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Original poster

School needs 24 hrs notice to send a teams meeting invite and get a laptop into a classroom

39 replies

Notsayingnothin · 13/10/2020 07:31

Second time for isolation since Sept - thankfully we got a test without much problem, so hopefully it'll only be a couple of days. Contacted the school to let them know about the absence.
Kids contacted their teachers to let them know they needed a teams invite to join the class today, but apparently that's not going to happen as the school needs 24 hrs to arrange this. Really? Is this a lack of laptops because setting up a teams meeting is pretty straightforward - the laptop is placed on a text and the class proceeds as normal - it doesn't seem so hard. So it looks like everytime they need a test they'll lose at least one day of video teaching.
Kids are doing A levels this year - apparently pushing the date back by 3weeks is going to make it all better - they've missed 4 moths last year, and 1 week so far this year a 3 week delay seems fair.

OP posts:
Thatwentbadly · 13/10/2020 07:54

Probably a lack of laptops and making sure they are in the right place at the right time. Schools are already cut to the bone financially and haven’t been given any extra money for cost of covid.

MoonJelly · 13/10/2020 08:02

DfE guidance says that schools have to set up systems so that remote teaching is ready to go immediately if they have to close or send a bubble home, so the same should apply to individual children. If they haven't got enough laptops and can't afford more they need to be beating on the door of the DfE.

Thatwentbadly · 13/10/2020 08:12

Schools are always asking for more lonely. They have been for years but is not an issue which gets much public support.

From 22nd October school legally have to provide the same curriculum. I’m not convinced that videos lessons would be the best way.

ineedaholidaynow · 13/10/2020 08:16

It’s all very well the Government telling schools what they need to do but they haven’t given them funding to facilitate it.

Original poster
Notsayingnothin · 13/10/2020 08:34

So it’s another letter to my mp then! So frustrating. And it’s the second time we’ve done the video link in and it’s not as good as being in class but both kids said it was much better than just being handed a pile of work to do alone.

OP posts:
ineedaholidaynow · 13/10/2020 08:38

Our local schools are setting up a fundraising scheme to get laptops for teachers and pupils who will need them during lockdown. Have given up on the idea that the Government may actually help them.

canigooutyet · 13/10/2020 08:40

If you need to borrow a laptop from school I can understand there will be delays as they need to be delivered/collected and paperwork sorted out.
If the student has an adequate device at home, I cannot understand why it would require time unless IT support have to set up teams accounts for pupils, although would be surprised if this hadn't already been done,

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 13/10/2020 08:41

You don’t know anything.

The teacher might be sick
The IT system may be crap ( very likely)
Teams might be misbehaving
There may be safeguarding issues to sort out.

Give the poor school a bloody chance to sort stuff out. It’s not THEIR fault that we have a shit government. That’s where the problem is coming from.

Schools are large and unwieldy and nothing happens fast. 24 hours notice is realistic.

monkeytennis97 · 13/10/2020 08:45

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince agree.

Solidarity.

TheSultanofPingu · 13/10/2020 08:54

I would imagine setting it up where one or two children are at home watching a class being taught is more problematic than a teams meeting where everyone is at home?
Safeguarding for a start.

WhyareWehardofthinking · 13/10/2020 09:00

It will be a technology problem more than anything. We've tried to do zoom meetings and CPD but it destroys our internet connection, and this is a school where all the kids have Chromebook, so we have decent internet. I'll be honest, I don't think live lessons are the best for most kids anyway. I did live for my A level but only when we did some flipped learning; live lessons are still not the best medium for complicated topics.

We are placing work in Google Classroom and that is working best for us; very few of our kids have the ability to work at home to a strict timetable - their homelife doesn't allow for it.

Original poster
Notsayingnothin · 13/10/2020 09:22

@TheSultanofPingu

I would imagine setting it up where one or two children are at home watching a class being taught is more problematic than a teams meeting where everyone is at home? Safeguarding for a start.
Nope - they set up the slides for visuals and the teacher talks over them. Can't see how that's a problem - no one needs to see the kids who are watching from home.
OP posts:
Thoth · 13/10/2020 09:22

If every class has a pupil self isolating in it, we don't have enough laptops in school to set one up in every classroom broadcasting! Our budget has been cut to the bone. We have desktops in most classrooms, but they're not actually practical to cast a lesson from, as they don't all have cameras. Not all staff members have a school laptop, and it's not practical to keep lending yours to colleagues as often they have to self-isolate at short notice, are working from home for PPA time, and the timetable has had to be staggered to allow distancing at breaks/lunch for different year groups.

Original poster
Notsayingnothin · 13/10/2020 09:25

I'll be honest, I don't think live lessons are the best for most kids anyway. I did live for my A level but only when we did some flipped learning; live lessons are still not the best medium for complicated topics.
Ok - well the feedback from both my Year 13's is that the live lessons they are received this year are great compared to being handed a pile of work to catch up alone like they had last year, so their feedback would be they are the best solution yet - don't let perfect be the enemy of good!

OP posts:
Thoth · 13/10/2020 09:25

Think of it this way- school could buy a few more laptops to broadcast lessons for individuals that can't attend in person, or they can have a cleaner a couple of hours a day to clean the classrooms and spaces pupils are using daily, and provide hand gel, extra soap, all the extra paper towels we need Confused

It really is coming down to this for many schools.

PleasantVille · 13/10/2020 09:26

It doesn't seem like you've asked the school what the problem is, wouldnt that be the best first step? Why does your MP need to be involved at this stage, surely you need to know why it's not working as it should before you contact her/him

Original poster
Notsayingnothin · 13/10/2020 09:27

@Thoth

If every class has a pupil self isolating in it, we don't have enough laptops in school to set one up in every classroom broadcasting! Our budget has been cut to the bone. We have desktops in most classrooms, but they're not actually practical to cast a lesson from, as they don't all have cameras. Not all staff members have a school laptop, and it's not practical to keep lending yours to colleagues as often they have to self-isolate at short notice, are working from home for PPA time, and the timetable has had to be staggered to allow distancing at breaks/lunch for different year groups.
And if that's the reason 24 hrs will make no difference to the lack of laptops. And if lack of laptops is the problem I will be hounding our MP to fix this problem.
OP posts:
Original poster
Notsayingnothin · 13/10/2020 09:28

@PleasantVille

It doesn't seem like you've asked the school what the problem is, wouldnt that be the best first step? Why does your MP need to be involved at this stage, surely you need to know why it's not working as it should before you contact her/him
I have asked the school, no reply as yet - curious to see what the standard is like UK wide though.
OP posts:
Thoth · 13/10/2020 09:29

I will also say that my eldest's secondary have taken the decision to close the entire year group for one positive case. Yes, this sounds dire, but actually it enables their teachers to immediately switch to online live lessons, because they're not doing in person lessons at the same time. So her two weeks self isolation actually had a full timetable, of proper lessons.
I think the whole year group out makes things a heck of a lot more manageable than one or two from each class missing.

More space in school for those year groups not closed too.

Thoth · 13/10/2020 09:31

curious to see what the standard is like UK wide though

Really? There isn't a UK-wide education system, is there, so hardly a useful picture.
There are four separate education systems in the UK.

timeforanewstart · 13/10/2020 09:33

Op ring the school and ask can they at least set work online until video lessons availible
Without being funny as sympathetic i may be to schools I care about my childs education more and want to know what is being done to keep them on track
The unions and schools havEen't been too vocal in trying to get exams assessed as opposed to the stupid 3 week delay to help kids so they need to be pulling out all the stops to keep kids upto date with online learning as these kids are so far behind already

Aragog · 13/10/2020 09:34

We are in a primary and don't do live lessons online. However I can see why some time may be needed. Not every lesson would be slide/visual based, and may need adapting beforehand.

We have one spare laptop which is generally in use, so it takes time to reallocate that - harder to sort once the day gets going as everyone is then teaching most of the time.

I don't think a 24 hour delay is too bad personally, especially if they've got other work they could be doing - and at secondary age, especially exam years, I imagine they've always got outstanding work to focus on in addition to live lessons.

Original poster
Notsayingnothin · 13/10/2020 09:55

@Thoth

curious to see what the standard is like UK wide though

Really? There isn't a UK-wide education system, is there, so hardly a useful picture.
There are four separate education systems in the UK.

Useful comment....
OP posts:
ineedaholidaynow · 13/10/2020 10:03

It would be great if all parents contacted their MP to complain about the lack of funding for schools

PleasantVille · 13/10/2020 10:08

@Thoth

curious to see what the standard is like UK wide though

Really? There isn't a UK-wide education system, is there, so hardly a useful picture.
There are four separate education systems in the UK.

I can't see there being any kind of standard at all and tbh I think it's unrealistic to expect one.

Every school and its demographic is unique, trying to force them into a one size fits all solution would be wrong imo.

For the record I don't know what my DCs school do as thankfully I haven't had to find out but I don't think I would be too worried about a day to sort it out.