Do you think if schools aren’t back September there will still be key worker children...

[gingajewel]

.... allowed at school? Do u think key worker children will be allowed in full time in September?

[CodenameVillanelle]

My school has also started doing a weekly project for the kids over zoom with three lessons per week so it's possible

[Enderthedragon]

My DDs school said the government had specifically forbidden the teaching or allowing to do the home learning for keyworker children in school. I just don’t get how different schools can interpret the same guidance so differently.

Well either your school is bullshitting or my kids school has gone against the government! They aren't doing absolutely loads, but they have definitely been doing their Google Classroom tasks and once they are home are not doing any work.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

It's revision, not learning.

I know it's hard to understand; it took a good few staff meetings for our staff to start to recognise the difference.

[Xiaoxiong]

Well this is yet another area in which I am discovering that private schools are different - my kids' schools are most definitely progressing through the curriculum and teaching new material and topics - DS1's teacher emailed me just yesterday to ask me to test his understanding of a new thing they've learned as she couldn't tell over the teams video if he was getting it.

DH is a private school teacher as well and they are expected to cover exactly the same curriculum by the end of the school year, when I showed him your post he said that is not his school's policy.

So some schools will be way ahead of others come September it sounds like (assuming everyone is back in September).

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Oh yes, it's a different world for the privileged.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Class sizes govern a lot of this.

Most private schools keep class sizes much lower as they know how this impacts progress. I went to a private school for a while and it was usually around 20 or lower.

Interestingly, the U.K. has the highest class sizes in the EU. And nearly in the world.

(Average is now 28, obviously 30 is max and most city schools are full.)

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Teachers have been "moaning" about all this for ages.

Yet it takes a pandemic to expose it.

[DippyAvocado]

DH and I are both teachers with primary-aged DC so if our DC aren't able to go to school full-time it reduces our availability to teach other people's children.

[Enderthedragon]

It's revision, not learning.

It's quite good though really I guess for kids who need stuff consolidating because these days the curriculum progresses at a million miles an hour and these poor kids don't have time to breathe before being pushed onto the next.

[DippyAvocado]

And yes, I totally agree about class sizes. Ours are much larger than other similar countries. And 30 is only the max for KS1. I have known some KS2 classes of IP to 36!

[Inandoutthedustybluebells]

Ds secondary school have definitely not suspended the curriculum. The work that they are directed towards (state school, no live teaching) is new. For example, they have been supposedly learning a new modern language whilst on lock down - not a language they covered in school and it won’t be covered again when they go back. No live lessons, they are just supposed to get on with it using duolingo or memrise. It’s a lot to ask of children who are barely out of primary school.

[DominaShantotto]

If we're in this situation in September I hope my kids keep their classification as vulnerable kids who were really struggling not being in school and can continue to go like they are at present (they're vulnerable because of their mental health suffering). The younger child is in because her language skills and speech had regressed so dramatically and she already has SLCN needs, the eldest struggles socially anyway (suspected ASD) so school took them in.

They're doing some work - but it's basically logging onto the school learning environment like the kids at home are being encouraged to do, plus other bits of more "fun" stuff - but school initially were very clear they weren't "teaching" in order to prevent feelings of missing out from the families still with kids at home.

I think they need to say here and now that in September schools go back - summer holidays happen as planned and give people some certainty back to be able to plan their lives.

[sumsunnysun]

I'm a key worker but my kids can't go to the hubs because you need to be a single parent or have both parents as key workers. My husband is furloughed and shielding so we don't need anyone anyway just now. I really feel for the people having to work from home with kids, I don't think I could manage it. There are a few people at my work with kids at the hubs and this week they all had to go to their regular schools, a lot of these parents relied on breakfast clubs etc to be at work on time and now they don't have that so they are really struggling. There is no flexibility at my work and we are busier than ever, you also finish when you finish so people are running themselves ragged to get home for 3. I'm dreading what's to come in August, I don't think there is an easy option for anyone!

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Secondary schools are different; pupils are more able to study and revise independently.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

But many practical subjects at secondary schools are suspended. Textiles, DT and art classes can't go ahead at the moment.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

"Where was the nightingale plan for schools?"

Has just been asked on Radio 4. I wondered this.

[ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords]

It will be very strange if schools are not open to all in September, but reopen after the summer holidays to offer the same provision to key worker children as they are now. What are parents planning to do for the six weeks that schools are closed?

[HeadSpin5]

@NeurotrashWarrior can I ask a (genuine!) question please? About ‘new learning’. At my DDs state primary the home learning provision has been great - daily timetable with set tasks, videos from the teachers explaining maths and English techniques/learning plus other lessons. But a lot of the maths / English is def new to DD. Maths, eg, she’s moved through multiplayers/division techniques using arrays, chunking etc and is now on to new topic (scales bar charts). As said, I couldn’t be happier with DDs school/teaches/provisions but the comments around new learning etc have confused me! Is hers an outlier? Appreciate you can’t possibly know what individual schools are doing! But would be interested to hear opinion 🙂

[HeadSpin5]

Multiplication not multiplayers!!! Save that for Roblox 🙈

[trilbydoll]

We are getting new topics home but I suspect that there aren't any new skills in them if that makes sense.

One of the local schools has said keyworker kids in full time or not at all because they have moved back to educating rather than childcare. Dept for Education really needs to practice putting out definitive guidance, my Y2 knows about different types of sentences so maybe she could help

[NotGenerationAlpha]

I think it depends on the school. My two aren't doing school work at their key worker bubble. They are in a mixed year group key worker bubble, and do less of the online work then when they were at home. DD1 said when she didn't know how to do the english work on oak academy the TA can't help her. However, they do come back happy after a day of den building, pond dipping etc etc. But when I compare it to those with furloughed or SAHP, the forest and beach trips look more exciting.

[Scottishgirl85]

We're non-key workers but have been working full-time from home throughout with 2 young children. We're scientists, if people want to continue receiving new and innovative cancer medicines, and have a continued supply of the medicines they already use, they had better make school provision for all....

[Stuckforthefourthtime]

But even if it is just childcare surely at some point one group of people getting free childcare while everyone else either pays for it or gives up their job isn't ok?

This. My sister is a single mum in an NHS job. She has been sending her DCs in from 8-6 mon-fri, including days she is not rostered on (which I totally support, her job right now is exhausting). She is saving money as no longer has to pay for wraparound, and will save a bundle more during the summer holidays.

My single friend was furloughed but now her retail job wants her back in. She has found a childminder spot for one DC but not the other, and in any case can't afford to pay 4 days a week of long term childcare for 2 kids, before she and her ex relied on grandparents and savings to cover the holidays, but the gps are shielding and their savings and annual leave days are disappearing. If there's no change by August, she's going to have to quit her managerial job to take on a minimum wage supermarket job, just to access key worker care. That's a terrible outcome for her family and for tax revenue.

We need to find ways to help families, for moral and economic reasons.

[itispersonal]

The curriculum is 'suspended' (whatever that means) but whilst my dd is doing the white rose maths (which is definitely revision and consolidation) the English and topic work has been following the schools long term planning - for example have learnt about materials, learning about the royals. It might not be as in-depth as they would in school.

I know yr6 are revisiting stuff at my school but the rest of the years are carrying on with the maths/ English learning they would have done.

[BastardGoDarkly]

I wish to god my year 4 dd could go in, even part time, I'm starting to worry about her, this isolation is really starting to take its toll