are working alone. They are exhausted dealing with the stress and uncertainty and change. A proper break from school, even if at home and not able to see their friends, is needed. Going into another new environment, with strangers and still not able to play with their friends won't help them and will, for them cause more damage.
Kids need a break, just like adults do. Ifbthey work through the sunmer their learning will suffer the rest of the year and they will be exhausted half way through the term.

My yr 8 DD has been set between 4 and 5 hours work every single school day in lockdown. I'm damned if they steal her summer holiday! I can't imagine her teachers would be that chuffed either - they are most definitely working now.

There was a rather wonderful suggestion by Robert Halton MP that Ofsted inspectors should be redeployed to staff summer schools.

You might say it'll be run by volunteers, retired teachers etc but they can't just open up the school themselves and have no supervision and support. It would involve some staff to be there too - staff who have already given up an Easter holiday and a May half term. School staff DO NOT get paid for the holidays.

I'm sure you're well-meaning OP but unless you have excellent knowledge of the KS3 and 4 curriculum, I really don't want you teaching. Or are you volunteering to make squash or something?

At last we seem to have some solutions, I am grateful.

It's hardly a solution. It's an idea, and the bare bones of one at that.