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?

Sorry - meant to say, current teachers also shouldn't be expected to teach through the summer even if they were paid, since most have been working throughout lockdown.

Oh bugger, I missed the alcohol comment... I must have been comatose in my garden by the sounds of it though.

I’m just popping the laptop away now and I’ve still got a few hours of getting DS to do his coursework. He’s on a different timetable you see, which is just as well as I can’t do two things at once.

I think the majority of parents are fantastic. I’ve called around a number today, who have been so blooming supportive and really grateful for the efforts we are putting in. So I don’t believe that teachers are hated at the moment and I don’t believe that we will face any sort of backlash (not that it matters...what would they do? Boycott us?)

There’s always going to be the minority who frankly are jealous. They feel we have it too easy and want to see what they perceive to be the benefits, stripped away.
I can tell by how they title their threads that they are filled with glee at the idea of teachers not getting their “6 week holiday”.

They hide behind the idea that their concerns are only what’s best for the children. They aren’t. They have literally dozens of qualified professionals explaining why working through from July to Christmas with minimal rest time, is not a great idea and not in the child’s best interests, but of course they know best. What a shame.

Teachers, do not feel obligated to give up your time this summer. It is not necessary. By all means do it if you want to, but don’t feel that you are letting your students down if you don’t. We’ll all be continuing to work super hard between now and July 20th and then from September onwards and pupils (our own children included) will be fine.

@Biscuit0110, What on earth is the matter with you? You appear to have turned into Pollyanna. All this constant cheery enthusiasm must be killing you.

Most people vwho are in favour of this scheme are saying things like" just a few days here and there" or " only mornings" and the like. Where is the continuity going to come from? If such a scheme were to run, students would have to be in regularly for every session that was run, even if it coincides with a family holiday.
Let's say I am covering energy for GCSE physics
Day 1 , 8 of my 10 students are in and I cover energy stores and pathways
Day 2, I have 7 students in. One is a new student that wasn't in yesterday, but 2 other students aren't in because it is the first day's leave mum/dad have had for ages andthey are going out for the day. 6 of the group need me to progress onto energy efficiency but one student still doesn't get stores and pathways
Day 3 I have 8 students in today but they are now at 3 different places in covering the work.
Day 4. Only 7 students and still 3 different places in covering work
Day 5, because it is nearly the weekend and one students mum couldn't get him out of bed in time, as well as students missing for other reasons, I now only have 6 students at 4 different stages in covering the syllabus material.
I think if I were doing this is want them all on BBC bitesize on computers covering the material at their own pace with me on hand to answer questions/help as needed.

To teach in any other way, if a parent signed up for it, it would have to be compulsory for their children to attend every single session unless they were ill.

“The risks for certain platforms are well-documented. You don't have to look hard. Unions never forbade live lessons, as you well know. They advised caution.”

That’s interesting - it seems then many state secondary schools misinterpreted the advice then, as it is the reason often given by state secondaries for not continuing the timetable live

Could you point me at anything where a union has forbidden their members from using Zoom? I'll save you the trouble. Unions can't instruct members to do anything, they only advise.

@Daffodil101
Genius idea about ofsted inspectors. I think we would ALL finally agree that this would be...ok, what’s the word?

Apt? Retribution? Justice?

It's a sound bite. He has spoken about helping disadvantaged kids catch up. Schools staffed by volunteers and retired teachers on an informal basis. It will not be subject specialist staff running lessons. I also very much doubt that many kids will volunteer to do extra randomn lessons with a randomn member of staff who they have never met before with kids they don't know. It really is bullshit. I will be very surprised if this comes off. It reminds me of the volunteer army for the NHS; none of whom have ever been called upon to do any work whatsoever or the Nightingale hospitals which are all being disbanded but were mostly unused. These are grandstanding headliners designed to gain attention, sound good and detract from the problematic issues of the day.

sallylovescheese

Just desserts??

Daffodil

Satisfying! 😂

You win. That’s the word!

Ha good idea. Of course they should help.

what sort of holiday will be available?
I believe going back in the summer must be better than September, September is what we should avoid.

Imagine asking teachers to teach over summer. Yeah. right.

Heard the tail end of a Minister’s call to retired teachers to volunteer.
So that would include older teachers, would it, many over 65? Hmmm.

@echt I don't know the facts however my DC's school wrote in an email that they would not be doing live lessons, and feedback would be limited due to ways of working put in place by the 'unions'.

Aw, some of the retired teachers I know would be ace.

@Daffodil101
Genius idea about ofsted inspectors. I think we would ALL finally agree that this would be...ok, what’s the word?

Karma.

Daffodil101

Aw, some of the retired teachers I know would be ace.“

Nit questioning their capability at all 😊

Just concerned for their wellbeing.

Not, not nit!
(Freudian slip, thinking about school)

Karma is exactly the word!

This idea all went very quiet?

I am really worried that I am going to miss the alcohol target. How much do I need to drink between now and the equinox?

I want to meet the expectations that seem to have been set. Is it just wine or does gin count. If I go over the target will I be appointed as a headteacher?

#hic #halftermbaby

Plenty of teachers already work during the summer holidays for example marking exam papers, running private summer schools for foreign students and teaching 11+. I’m sure some of these and the supply teachers that are not earning at the moment will be very grateful for the opportunity to earn some money.

Apparantly the decision on this will likely be made today?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/education-52790151

Bet they don’t!