Why can't secondary schools do lessons via zoom?

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

I know not every child will have access to a computer or be able to log online but I'm surprised our school has not attempted it or even pre recorded lessons like the online oakwork academy. I know most private schools are setting up lessons via zoom. I really hope the government and schools take this into consideration for our children especially those coming up for GCSE's next year. It's just seems our children will be disadvantaged.

Throwing a spanner in here... given all teachers in my school will now be in and teaching from 1 June for R/Yr1/Yr6 the opportunity for teachers to be pre-recording lessons or doing Zoom etc is passed. How could we teach online and also be teaching those small "bubbles" in school during school hours?

@MummyOfZog

What you have no shielding staff? You are doing well!

How do they manage two teachers on one lesson?!

Also how are you anticipating teaching/supporting years 2-5 in the meanwhile?

@TheNortherner a legal waiver? So if your child was exposed to graphic porn, you’d be okay with the school saying, “not responsible, sorry!”.

And legal waivers don’t work like that 😂

I have 3 kids.
I am wfh and my husband is wfh.

So, to access live zoom lessons, we need 5 devices with unlimited access to broad band, and 5 separate rooms so we don't disturb each other. Add on great broad band reception so that 5 pf us can be in live zooms at the same time.
Both the schools my kids are at have said zoom must be in a public place in their house, not in their bedroom (safegiarding). We don't have 5 spaces for all of us unless we use bedrooms.

We live on the edge of an affluent area, and many of the kids at school have expensive houses in villages. Those same villages that have crap rural broadband that has been moaned about and ignored for years. Most familes cannot access enough devices and enough broad band for live lessons all at the same time.

Our schools are doing a good job with power points, some with videos and audio set in, and carefully constructed work on downloads.

Then add on the problem that parents cannot support their kids while working, so for younger kids, parents may be doing something like work 6 am - lunchtime and then support school work in the afternoon. Doesn't work if lessons are in the morning.

Finally I have a friend who is a teacher at a private school and has to do 5 hours live zoom lessons per day. It is killing her. Every lesson requires 3-4 hours prep. As she has done nothing like this last year she has no resources from previous lessons to use, she is having to make them all zoom friendly from scratch. She is workign 17-18 hour days and all weekend. She fully expects to spend all half term preparing.
She does not have any kids of her own, if she did she would not be able to do it.

Our (state) secondary has been using zoom for 1:1 music lessons.

Parents have to sign up to a long list of terms and conditions. This includes what the students are wearing, which room the lesson takes place in (a room with open doors and not a bedroom), who else can be in the room, which devices can be used (not the student's own phone), and an agreement that no part of the lesson will be recorded or shared.

It means that DD has to be in the living room with the doors open. A parent has to be in the room but not in the video, and no one else is supposed to be in the room at the same time. It also means that DD can't use her own phone or tablet - only mine.

So for a typical family that means that all siblings have to leave the room. A parent has to stay but can't actually do anything with their own device during that time as it is needed for the lesson itself.

There is no way that this would work if all lessons were conducted in the same way. It would be impossible if siblings had different lessons going on at the same time. And all that is without even taking into consideration whether the broadband would cope with it all.

@TeaStory

You got.me, I'm.not a solicitor but to mock me for saying that there must be some kind of document agreeing to it is a bit churlish.

I would be pretty comfortable to think that my 7 and 8 year old wont post porn and i am fairly confident that few (if.any) in their year groups would. Also there must be some control in the appliactions over who can share what on screen.

Zoom is not encrypted so anyone can access a zoom chat and post porn.

Teams is more secure

There are ways to do video teaching of various kinds while managing the risks but it is not right for every school or context. Not all the unions have said not to do it - mine certainly haven't so I would rely on their legal support if needed. Which I do not anticipate because of the safeguards we have put it in place.

As another poster mentioned previously -
It is not a silver bullet and not the same as teaching in person but we have to found it to be a useful part of the entire remote learning package.

I think pre recorded would well even if the lessons were short, with set work tasks.

I don't understand why the Government funded Oakwood if schools are still setting lessons?? I initially thought it would link in with all schools so all years would be learning the same subjects/topics obviously there are some that are not taught in Oakwood but the main core subjects.

They can and do, zoom or teams usually.

Not all schools are using Oak Academy because not all schools do the same thing at the same time.

It's Oak OP.

They funded it after it was already done as they were impressed and hoped it would plug a gap for some parents and schools. They obviously also have an eye on return to school and vulnerable or shielded kids at home with teachers too busy at school to set more work.

Some of it is good, some a bit random based on their volunteers and some quite poor (KS3 English...meh)

Broadband /wifi is a much bigger problem than most posters might realise or acknowledge.

@Dickorydockwhatthe

Are schools actively pointing parents towards Oakwood, I've not been told anything about it from either of my childrens schools. How do the children get feedback on the work they have done?
One of my childrens schools i haven't heard from since they got booted out in March, not even a welfare check.
The other school is trying, but there is no feedback on the work produced unless the child asks for it...so only the most confident/motivated will do that.
Also the work.is splattered across different applications/formats and none has any visual interaction with their teacher and then the teacher just phones and says 'how is it going' once a week, no actual feedback on the work.

Zoom is not encrypted so anyone can access a zoom chat and post porn

Not true. Schools have the ability to restrict screen sharing to only the host (aka teacher).

Most Zoom 'hacking' is nothing of the sort and can be avoided with a bit of basic digital literacy. The vast majority of so called hacking was from the meeting link being publically posted and the school having no security settings. There are many ways the school can set that up: installing a waiting room, participants having to be manually approved by the teacher, using a password, only admitting students under their own name, not repeatedly using the same meeting code, invite only meetings, chat messages can only be sent to teacher...Zoom have installed a lot of controls.

Now that's not to say that I think every school should be on Zoom, it's not possible for many for very good reasons. And I think right now we just have to trust that schools have the best interests of all pupils at heart - unlike parents who understandably see their child as priority.

Incidentally OP as a parent I would keep much more on an eye on whether your children are getting feedback from teachers in any way (i.e. is the work they are doing being marked/assessed in some way rather than just handed out) rather than worrying about the mode of delivery.

@TheNortherner: "You are quite a negative person."

Really? You know NOTHING about me.
I have asked a question again and again, to little or no avail, because my husband has been expressly informed that if he continues to use Zoom (showing up some of his colleagues who don't/won't), he is personally liable. The University will not support or protect him, so I would be interested to know if haverill, for instance has ever seen anything in writing from her employers or if she is making an assumption about protection.
And written undertakings from parents are useless and way too late once a teacher has been plastered all over the internet in compromising positions.

Not true. Schools have the ability to restrict screen sharing to only the host (aka teacher).

Poster meant end to end encryption (not authentication a la password etc.). Zoom as a company has admitted this publicly.

@SionnachRua

I'm sure the schools do have the childrens best interest at heart...not sure i could say the same for the unions...some of which seem more intent on being devisive than working towards solutions

The unions have asked for health and safety assurances for staff. Or do you want a repeat of what has been happening to staff in care homes and on public transport?

@CallmeAngelina

Calm down dear

*not sure i could say the same for the unions...some of which seem more intent on being devisive than working towards solutions

Why do you think this? Have you been involved in meetings with the unions?
Which of the union 5 tests do you think are unreasonable?

@TheNortherner
I am perfectly calm. How on earth did you deduce otherwise, unless you're being deliberately goady?