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?

@Ylvamoon - not working at full capacity! If I could be bothered I’d list all the things I’ve done this past term. Suffice it to say that I would say I’ve been working significantly longer hours since lockdown for many reasons. Yet again the public think they know what teachers do when they have no idea. Plus we’re not paid to work over the holidays.

So anything to erase the pressure should be welcome.

This is unlikely to ease pressure, or close any gaps in pupil's learning.

The volunteers will have no idea of what the students have been learning about, or their abilities. They may never have taught the age groups before, and might not be up to date with the GCSE / A Level syllabus.

@Owl55 good point

I wouldn’t send my child in even if I could as he has been working everyday, so have the teachers, marking and keeping in touch.

It tickled me hearing the word ‘volunteers’.
1000’s of them as well! 🤣🤣🤣

Here's something in writing, for those asking.

Plus we’re not paid to work over the holidays.

So during the school holidays you don't receive any salary?

The flu season this year could see the children home again the NHS struggle anyway. How can they even prepare for a winter with no flu vaccine, a real threat.

I would be inclined to send mine at least part time for some proper basic lessons whilst risk of transmission is low and things are still so unpredictable with regards to the winter flu season.

They haven't lost half a year, they've lost 1 term. There's 4. So that's a quarter of the school year and not even yet have they lost a term as it's only the 13th of May and half way through that lost term! So right now they've lost about 13% of school year

Um excuse me strawberry but my pupil premium kids are doing very well cheers. Got their reports yesterday and mainly 1s for attitude to learning and many 'above tracks'. Way to generalise though. Because we've got less money we must be thick. Cheers for that.

Indeed. Dd is empowered and exceeding in all areas. She's PP because her Dad is a useless fuckwit who doesn't provide and was an all round shit husband so I had to throw him out. I understand other PP children might be doing so well but I really hate that generalisation.

Baking teachers do not get paid for the six weeks off. They do, however, spread their wage over 12 months to enable them to go into work during the 6 weeks holiday, rather than get another job.

But they won't be learning as there won't be any teachers there. It'll be child minding at best.

Baking Bernie- our salary is pro rata so we don't get paid for the holidays. Our salary then gets divided up over the year.

Bernie. Are you new to mumsnet? That question has been answered to death.
Incidentally I get pay for a whole month even though about 8 of those days are weekends. I am not paid for my weekends either.

Musmerian of course you are working. Setting up homework, marking the work, being on a rotating schedule for KW children. The middle bit the actual teaching is currently missing. Unless you are running class on Microsoft team... but none of my DC school is doing it. They are primary and abandoned y11.

Yes I would send my children no question. They need an education, I would even be willing to pay it help out on my days off. Anything to get them I to school now

The retired will be at even more risk. Those in their 50s are at a far bigger risk than those in their 20s, those in their 60s even more so. Who is going to supervise these volunteers who have never been in these schools?

Ime supply lessons are a complete waste of time anyway. I’d rather my year 10 had a break than waste her time in supply lessons, her school have been working her really hard.

It’s a ludicrous idea.

SO the way the wage works is say theyre on 30k - they get paid 30k to work for 35 weeks a year. So if they were paid for 52 week per year their annual wage would be 44.5k. They take the 30k over 12 months so get paid over the summer but not FOR the summer.

There is no way this is going to happen. I can't imagine there are going to be enough qualified, fully dbs checked volunteers to make this work.

As a teacher I have been working extremely long hours on remote teaching as every lesson takes far longer to prepare and marking online takes double the time (not to mention trying to juggle my own children) I'm going to be exhausted by the summer and certainly won't be volunteering in the holidays! I'd have a nervous breakdown and I'm sure most teachers feel the same.

Do you know what I’d like? A better curriculum that isn’t so stuffed that children and teachers alike are suffering with burn out and mental health issues.

It won't happen. I presume this has been released to deflect from something else to do with Covid that's going badly...care homes, testing...take your pick.

@Gremlinpoop Have you read what is actually being proposed? Work being set by volunteers who don't know your child, and have potentially never taught their year before, is unlikely to help their education

It is fairly straightforward to find out the syllabus and which exam board and teach things the children want to cover. Tutors manage this!

Where is all this crap about teachers not working for the last two months

They're working normally to the maximum of their ability considering they're also often looking after their own kids (like everyone else is)

I don't think it will be fair to expect teachers to work in holidays as they need that time off
Not unless they are offering it as extra income for them and a choice to do