Have state school teachers faced redundancy for not working during lockdown?

[notevenat20]

I recently read

I think those of us who work in the private sector understand we are going to have to work during periods of self isolation whilst juggling family. It was the same during lockdown. We want to keep our jobs so we will have to provide the service.

This got me wondering, is this a pressure state school teachers feel too?

Certainly at DC’s school no educational provision was given for almost all of lockdown (there were 6 key worker children in the school, out of 420).

@Piggywaspushed is that directed to me?

I can assure you that very little education was provided in English, maths, or science. Humanities, French and music were great.

I raised this with her teachers directly, then SLT. Nothing improved. I continued to provide a list of work provided and feedback or marking given to SLT- a very empty list for the subjects listed above.

I did everything I could to rectify the situation, but I got nowhere. Luckily I was able to use private tutors and my own time to fill in the gaps, but had I been unable to do this DC would have fallen further behind.

It's been interesting that DS has moved into the top set of maths and science this year after taking a levelling test at the start of term. He scored 89% in maths, but was tracking nearer to 60% when he was last physically in school. So the tutor plus support from me has made a difference.

I am sorry but I genuinely don't believe your school provided no education during lockdown. I also don't believe you would have passively let it lie.

You have no control over what a school does as a parent. It's just not up to you.

Neither DC are in that school any more.

I would have thought education is no different than any other employer? Those teachers who worked each day providing key worker schooling or remote learning, have nothing to be concerned about. Those who didn’t would be subject to disciplinary now the school term has started?

@SaltyAndFresh I realise that this is not representative of the teaching profession. I know there are some great and some utterly amazing teachers out there.

I'm over the moon that DS's new science teacher is fantastic, and I'm so hopeful that he will have him for a few weeks before things go to pot again.

I also think that it's not just the specific subject teaching element that is so very vital. For young people like my DC, having adults to learn from, be influenced by and to interact with is beyond priceless. It wasn't happening via lockdown learning, because it needs a face to face set up to really work.

I knew who the OP would be before opening the thread. You really have a dislike of teachers!

I am a secondary state school teacher. I taught live lessons via Teams timetable from the very start of lockdown. I marked to policy. I held 2 parents evenings. I held weekly tutor sessions.

My children are at a state primary. They had daily literacy and numeracy lessons uploaded to teams. This was marked each day. They had weekly science and topic lessons posted. Again marked.

Complain to your own child’s school. As a teacher and a parents I’m happy with the provision I provided and the provision provided for them.

Oh SNORE

Absenteeism/ attitude isn't dealt with?! I'm in Scotland and if we have 2 x 1 day absence in any financial year we are called for a formal meeting.

@notevenat20 - totally agree that it was shameful the lack of provision for education in the state sector for the vast majority of pupils. Pretty much every kid I know just got a few worksheets and they weren’t even teaching them in the key worker hubs. It’s obviously not necessarily individual teachers responsibility but some were definitely taking the piss. Also the defensive and hyperbolic attitude of the clique on here in response to any criticism of educational provision is embarrassing for them.

My dds have an active engaged family and community to help them. What is happening to the kids who don’t? It’s very worrying indeed.

it was shameful the lack of provision for education in the state sector for the vast majority of pupils.

The vast majority? Do you have any evidence for that?

@Puffalicious -how do you know that happens in every school? Also meeting, so what? Nothing actually seems to happen as a consequence in many cases.

Also the defensive and hyperbolic attitude of the clique on here in response to any criticism

This is not “any criticism”, you are criticising “the vast majority” of us. Why shouldn’t we stand up for ourselves?

Nothing actually seems to happen as a consequence in many cases.

How would you know? Who put you in charge?

My DD got twinkl worksheets set by her school which is the sort of thing that posters on MN have deemed totally inadequate and yet for us it was fine. I definitely didn’t want zoom lessons because that would have been unmanageable.

When people say that lockdown provision was unacceptable, it’s also only in their opinion.

@HipTightOnions - lol at how “significant minority” that I wrote in my post comes out as “vast majority” in yours. Hope you’re not an English teacher.

What is happening then to the teachers who weren’t doing their share in lockdown or even at other times? Nothing to the ones I know. Why so defensive of those not doing their job? I wouldn’t feel the need to do that in my profession, unless I was one of them.

astonishingly self righteous posts here from a minority of teachers have upset me

Given the amount of shit that you have thrown at teachers do you really think that any of us give a shit?

As for a national apology.

You are deranged.

@noblegiraffe perhaps it was fine “in your opinion” because your dd had you at home to teach her. Lots of kids are not so lucky. How would zoom lessons have been “unmanageable”. For whom? You didn’t have that option anyway I’m guessing same as everyone I know in the state sector.

DdS would definitely have benefitted from the interactive and much better provision at the local private schools. I can’t really think that any child wouldn’t.

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@HipTightOnions - lol at how “significant minority” that I wrote in my post comes out as “vast majority” in yours. Hope you’re not an English teacher.

What is happening then to the teachers who weren’t doing their share in lockdown or even at other times? Nothing to the ones I know. Why so defensive of those not doing their job? I wouldn’t feel the need to do that in my profession, unless I was one of them.[/quote]
How would most teachers know, since we don't know of anyone who didn't work over lockdown ourselves?

@FrippEnos - I don’t see anything unacceptable at all from op at least on this thread. Rather a lot of exaggeration and defensiveness and even personal attacks from the usual sUspects.

@CayrolBaaaskin, send your DC to private school if you want their school to be able to assume that all families can facilitate live online lessons. A private school will also be more likely to be available to resource it.

It it's a private Vs state issue that you've got, lobby the government regarding the woeful and prolonged underfunding of state education.

I haven’t exaggerated. I taught live to timetable throughout and I explained my children also had daily tasks which were marked. That’s not exaggeration. That’s fact 🤷‍♀️

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@FrippEnos - I don’t see anything unacceptable at all from op at least on this thread. Rather a lot of exaggeration and defensiveness and even personal attacks from the usual sUspects.[/quote]
Nonsense

DH state teacher. He spent lockdown WFH setting work for his class online, and providing marking and feedback daily via their online platform. Every 3 weeks he was in school for the week to care for the keyworker/vulnerable children who attended school throughout. So... they were working during lockdown and therefore I don't really get your question?

@SaltyAndFresh - how can you possibly say that “most” teachers don’t know of anyone who didn’t work over lockdown? What do you base that on?

perhaps it was fine “in your opinion” because your dd had you at home to teach her.

Yes, I was lucky to be able to move some of my own work to between about 10pm and 2am in order to free me up in the mornings to go through it with her.

How would zoom lessons have been “unmanageable”

Lack of available technology. DS had a laptop for his schoolwork, I was using mine for mine, DH had another for his. Making one available for timed zoom lessons would have been very difficult. Worksheets could be printed out, and PowerPoints gone through at our convenience.

@SaltyAndFresh - maybe I can’t afford to send my children to private schools or don’t think I should have to in order for them to actually get an education.