Years 10 and 12 have been totally let down

[twosoups1972]

A few weeks ago the government said they would prioritise Years 10 and 12 going to back to school.

Then it was they would get 'some contact time with teachers' before the summer break.

Now - nothing.

These year groups are at the ones who desparately need teaching, they are missing huge chunks of GCSE/A Level syllabus. Plus it's much easier for older children to socially distance.

Why??

I'm no fan of this government but I don't think their decision to get reception and year 1 back for childcare reasons makes sense. Reception and Year 1 are crucial years for learning to read or the building blocks for learning to read and write. In chaotic households, with parents with no resources, no hooks, no capability to fill the gaps, it will create an even bigger divide between advantaged and disadvantaged families, one in which the least advantaged might never catch up. As well as that, this age group are the school years least at risk from Covid 19.

Year 10s I feel for. They're still doing so many subjects that are compulsory and they won't have natural motivation for. 10 GCSEs working alone from home for too long would be beyond most adults capabilities.

A level is different. They are doing dovecote of their choosing and only 3 of them. My year 12 DD is in need of some face to face, social contact, certainly, but she was already used to working 15 independently. She's getting great support from her college and could cope with this until the summer if need be. She would not be happy if exams are somehow dumbed down, or grade boundaries lowered next summer. I don't doubt some Year 13s are suffering without the structure and extra supports, clinu s etc... which occur in school/college but its not unheard of for 6th formers to repeat year 12 or take 3 years to do A levels if they change their mind on a subject late in the day. Those who are struggling too much could do that and may well have been the ones who would do that anyway.

hear
Guidance could absolutely be clearer.

For example, not just saying 'signpost to educational materials' and then having some schools doing live lessons and others doing bugger all.

My Year 10 and 12 students have not been let down.

My Year 12 students are making sustained progress and I have moved on next stage of the syllabus. I shall move onto Theme 2 for Year 10 after half term.

I agree OP, though I also think that we are doing all children a massive disservice through continued lockdown, which will ramp up educational, health and wealth inequalities for years to come.

@jinxpixie and how are those children actually learning those skills atm?
It sounds to me that they are left to their own devices to learn that rather than been taught those skills though....

I really should preview my posts. Sorry for auto corrects

Dovecote = subjects
My DD is used to studying 15 hours independently
I don't doubt someYear 12s not year 13s

You're right, I think year 10/12 should have been a priority due to their exams, easier to spread them out and they could have a part time timetable with blended learning.

The problem is and I think people are starting to realise this, that years 10 and 12 are options subjects and not all in the same class for every lesson.

There is some thinking that we split them into groups and do some well-being lessons with them, but options/subject lessons are going to be impossible. Teachers are specialists and can’t effectively teach outside their own subject areas. Pupils can’t mix groups. Teachers can’t circulate around classes as ultimately that would mean some kids being taught subjects they didn’t opt for. Focus on maths, science and English might work...if every teacher could competently teach those subjects at GCSE or A level. They can’t though.

So parents have to understand that unfortunately there will be no/limited teaching available for exam year groups for June/July. And if social discontinues, possibly (god forbid) into the autumn term.

Any ‘face time’ will literally be more of a tutor group experience. There will be no break or lunch times and as I said, probably no actual teaching.

My worry is that for teachers like me, who have done a lot with the online learning, including videoing lessons; creating online forms and resources; holding online form tutor time etc...I won’t be able to do this any more as I will be back at school.

It’s shit.

Hearhooves
That is a good point. People are expecting a lot of schools.

Some schools are performing vastly better than others from what I read here. Dd is really lucky with her school, I think. I have been helping loads as there is so much to go through. And because a fair chunk is too hard for her - English in particular. She’s yr7

It is shocking the yr10 and yr12 students haven’t been given any kind of priority. If there will be no face to face, schools should be encouraged to check who has a device and provide one. The government seems to be writing blank cheques after all. Then teachers could then do zoom just with those 2 year groups.

My dd is at a comp (y12) and getting lessons on Microsoft Teams from 1 June. Hopefully this will keep her on track.

I have a child in reception and we have been told by the school the priority when they go back won't be academic. They will be split into smaller groups than their normal 30 and they won't all be teacher led. The priority is health & safety and emotional development.

It's about childcare. The school won't be able to teach year 10 and 12 in the normal way.

Why would a group of teens need to be back in a childcare setting playing group games?

They're old enough to understand they need to be a bit proactive in their lives

One rule for teens, another rule for adults who don't like WFH and want to get back to their workplaces because they are more efficient there.

On the one hand we have all this guff about different learning styles but when push comes to shove, teens are treated differently. At least by virtue signalling MNers. I shouldn't bite, but it makes me so cross.

The problem is and I think people are starting to realise this, that years 10 and 12 are options subjects and not all in the same class for every lesson
I know this. It was one of the things I'd mentioned on other threads because most of a year group would have entirely different timetables.

But, for example, my A level classes before maternity leave had on average 10 students. It would be possible to teach them in a room safely. Our timetables are done by option blocks so there's no reason why, for example, Thursday morning couldn't involve all block 1 subjects doing their lessons. Only Year 12 would be on site, they could have a 2 hour double lesson 9-11 and that's it for the week for them. The rest of the time they could be working on questions, exercises, revision, independent study and exam papers. Between 11 and 1 the rooms are deep cleaned and then 1-3 all the block 2 subjects have their session. Those with larger A Level classes could have them split and be removed from other duties to do that.

With a totally flexible learning system then it could be doable.

For GCSE, if a core department has 10-15 teachers and 10-12 classes then the year group could be halved and and they could at least get some core subject input. Some subjects do walking talking mocks and that's something that could be done in the hall on rota, staff stay at the front, movement in and out is controlled and the hall is cleaned between sessions.

It's not the sort of thing the government would approve of and I'm sure the core group of hard-line teacher bashers would still be complaining, but most reasonable parents would probably be more than open to that sort of approach.

You're also all forgetting that some subjects require face to face contact - or at least some sort of virtual lessons.

My son is just being set work for his MFL.

And I don't know how you are supposed to do the practical subjects.

If there will be no face to face, schools should be encouraged to check who has a device and provide one. The government seems to be writing blank cheques after all.

I'm willing to be corrected here but I haven't heard of schools being given any money, let alone blank cheques, by the government.

I know of schools that have been forced to set defecit budgets. Where are they meant to be able to get money to buy laptops or tablets from, plus provide internet access too? Should teachers also be provided with the IT equipment plus internet access that they need?

Bookmarking to read. I’m a secondary teacher and also interested in what yr10 and 12 provision will look like at different schools and in hearing parents thoughts on it.

My son is in yr 8 so not there yet as a parent.

Hoping conversation is still non bun fighty when I come back.

I think we all need to prepare ourselves for the fact secondary school might be very different for quite some time.

Of course teens should be able to be proactive - but many can't, and that's partly because the education system is such a machine; they've been driven really hard. Those who have been selfmotivated will continue to be Ok, those with very dedicated teachers likewise, but the daily grind that forces the less motivated to get their work done is what's missing. Also, the bell curve for exams is all very well, but it'll be warped by the private schools who are giving proper teaching while many states aren't. Ofsted needs to be more proactive, or some guidelines need to be given - or just cut a topic from all the exams for the next two years.

There's another issue with MFL as well which in the past I have not been too concerned about - the idea/fact that the grade boundaries are inflated because of the native speakers doing A levels in their language.

That could be magnified next year because the native speakers will clearly be fine in the language side of things (maybe not so much the cultural but they may find it easier to catch up) and others will have missed out on a lot of teaching. So you may get a lot of A*s as usual but also a lot of D/Es and the grade boundaries won't be amended.

I am not so worried about my son's humanities as he has a good memory for facts and exam/essay technique can be taught.

There's a big difference between online teaching where learning includes face to face time with the teachers, and learning from books etc. It is absolutely possible to teach children of any age over a web cam provided there is parental support but parental support is always pivotal.

I don't understand how even yes 10 and 12 can go back safely.

Presumably they need to have only 15 students per class so, double the teachers and classrooms needed.

How do they change classrooms for lessons? Corridors are far too narrow for social distancing and students would be mixing with multiple other students.

Students won't necessarily be in the same groups for all subjects either so you aren't maintaining bubbles as they are hoping to.in primary school.

If you keep a bubble of 15 students in a class would you bring subject teachers to the students ( how do you organise for different option subjects of ability groups) or do you put one teacher with one bubble and then expect that teacher to teach all of the subjects? But again, how do you factor in the different.option subjects?

I feel very sorry for these kids. My ds is in year 12 in an outstanding sixth form college which boasts 99.5% pass rate at A level well I can’t imagine they will be claiming that after next year.

Ds is doing media studies, photography and drama A levels. He studied photography and drama at GCSE and got grade 9’s but is floundering currently. Drama has been very consistent but the sheer amount of work they have is unreal. Also there is a huge practical element missing and so much pressure. He was on teams earlier and lots of his peers are worried sick. They are 16/17 years old and many of them are saying their MH is very bad, ds included.

It’s not all about the learning. The MH of a whole generation of young people is at risk.

My y10 DD gets a few tasks for each subject at the start of each two week period. No feedback, other than for PE coursework, the PE teacher has been great. No virtual lessons, or teaching in any form for any subjects. It appears to me to as though they are just treading water. Reading all these replies I am concerned that she is going to be massively behind, even though she has completed all the work set.

My ds is in yr 10. I am astounded by the way the exam year groups have been left at home, with no indication as to how tfe rest of tfe year will look fir them. (Face to face time is vague, and open to hugely different interpretation) He is being set tasks via a homework app. There is no online teaching, his timetable is not being followed and work is not required to be submitted. Tasks are set randomly. I have been in touch with the school, and told this is the ongoing provision.

Yes, he has parents to help, but we are both out at work full time. He will sit GCSE exams next year, the same exams as pupils who have had access to a far higher quality of remote learning. I'm disappointed and angry at the way his year group are being let down.

@LolaSmiles

Ah, I think schools may also be interpreting things very differently. My school will set pupils into groups and those groups will not be allowed to mix, even for different days.

Also, we only have around 6 members of teaching staff for each core department.

I’m DT (wood, metal, plastic) and not a member of SMT so I don’t get a say in how we’ll deliver. But this is so far what the school have decided on.

I think we have massively let down this generation of young people. Don't forget they are probably also going to emerge into the job market in a depression/ recession. Add in Brexit and climate change. There's going to be a generation which has massively let down by government. It will be interesting to see if that leads to apathy or militancy( Can't say I blame them either way).

TheHoneyBadger
So far it's been a great discussion, free from the usual rubbish.

I don't understand how even yes 10 and 12 can go back safely.
It depends on school size, site, buildings, how timetables are written, what the government decide and whether there's the option for flexible timetabling

Presumably they need to have only 15 students per class so, double the teachers and classrooms needed.
Yes

How do they change classrooms for lessons? Corridors are far too narrow for social distancing and students would be mixing with multiple other students.
Depends on the school building and the nature of the site.
Some schools haven't got wide enough corridors, others could manage a one way system down narrower corridors. Some have access to classrooms via fire doors to outside. Some schools are in one building, others have several blocks. The nature of the school site would affect if and how any changeover would work.
It also depends on how the timetable for students being on site is designed, how many subjects are being taught on site etc.
There are several substantial issues if the aim is to have something approximating normal or full time provision. If there's flexibility then there's more options.

Students won't necessarily be in the same groups for all subjects either so you aren't maintaining bubbles as they are hoping to.in primary school.
That's the main issue, where PPE would be needed and careful selection of timetables and groups.

If you keep a bubble of 15 students in a class would you bring subject teachers to the students ( how do you organise for different option subjects of ability groups) or do you put one teacher with one bubble and then expect that teacher to teach all of the subjects? But again, how do you factor in the different.option subjects?
My gut instinct is you'd start with core for GCSE.
For A Level the classes are often quite small and already taught in normal classrooms. If the teacher teaches from the front and everyone uses common sense it's probably no riskier than going to the supermarket. I was given a filthy look by a woman in the supermarket last week because I waited at the 2m line for someone to finish. The daft cow behind me decided me entering the box meant she should come to the shelf next to me