What have your school done for home schooling support?

[Bannerwag66]

Really disappointed in our school.

-One phone all home in 12 weeks.
-2 sets of work sheets they created but had repeat tasks on ie-make a cardboard robot On different sheet
-no communication from class teacher
-no class communication so class mates can see each other
Links to websites such as bbc bite size but barely anything they have created or at least advised was what was going to be teached
-they said as of this week They were giving daily lessons out, yesterday didn’t bother to send due to IT issues, why would you send it the same day anyway? I’m not sure why they are changing the routine now, we prepared for chnage and got the children ready but then they didn’t send the work? Just feels a shambles.

In all honestly we’ve done well creating activities and intoning that off websites. Appreciating the schools have a lot on surely there are available teachers to do more with those students at home? Apparently they can start to use Microsoft teams next week.

Interested in other people’s experiences as I want to talk to them but am I being unreasonable. A bit of reassurance the curriculum is being followed and also some interaction with class mates would really make a difference.

Oh, and if you email photos of your child’s work the teacher comments on it.
And each staff member reading stories either on YouTube or Facebook for their class.
Reception teacher putting a daily phonics session online.

My experience has been exactly the same as yours OP. I am about to change my working pattern so I have a full day off a week to devote to home schooling and having time to find resources myself.

I am really happy with the provision from my (Y3) DD's primary school. Although I'm sure some on MN would not think it good enough.

On their last day at school they came home with their Maths book, 2 library books, an exercise book and pencil. The school provide work on their website for each year group although it is non-compulsory as the school's priority is everyone being happy and healthy. They also encourage families to use whatever resources work best for them (and give a lot of information about different websites, apps, kid's newspapers etc that could be used). They set work 3× per week. One day is a project, one day is spellings and Maths and the final day is a writing prompt. The DC can also use the usual online platforms Espresso, Bug club, My Maths and TT Rockstars (where battles have been set up with different schools!) The school have also signed them up to Maths Factor and White Rose. In recent weeks they have also been doing an online safety course with videos and then questions for the DC to think about.

In addition to this the communication from school has been great. There have been very regular updates via Parentmail as well as a couple of video messages from the Principal to parents. He has also done a video for the DC and a video with the SLT for the DC too. DD's teacher has done a couple of videos for the DC as well as being very visible online giving suggestions of activities. When the DC post what they have been up to he always comments and engages the DC by asking questions. The PE team have been doing a daily challenge for the DC to take part in. The staff have also made fun videos to amuse the DC. I get a phone call from Pastoral care every week. There is an online worry box DC can post to and staff will phone them to try and help.

The school has just set up a new Reading project. Every DC will go to school next week and pick up a book (a different one for each year group). They will get to have a brief catch-up with their teacher and get more stationery. Then there will be activities provided to go along with the book.

My secondary age child has been having work set via Show My homework most days.
Access to other sites and lessons set on there like Mathswatch.
We've had one phone call since beginning of lockdown, making sure we were getting on OK personally and had access to internet etc.
Past couple of weeks work has changed to videos to log onto where you hear your teacher's voice and do lesson questions/quiz at the end.
Pleased with what they;ve done/
I also look at BBC Biyesize for random lessons I think look interesting, did the slave trade one last week as seemed appropriate for example.

The advice is in the DfE documents sent to schools and then more detailed from our LEA - Kent.

This is a very interesting article

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jun/15/2m-children-in-uk-have-done-almost-no-school-work-in-lockdown?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

So many jump on here with a “that is just your school” when I complain provision is poor and yet this would suggest this is not the case at all. In testing that the difference is not just “private schools have tech” since there are also big disparities between off line learning between the sectors. With 20 percent doing nothing or less an hour a day and the average at 2 and half hours in the state sector it does seem to suggest the “here is a few worksheets just get in with it” may be more than odd cases and a significant enough problem that would need addressing on a national level, 2 million children is a lot to leave behind if we continue home schooling into the autumn.

Primary school has set weekly work. Class newsletter and school newsletter and some recorded assemblies. Quite regular emails but no calls.

Secondary school sets weekly work-quite a lot. Some gets reviewed with brief comments and some goes into a void. Calls or emails every other week from the tutor. No online classes which is what is really missing.

My daughters’ School has been amazing. She follows a full timetable every day and has several lessons taught via Teams. Teachers respond really quickly with email queries. It’s so much easier with older ones though.

My school - infants (state)

Term time provision: on Seesaw activities (we used seesaw for blogs previously) and also all uploaded into shared google drives for each year group so can be printed off to use offline too.

Monday to Friday-

• English, maths and Phonics/SPaG created by teacher staff at school, videos and activities
• daily challenge (music, wellbeing, physical, throwback and looking forward)
• daily subject which covers the other subjects, some created by our staff, some created from other sources online Weekly PHSE activity lesson led by teaching staff Occasional other fun tasks as and when

Teaching staff monitor those uploaded in to seesaw and give feedback (a 'like' and/or written comments)

Weekend and holidays -
A couple of 'fun' challenges
A choose your star work (from the past week) activity

We already used Active Learn Primary a bit for reading, maths and spag. Weekly we monitor this and screenshot any activity done onto their seesaw journal.
We've set up the free access to Numbots and Times Table Rockstars and do the same.

We have a weekly celebration assembly to award reading certifications led by a member of SLT. Children can post reading and we 'stamp' their reading towards their certificate. All done on seesaw.

Teachers, TAs and SLT have added story reading and other posts to the pages as and when.

Teachers do a weekly round up and show and tell do good work.

Pupils can communicate with staff via seesaw.

Parents can communicate with staff via seesaw, dedicated year group emails, Facebook and Twitter. They can also use the main school contact details. All children have now had one phone call. The next will probably be a short video or telephone call based on the child's preference. Before this we were only contacting those who we'd heard nothing or little from. In addition the senco and learning mentor have been in contact with children on their case loads.

We update the website and social media regularly with any new information.

We are not providing live lessons and have no intention to do so. As a school we decided early on it wasn't suitable for our children and our school community/catchment. Fortunately our parents haven't expected that anyway.

We've had very positive feedback from our parents, which has been lovely to read and hear.

We don't have a lot of class communication set by us. They can see things we send to the blog - and can comment on those. And they have a 'keep on touch' fun task at a weekend where they can post a picture, video or message for a child/children in their own class.

This is government and local advice.

It certainly want in any of the Government's primary guidance - or at least the first several I read.

It said the curriculum was suspended.

It recommended oak academy or other online services.

It said in-school provision was childcare.

I think this was the issue and why the difference between schools is so different.

There's also been a big difference in the number of children in schools, and even over the weeks in individual schools. Our Kw/vulnerable numbers have more than tripled since half term. Most of our staff are now also working ft in school, plus providing the above home learning (with the staff who are medically vulnerable taking on a greater share of this whilst wfh.)

Pls could posters state whether their school is state or private... think it’s a bit pointless trying to compare otherwise. (Private schools should also obviously be abolished but that’s for another thread )

Our state primary sets daily English and maths and weekly wider curriculum work, recorded videos of teachers doing lessons, assemblies, reading stories etc. One/two pieces of work are sent off and commented on each week. Phone calls if needed. Newsletters regularly with updates from individual teachers and an introduction to each week from the head of year. I’ve been impressed.

I think the government have messed this up (as they’ve messed almost everything up, again, another thread ). Advice to schools should have been clear and consistent so there weren’t such wide disparities.

They physically cant be in class and supporting home learning at the same time.

I am in school with a different year group and continuing to deliver home learning for my own year group a the moment. The work planned and set is the same, I mark it as I always have, the only change is that i do that outside not within school hours. It is possible because although I deliver lessons to the year group I am with in school, I do not plan or resource that work . the school is also closed for cleaning for 1 day a week, so I have a full day once a week to catch up with my own class via video calls etc and do marking of longer pieces of work, planning of future weeks; work etc. It is working because we had planning and preparing the home learning - which took forever at the start - down to a reasonably slick operation before the partial re-opening.

School has been great here. Sorry you have had a poor experience. They send weekly plans with maths, English and topic. All varied with worksheets, outdoor learning, online and practical. No pressure to do it all they have emphasised. Teacher calls every 10 days or so and has even dropped off reading books. The guided aspect of it has completely saved my life as I do not have time to look up lessons and worksheets for different activities.

One of my DC's schools has been very poor, IMO. It makes me feel almost tearful as they are amazing normally and we have been so happy there. Although they have always been crap at communication to be fair.

All I can imagine is that because we are in a challenging area, there are children other than mine who are in need of their attention. But it makes me so sad for my DS who just feels cut off. No lessons, no weekly plan, no marking. It also makes me upset that there seems to be no standard all state schools are expected to achieve. There should not be so much disparity in provision at this stage, especially when we are looking at possibility of blended learning in Sept.

I see so many teachers on here complaining they are working all hours, and I believe them, but nobody seems to be working for my child.

there seems to be no standard all state schools are expected to achieve

There was a standard - it was to do nothing. Curriculum was suspended.

@ohthegoats Oh ok, so the schools which have misunderstood are the ones providing an education? So happy my DC's school is following the standards!

Louise - state infant school

I wonder if part of the problem is that schools had no warning or time to prepare. Closure was announced, what, 5 days before it happened? From what I can see, the MAT schools, or any school which had some kind of e-learning in play, were in a much better position. DH teaches at a MAT primary and it was a lot more straightforward for them to move their existing curriculum online. At some point, there was a big push to have a mandatory daily timetable for each class and he pushed back against that strongly (on the grounds that it was impractical for most families).

DC go to a very trad RC state primary and it did take them longer to get online stuff going. They have been very supportive and getting in touch a lot, and when work is set it is all marked properly and very good feedback. I'm actually not too fussed that they are not providing pointers to the online / additional stuff. We can source that, at the end of the day. It's the feedback which is more important.

I think they will struggle, however, if blended curriculum goes ahead next year. They just aren't set up for it and I don't get the impression that the staff are super "tec-y" overall.

Oh ok, so the schools which have misunderstood are the ones providing an education? So happy my DC's school is following the standards!

Well, strictly - yes. Oak National Academy is there to use, as is BBC Bitesize. That's what the DfE intended - that's why they gave Oak £300,000 to do it. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, it's just the guidance. Which is mostly crap.

Closure was announced, what, 5 days before it happened?

Wednesday 18th March. Schools closed on the Friday. We were told at the same time as everyone else - in a 9 minute announcement on TV way after school hours. Obviously we were all still at school, watching it together, but we were all a bit broken by then.

By that point, anyone who could, had taken things into their own hands and kept their children at home. We handed out work on the Friday, but only half of the kids were in.

Once Friday was done, lots of schools closed their doors completely to anyone who wasn't on a rota. As guidance said. So. Nothing much else could be done.

I'm surprised that by now all schools aren't doing at least a story read on a video - that's easy to set up. Or a letter to the children via something. It's a bit weak if that hasn't happened.

Wednesday 18th March. Schools closed on the Friday. We were told at the same time as everyone else - in a 9 minute announcement on TV way after school hours. Obviously we were all still at school, watching it together, but we were all a bit broken by then.
Yeah, I remembered it was the Wednesday - I just counted up to the first "closed" day (i.e. the following Monday) for some reason, but of course the day of closure was Friday?
Tbf, I don't really know how else it could have been announced. If teachers had been told beforehand, it would have been leaked before the public announcement. Not that I'm saying that teachers can't keep their mouths shut - it just would have!

By that point, anyone who could, had taken things into their own hands and kept their children at home. We handed out work on the Friday, but only half of the kids were in.
I could have kept mine home if I'd rearranged work, but didn't. I was not convinced about the closures. As things have turned out, I'm glad they stayed in until the last day.
At my kid's school, yeah, only about half the pupils were in. In DH's school, it was more like 70%.

Once Friday was done, lots of schools closed their doors completely to anyone who wasn't on a rota. As guidance said. So. Nothing much else could be done.
Yes, I know! That is what I was saying. I was actually backing up/supporting the fact that schools and teachers didn't have the time/access/facilities to plan a full online learning programme.

I wasn't disputing/arguing anything you'd said - just filling in more information.

If teachers had been told beforehand, it would have been leaked before the public announcement.

We all assumed it was coming though. I had a student teaching 80% of the time in my class, I sat at the back shoving stuff through to the printer at a rate of knots. They all went home with something specific to their needs - if anything I think the first packs we sent home were better than the more general stuff we've done online with videos etc. And that that point parents/carers were more able to help - children more able to show interest (used to it), it was still an 'emergency' situation. Now everyone is a bit jaded.

I'm going to spend my afternoon thinking about how best I can make my curriculum for September 'blended' - ie, key concepts taught in school, practice at home. Aaagh.

We got sent blank exercise books the other week.....

It has been seriously crap. Two worksheets, a few more blank exercise books & some random links. The odd homework exercise goes on an online portal, but it assumes that the child has taken classes to be able to answer the questions, no reference material, no help. The odd patronising email - only 3 in the entire duration. No phones calls.

Great school for attending, but has failed on all accounts of producing anything that you could actually homeschool with, unless you prep for 20 hours (and have the skills to do that & the time) & and then sit with the DCs to teach them.

The only choice I've been realistically left with, is to ignore the useless unusable minutia the school has set and set the DCs up with alternative fee paying online schooling. I am very aware that I am privileged to have this an option to me.

Is that the new guidance @ohthegoats, to plan for blended teaching?

I agree it is a bit crap that my school has not managed to send a letter/email to the children. I am pretty sure I could organise that in 12 weeks.

I work in a state secondary school and SLT started preparing for home schooling from the first week of March as soon as the rumours of closure started. Why would schools have waited? Their homeschooling provision has been fab and parents are really pleased. They sent out a survey and made more improvements based on that.

The state primary my kids go to has been extremely disappointing. Nothing at all for weeks and now just a daily link to Whiterose maths, Pobble and a cribbed copy from The Learning Project. Must take all of 10 mins to post those links. Nothing is marked as answer sheets are linked too.

I’ve seen both sides - one school in the fab camp and one school in the cba camp.