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).

I am currently recording examples that I do in lessons for my sixth form classes and sending the pupils who are isolating (or just ordinarily absent) a link to my videos. Plus the questions the rest of us have done in the lesson. Hopefully they'll use those to catch up/keep up.

I don't think I can do that for the younger years though, as their lessons are a lot more interactive rather than example then textbook exercise (the sixth form do normally get interactive stuff too, but this is the easiest way to structure my lessons so anyone at home can access it as well)

I'm a state secondary teacher. I worked throughout lockdown, but will agree that I didn't work as hard as normal. Creating lessons and resources that worked for remote learning took much longer than normal; I taught a full timetable. However, only approx 1/4 of my usual students fully engaged with what I was doing and so my days contained much less marking time than usual. So it's true; I DID work hard over lockdown, but not as hard as normal.

However, I am currently working harder than any time in my life - including the pgce year, the nqt year and the times I worked in non-education sectors. The current workload is crushing. So, OP, rest assured that even your lazy, selfish, uncaring state school teachers are earning every penny now.

I don't understand the on line issue.
Many students actually listened to the lessons in their bedroom on their phone, then did actual work later? When a device was free...

Surely the only problem is when they all need to type at the same time?

Google meet was effective too.
Or just Google hangouts

Lessons aren't just listening to a lecture. Or mine weren't....

Many students actually listened to the lessons in their bedroom on their phone

My 7 year old doesn’t have a phone.

[quote CayrolBaaaskin]@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]
You talk utter shit. I remember you and the vitriol you were posting.
I was doing live lessons. In my very leafy primary school, with rich educated parents, we still had children who couldn't access the live lesson as their sibling or parent needed the laptop at that time. We had parents complaining there were too many live lessons.

You talk utter shite. You have no idea what was going on in schools. If you have a problem with the school your children go to, speak to them. Or remove your children. Why would you want them to be taught by such awful people?

Many students actually listened to the lessons in their bedroom on their phone, then did actual work later? When a device was free...

There is no point in it being live in that case. A recorded PowerPoint would work better - student can go back and listen again.

[quote BunsyGirl]@noblegiraffe And your comments show exactly why certain teachers did nothing. The complete lack of ability to think for themselves and take some responsibility. Why does the Government need to set standards for someone actually to to a job that they are paid for?!! If you are being paid to teach, surely you teach. Set work, mark work![/quote]
The curriculum was suspended. Take that up with Gav or Boris if you don't like it. I suspect you know that anyway or at least you should before mouthing off and getting it wrong.

Your teacher hatred is showing

CayrolBaaaskin

50% of my school do not have access to a device and/or WiFi.

Live lessons would not have helped them even slightly.

Are you a teacher?

@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer I'm not being goady, but I'd like to understand more about the impact of the curriculum being suspended? Does that mean that the government meant that teaching wasn't required?

I'm sorry if that sounds like a silly question, but I keep hearing about how the curriculum was suspended and I'd like to understand what it meant for teachers.

To a non teacher it sounds confusing as I assume the curriculum is set each academic year, and then you teach it. So I'm not sure how you suspend it in March? Unless it actually means that no teaching was required? If that is the case then I'm sure most of the general public are unaware of this, and the government didn't let us parents know that teaching was no longer required....

[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]
You think a national apology is "reasonable"?

As for the rest it is a case of pot, kettle. From the usual suspects.

The information is out there. And has been since March.

Here, for example.

www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/articles/coronavirusandtheimpactonmeasuresofukgovernmenteducationoutput/2020-05-13

Teachers were specifically told not to teach the curriculum to the children of key workers because those at home would not be following the same pattern.

But I think you knew that already.

the impact of the curriculum being suspended? Does that mean that the government meant that teaching wasn't required?

The government never cleared it up any further than that. The curriculum being suspended meant that there was no requirement for schools to provide any new content - but the govt didn’t explain whether that meant schools should still be providing work.

The govt funded Oak Academy which had daily lessons in the more mainstream subjects. Not Alevel though.

Later in lockdown there were some noises about ofsted looking at home provision this year, but ofsted said that would be impossible because there was nothing from the government to measure against.

Soooo....there is room for interpretation hence the wide variability of provision.

smileeachday where did you honestly get that statistic from?

Are you really saying children or their parents did not have much access to mobile phones?

I had to use a mobile phone for my children it was fine you just take a screen shot of the work.

One of my children got work.

My other child got absolutely nothing. Not a thing.

I just don't come across people with children these days who don't have mobile phones.

Also by the way - my data charge went up - I just called the phone company and explained I had to use my phone for schooling and they wipes the charges.

I should add my children are at the same school.

So completely different provision. The teachers that provided nothing just said they didn't learn the system (it was a case of uploading files, so I found that extremely hard to believe).

where did you honestly get that statistic from?

A survey of students and parents at my school. We are in an extremely deprived area.

I spent a day a week delivering food parcels.

You have no idea.

@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer no I don't know that already, hence my question which I tried to word in such a way as to not cause offence.

A skim of the link you provided looks to me to be a piece about the challenges of measuring school performance, which doesn't really answer the question. I understand that measurement would have been extremely challenging, but I'm not sure it follows that teaching doesn't need to be done? Or maybe it does, as I said below I am confused!

Oh Smile, you just don't live in the real world where everyone has laptops and phones and y'know, food.

@SmileEachDay thank you for explaining. It's awful that the government didn't specify wether schools should provide any work. What a shambles that they were so unclear.

What do you mean I have no idea?

Like many I also delivered food during covid.

In situations where a large proportion of children can not access online learning is it not still a good approach to provide learning for those who can access it?

And noblegiraffe My two children and I shared an iPhone and co-ordinated and uploaded via a mobile phone because we do not have a lap top not a land line.

I contacted the mobile phone company because I could not afford the data and got charges wiped - I obviously am not the only parent who could not afford multiple devices.

I was wondering about people who have zero device - does the school not have communication apps? How does the school communicate to those without devices - did they drop off newsletters during covid if they could not make phone calls?

So you can take your comment about living in the real world back.

I was wondering about people who have zero device - does the school not have communication apps? How does the school communicate to those without devices - did they drop off newsletters during covid if they could not make phone calls?

We hand delivered bundles of work and textbooks to kids who we knew had no devices, was a lot.

@namechangchitty

My other child got absolutely nothing. Not a thing

Well that’s absolutely appalling, and I can’t see any teacher disagreeing. How shit.

Chaotic and it was not ideal using one device and a small phone and we had to do shifts but it was completely fine.

I dropped off food to neighbours people that we knew where really struggling I used a device to co-ordinate it.

I just find it so strange if people don't have mobile phones , especially as so many systems (including schools with school apps and emails) require mobile phone coverage.

There was a homeless person I knew who didn't have a mobile phone but his neighbours (he was sleeping on a garden) cobbled together to get a pay as you go phone for him).