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?

Interesting. I can see this being a skeleton crew of supply teachers who need the money, with very poor attendance from the pupils who would most benefit from it. The disengaged kids that have been ignoring remote learning are not going to attend a voluntary summer school.

I think this is Williamson preparing to double down on GCSEs. Then he can say, that they will run as normal next year, as everyone was given a chance to catch up...

I would hope no pressure is going to be put on teachers to go in and teach over the 6 weeks. Under normal circs. they do go in at points over the 6 weeks to have meetings and do preparations for September, so it's never a clear 6 weeks off. But that break is needed.

It will be tricky to prepare for next year actually if the school is still in use over the summer. There's usually a deep clean/class/furniture switch around ect. Often some structural work. Contractors in. Even more to do than usual to be ready for Sept. in this current situation.

Thinking out loud.

My head teacher for example has not had a day off since Feb half term. Can she maintain that until Oct half term? No. She's working weekends too.

its a very interesting prospect.

it sounds geared to secondary on the fact he said for children that haven't had a chance to come back before the summer.

I'd be dubious that it would have much impact unless the children's normal teachers were heavily involved in planning what needed to be covered (as they will be the ones who know what's been taught, what level the students are at and which students have engaged with the remote learning.

They have missed nearly a term and a half and they've also been cut off from the idea of school and their peer groups and teachers - I would totally have mine in at secondary. He's had plenty of free time since school work takes about 3 hours a day!

My Year 10 spent a big chunk of the weekend on her GCSE art coursework and scored 90% in yesterday's physics test. Just to give some quite specific antidote to the allegation that they have all had two months "off".

As a Scottish parent who has a child unable to sit her first set of exams and could possibly miss up to 6 weeks of her higher level work I am all for this

Not saying for all pupils it’s needed but at a critical time of schooling years like I mentioned above I can only see it as a positive way forward

The comment referred to "volunteers" - from Williamson -

"[Halfon is] right to highlight the many thousands of volunteers that want to reach out, help our children in order to be able to have the knowledge to succeed in the future, and we’re very closely looking at such schemes - working with schools, working with the sector - as to how we can make that available to them."

There is a world of difference between some sort of optional summer scheme run by volunteers to help support some students (and, realistically, be some sort of summer childcare) and "schools opening in the summer holidays".

Feelingcrook - that's not true.

I'd send my DS back in June if school opens but not over the summer holidays, no. This hasn't been a holiday for him, he's been doing schoolwork at home and he's been stuck in the house most of the time. I want him to have some downtime.

Did he mention when these volunteers are going to have their induction and training? Or when DBS clearance needs to be submitted in good time so they are ready to go?
#cloudcuckooland

Feelingcrook - that's not true

They know it's not true they are just being goady so probably best for the blood pressure to ignore.

I think it’s a good idea, but doesn’t need to be for everyone. Focus it on Pupil Premium children. I am sure everyone is concerned the gap between these children and other children will have significantly increased over the lockdown. This possibly is a way of ensuring the gap doesn’t increase significantly.

This gives me hope for the music and drama clubs that use school buildings and are facing a bleak year without income otherwise. So I hope there will be some way to do these. I imagine the schooling would be very part time due to staffing and take up - pos more for secondary exam years?

Mind you, mine is in primary school so no important work to do.

I think it'd be a much better idea to just re-start the year again in September and keep all children back a year.

All the people who area against this can I ask If you have children at exam level ?

Are you a teacher Biscuit0110? I think I've seen you say you work with children?

You've completely twisted what was said. Schools as they usually are will not be opening over the summer holidays. You do realise that a lot of school staff don't get paid for the holidays, do you expect them to work for free? I can guarantee there is no budget to pay them especially when schools are not going to be provided with ppe. My husband works in a school and he certainly won't be working the summer, he will be at home having a well deserved break and spending time with his own children.

@Saucery my friend runs a holiday club. All their staff are teachers or pgce trainees. They are not sure they will be allowed to run this summer. I am sure all their staff would prefer to work this summer then not be employed. There must be lots of companies like this.

Another friend is a supply teacher. Agency has refused to furlough her. She would jump to work at this sort of scheme.

There was a rather wonderful suggestion by Robert Halton MP that Ofsted inspectors should be redeployed to staff summer schools
Oh please let this be true!

Bearing in mind how much money this will cost I think it's a stupid idea.

It's chicken feed compared to the hundreds of billions that it's costing in furlough, business support, loss of tax revenue, public sector staff being paid when not working, etc etc. At least it will do some good to help educate the children and give them some social contact.