Concerned schools will just reteach material from March 2020

[notevenat20]

I have become worried that schools will decide they need to reteach all the material from March 2020 onwards when they go back in September. For the many families like ours who worked their socks off trying to provide decent home schooling in the lockdown, this would be a kick in the teeth.

Do you think this is going to happen?

[Feellikedancingyeah]

Our secondary taught new things and will continue to do so. They have to keep up with new topics as cannot cover all the GCSE topics otherwise

[ohthegoats]

Primary.

We had covered all key skills in reading and writing by the time we closed - the rest of the year in English would have been practising those skills. So that's what we did with our online provision.

For maths we continued to teach new content using a work book that fitted with White Rose stuff (so could use some of their lesson videos, although we didn't use them exclusively). Lots of children didn't 'get' some of that stuff as we were teaching it, so we had to slow down for some, keep going for others. The work books were really good in terms of low threshold high ceiling malarky.

For the beginning of the year we'll be revising the English key skills, as we would do in other Septembers. For maths we'll be starting where we would in September normally, too. There will be revision sessions within those maths topics, as always. When we get to Term 5 and 6, we'll probably need to fill more gaps than usual, and probably revise the year before too.

This is all relatively normal really.

[CallmeAngelina]

Their school will need to do lots of work to get them back to the level they were at.

Do you mean that the boys themselves will have to do lots of work to get themselves back to the level they were at?
This passive attitude enrages me.

[Parker231]

@CallmeAngelina - no, the school will have a lot of work to do to get two previously high achievers interested in learning again.

[MotherOfGremlins]

Oh boo hoo. I've also worked my socks off (whilst also working full time from home as a key worker), but gotten nowhere with my two autistic children who are in mainstream school.

Some children just can't access schoolwork outside of the school environment - you're not the saint you think you are, and you're not the only one who worked their hardest au educating their children.

Their school will indeed be going back over the missing time, and I'm glad of it.

[Newdaynewname1]

Our school (like most independents) has covered a ton more than the regular curriculum through the year, and went straight through lockdown (Whole school back from early June). Judging from BBC bitesize (which i’ve been told on another thread is indeed the level children are expected to be), my year 2 is mostly through year 3 now, and he is nowhere near the top of his class (he has SENDs). And so the gap between school sectors is getting bigger and bigger.... what a disaster.
Having been that completely bored child listening to endless repetitions of stuff without meaningful differentiation, I feel for all the kids going through that. Its a very good way to destroy any love of learning.
I hope most teachers can make differentiation work, but the differences are going to be enormous....

[OverTheRainbow88]

Having been that completely bored child listening to endless repetitions of stuff without meaningful differentiation, I feel for all the kids going through that. Its a very good way to destroy any love of learning.


Bit dramatic, topics can be revisited in a fun engaging and challenging way. It’s very rare a topic is covered then never mentioned again!

[notevenat20]

A timely update. DD just told me about two children in year 8 who are moving from state to private school because of the lack of teaching during lockdown and the risk that there will be little teaching of value in the coming year.

What is funny is that one of the sets of parents hates private schools but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

[notevenat20]

And so the gap between school sectors is getting bigger and bigger.... what a disaster.

I completely agree. All these people who say that they can't teach any of the children online because some children don't have access to the Internet (and similar stories), are royally screwing an entire generation of state educated children.

[SmileEachDay]

All these people who say that they can't teach any of the children online because some children don't have access to the Internet (and similar stories)

Did that actually happen?

I repeatedly said, during lockdown teaching, that 50% of my school didn’t have access to tech and/or WiFi. I then laid out exactly what we were doing instead of live online teaching.

I repeatedly had people responding to that by saying “You can’t screw children over because some don’t have a computer”.



are royally screwing an entire generation of state educated children

I hope you’ll take your ire and direct it at the government who have been doing this via under funding for years. Please do! We need voices telling the government that our kids deserve more.

[notevenat20]

Did that actually happen?

Yes. At the school DC go to for example. They also couldn't put any work online for the same reason for the first couple of months (just print outs to pick up) but then relented on that question. Finally in July they started doing something things (although not interactive) online.

50% is a really high number and that is a real problem. But in our local schools it was much less than that. At a very good local primary teachers walked round to those children's houses and picked them up in the morning to take them to school. This was 4 or 5 children in total.

[MinnieMousse]

I teach year 2. As things stand, we have to teach to the same assessment framework as usual and SATS tests as usual so I will have to deliver the normal curriculum and try to deal with gaps at the same time. We have planned to catch up the phonics that was missed in the first half term, with a focus on spelling for those who are already competent with the reading. The cohort I have coming up are lovely but not very able to I'm feeling a bit worried about it but am used to dealing with a range of abilities so will just make the best of it.

We have plans in place for some additional short maths and reading sessions in the afternoons but this tends to happen in Year 2 anyway.

[notevenat20]

I hope you’ll take your ire and direct it at the government who have been doing this via under funding for years. Please do! We need voices telling the government that our kids deserve more.

I can be cross with two people at once :)

I really think that the teachers' union and some teachers have shot themselves in the foot. When a teacher is interviewed on the BBC and is describing eloquently how they didn't have time to prepare for online and socially distanced teaching, everyone has sympathy for teachers. When she then goes on to say that on no account will she spend a second preparing for the September term (which at the time could have been online too at least in part) because it is her 6 week holiday time, all sympathy is lost. It just shows a gross lack of awareness of what the rest of the country has been going through or what it has been like to be two working parents with no childcare and no help at all from your DCs school.

[DeclutterTheUtility]

This is the issue with school full stop.

It's very slow for some.

[SmileEachDay]

When a teacher is interviewed on the BBC and is describing eloquently how they didn't have time to prepare for online and socially distanced teaching, everyone has sympathy for teachers. When she then goes on to say that on no account will she spend a second preparing for the September term (which at the time could have been online too at least in part) because it is her 6 week holiday time, all sympathy is lost

Whaaaat??

Can you link me to this interview?

[notevenat20]

SmileEachDay She was on BBC radio a couple of weeks ago but I don't have a link, sorry. But it's not surprising. The teachers in DCs primary take exactly the same line. On no account will they ever do any work outside of term time, even when they have done almost nothing during term time, everyone is suffering and there is a national crisis.

[SmileEachDay]

notevenat20

You see, I do find it surprising- I know there are lazy and incompetent people in every profession- I honestly don’t know a single teacher who doesn’t work over the holidays. Not all the time, but for some of them.

The teachers in DCs primary take exactly the same line. On no account will they ever do any work outside of term time, even when they have done almost nothing during term time

This sounds as though you mean more generally rather than just lockdown?
Are you/DC happy with the teaching and learning in the school?

[notevenat20]

I honestly don’t know a single teacher who doesn’t work over the holidays. Not all the time, but for some of them.

Is that for primary too? Now I am surprised. I hear two contradictory things from my teacher friends and relations (and also online).

a) They need the long holidays to be able to prepare for the next term.
b) They must never be expected to do any work in the holidays as they need every day to recover from the stress and strain of teaching.


Are you/DC happy with the teaching and learning in the school?

I have taken both children out of the school now. Well, one just left year 6 but the younger one was moved to another school.

[SmileEachDay]

I have taken both children out of the school now. Well, one just left year 6 but the younger one was moved to another school

That’s good. I hope they have a better experience at their new schools.

[CallmeAngelina]

@notevenat20

I hope you’ll take your ire and direct it at the government who have been doing this via under funding for years. Please do! We need voices telling the government that our kids deserve more.

I can be cross with two people at once :)

I really think that the teachers' union and some teachers have shot themselves in the foot. When a teacher is interviewed on the BBC and is describing eloquently how they didn't have time to prepare for online and socially distanced teaching, everyone has sympathy for teachers. When she then goes on to say that on no account will she spend a second preparing for the September term (which at the time could have been online too at least in part) because it is her 6 week holiday time, all sympathy is lost. It just shows a gross lack of awareness of what the rest of the country has been going through or what it has been like to be two working parents with no childcare and no help at all from your DCs school.

Did you ever stop to think about the agenda the BBC might be trying to push by interviewing that particular teacher?

[Newdaynewname1]

To my knowledge teachers are only paid for termtime, so well within their rights. if that is a good thing is a different question!

[Iamnotthe1]

@SmileEachDay
I honestly don’t know a single teacher who doesn’t work over the holidays. Not all the time, but for some of them.

I also don't know any teacher who doesn't work during the holidays/weekends. Quite frankly, you wouldn't be able to complete the work required if you didn't.

[notevenat20]

I hope they have a better experience at their new schools.

Thank you! For the younger one we chose a primary that is definitely better and things are working out. I see everything as half full now so if they do anything at all I can't stop saying how amazing it is.

[notevenat20]

To my knowledge teachers are only paid for termtime, so well within their rights. if that is a good thing is a different question!

That's an interesting. Are they contractually allowed to take another 9-5 job in the 13 weeks outside term time?

[Parker231]

@MinnieMousse - the parents I know with DC’s in SATS year are considering withdrawing them from next years SATS.