If blended learning was the thing for all of next academic year?

[porktangle]

www.thenational.scot/news/18454764.blended-learning-become-new-normal-schools-return/

This is obviously just an article and anything could actually change in the next year but I read this and suddenly the possible next academic year just hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't know why it's taken until now tbh. I think I've just been thinking about June 1st mostly!

I could still work (I'm full time main earner) but husband couldn't so we'd have significant money problems after a few months. My son is autistic and wouldn't have his EHCP fulfilled. He's done reduced timetables before and they were a disaster, he ended up out of education for over a year.

If blended learning (half in school with social distancing, half at home remote learning) is for the next academic year.....how would you manage?

Since when?!

The right to an education sits with the child. It’s not a luxury good of parents that we’re trying to offload onto the state because we’re lazy.

I'm abroad with children attending a British school.
There have been a lot of ideas circulating.
Split sessions half attend 8-12 and half 1-4 with only core subjects being taught.
PE/specialists subjects dropped and those staff teach core too.

The schools spread over 2 different campus. There are empty schools from when goverment closed some.

All sound hellish.

@Boyo7 that creates an even more unequal society. Children whose parents can't be bothered or can't sufficiently educate their children themselves should not suffer.

You don't get to support the destruction of free universal education and pretend that you are concerned with protecting people while those who want to protect children are weak

@Nihiloxica you may find my attitude of optismism and resilience revolting, luckily I'm so optimisic and resilient that I don't care ;-)

Luckily again it's that same attitude that will enable me to continue to educate and look after young people in very trying times with a load of keyboard warriors and cheap newspaper columnists baying for teachers to pay.

I think a desire to help the greater good is not in such short supply as so many seem to think. If I have to socially distance, I'll do. If I have to wear a mask, I'll do. Me doing these things help other people but other people doing these things helps me too.

Mumsnet hates it when I say this but I'll say it again - I think humans are amazingly adaptable and will not be permanantly scarred by this.

What could happen is some kids just get neglected sadly - we have already seen some in a town nearby wandering on the sides of the roads, little kids...also gangs of older ones going feral

You don't sound optimistic and resilient.

You sound cruel and complacent.

I’m lucky because my dd is at private nursery and has a keyworker place at the moment for the three days a week I work.

She is due to start reception in September and I was to go back full time to work as a dr. However It’s a tiny tiny school and I’m not sure she will be able to start now as she may have to stay in the “keyworker” bubble so won’t get to do the correct work for her age (not so much a criticism of her teachers they have 6-8 kids each day from age 3(mine) to 11 so a huge range to teach but it’s not going to be good for her long term.) I am not prepared to pay private schools fees long term for what is essentially very nice childminding.

Realising it’s likely to be a shit show I have been in contact with the childminder we use for the holidays and arranged a half a week place (much cheaper than school) and I have told work I cannot guarantee I will return full time. I plan to home educate two days a week (I think I can squish the reception curriculum into two days 1:1) and then she’s at the childminder three days a week for socialisation. Financially we’re not too much worse off as childminder much cheaper than school fees which offsets the lost wages. It’s not ideal at all and I’m sure I’m not going to teach as well as a teacher would but It’s the best solution for my DD I can come up with.

Clearly a lot of people won’t be able to do this but I think the equivalent on a national level Would be that the state will not be prepared to pay teachers wages for only childcare, and if mass learning is delivered online then far fewer teachers will he needed. Parents facing financial ruin will turn to underground/black market childcare or children will be left unsupervised. So teachers out of work and loads of kids won’t be educated or will receive dubious care. Total disaster.

the greater good

Have you ever seen hot Fuzz?

@Boyo7

It’s not a good argument for teachers to say that parents are in responsible for their kids education even if it’s the legal truth. More parents like me will decide to provide that education without the assistance of teachers to do so. People are not going to continue to pay teachers if they are not teaching - not teacher bashing or suggesting that teachers are not working hard.

It’s just simple economics. If am responsible for my kids education and care and I’m paying for it I get to decide what that education is. I would prefer to pay a excellent qualified teacher to provide that education and also care for my child when I’m at work. If it is not possible for me to arrange this then I will arrange something else but I’m not going to keep on paying for something I’m not receiving. On a macro level the government may well come to a the same conclusion.

I was responding to the poster who said children had the right to an education. They do, but it's not the legal responsibility of the state to provide it. I agree the situation is less than ideal, but the right to an education argument does not hold.

Not sure about the rest of the UK but in Scotland children do have a right to a free education at school www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/family/education/school-and-pre-school-education-s/education-choices-from-5-to-16-s/

Free place at school. Education parents' responsibility.

The parents responsibility to facilitate their children in attending their FREE school place.
Children have a human right to a free place at school. It was an extremely hard won right which people seem extremely willing to give up. I’m genuinely lost for words.

I hate all this "oh but it's your responsibility as a parent shite". Explain to me, @Boyo7 how exactly you expect me to educated a 17 year old studying Advanced Higher (A level standard, plus a bit more) Chemistry and Biology when I only have GCSE level in that subject? Am I supposed to pull a full scale science lab out of thin air? Or what about my middle child, who is taking drama/theatre arts and is studying things like make-up, lighting and you know, directing other people?

Easy for people with children at primary school or who are the hard-core home educators who believe school is evil to evangelise to the rest of us about how it's our job to educate our kids. I educate my kids by paying a shitload in taxes for the state to do it. I facilitate homework. I support school. I buy in extra support by tutoring if needed.

My kids need to be in school. 30% or 50% isn't going to cut it. THEY NEED TO BE BACK IN SCHOOL FULL TIME. Or at least 4 days out of 5. They will have missed FIVE MONTHS of school by the time they go back. It is simply NOT good enough.

But they still have a free school place. No one is giving anything up. They are temporarily not attending full time.

I wouldn't class a whole year part time plus 6 months not at as as temporary tbh.

One third of the time at school is not going to work.

I don't understand why more people aren't more angry about this?

SockYarn - stop being so pessimistic. Over the Summer holidays simply get a degree in all your child’s choices. Couldn’t be simpler 🤔

No, they have half a school place. Or a third of a school place, or whatever Ms Sturgeon decides "blended learning" means

They do not have a school place by any standard definition of "school".

Children have a right to a free school place. Not 1/3 of a free school place.

SockYarn - stop being so pessimistic. Over the Summer holidays simply get a degree in all your child’s choices. Couldn’t be simpler

No problem. Will get myself up to speed inbetween doing my own job and everything else. Then split myself into 4 so I can simultaneously work and educate 3 kids.

Well let's just let thousands of people die then so your kids don't miss their drama class

What's the alternative?

let thousands of people die

EXPECTO PATRONUM!!

FFS, thousands of people are not going to die because my children go back to school full time in August. Stop being so fucking dramatic.

Why would thousands of people die as a direct result of school being full time?

Maybe, I dunno, see what they are doing in the rest of Europe and copy them. 🤦‍♀️