What is the new plan for primary education if schools close?

[Manteo]

I read somewhere on here that since the huge variation in distance learning provision in the last lockdown plans have been made in case it happens again.

My DD is in year 2 and I'm not quite sure how effective distance learning can be for this age but I'm hoping it will be better than having Twinkl sheets uploaded to the school website once a fortnight which is what happened last time.

Is there an overall plan or is it still down to the individual school? It seems likely schools will close and I'm just wondering if anyone knows what we can expect.

I believe all schools had to be set up for online learning by Oct half term as a legal requirement. I still believe primary schools will only close as a last resort but with Jenrick saying they’ll definitely open in January on BBC this morning does make me jittery without enough data about the new strain this can’t be said so certainly yet.

Surely even with the best online curriculum children will need parent support time and attention. The government need to step in and offer more support: one parent of children under 11 should have the option to be furloughed due to childcare (if neither parent in a 2 parent household are furloughed) or a school place hasn’t been offered due to key worker status. This doesn’t even begin to solve the issues of schools closing but would help. There will always be children that unfortunately have parent(s) that make excuses/aren’t bothered the same parent(s) who children don’t do their reading nightly,practice timetables,spellings,complete projects etc

Many (most?) schools do not provide a laptop for their teachers so a huge amount of online learning is only possible through teachers using their own technology.

I have a school laptop. It's at least 7 years old, takes 20 minutes to boot up and you have to hold the screen at a particular angle or it doesn't work. It has no functioning camera. I have to use my personal laptop (which I bought specifically to use for school work) to create any remote learning.

[quote Lemons1571]@iamusuallybeingunreasonable it’s beyond me why we even expect parents to be able to do it all. It’s not achievable IMO.

Either primary schools come up with something that means parents are still able to do their day jobs and keep a roof over their children’s heads. Or they don’t and do nothing. All the helpful suggestions that parents start their own work at 4am and finish 11pm so they can do schooling in the middle of the day, on an ongoing basis with no end date in sight, leave me dumbfounded.

I can only presume that this is dreamt up by men who don’t worry themselves with childcare and homeschooling.[/quote]
Reminds me of the Handmaids Tale - know your place women

@lavenderlou

The DfE guidance for schools on remote learninng is here.

Scroll through the blue menu on the left to look for Remote learning expectations. It doesn't differentiate by age group, so basically the guidance is the same for Years 1 - 13. Talks a lot about using technology then sticks in a paragraph about providing printed resources like "textbooks and workbooks" for those who can't access online learning (so very secondary-based - not many primaries use text books).

Regarding younger pupils it says: recognise that younger pupils and some pupils with SEND may not be able to access remote education without adult support and so schools should work with families to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum - meaningless drivel.

The families are not available to do this. They are working their own jobs.

I am beginning to despise the word flexible. It is just a smokescreen for “do it all please”.

My kids primary school is planning to provide 2 short live lessons (also recorded so parents can watch it in the evenings or weekends if working) each day, plus accompanying worksheets. All on Teams.

I firmly believe they need to switch the school term this year. If the schools close, then make this a winter break. School will have to be caught up in the summer even if that means going into August. There's enough summer breaks to accommodate this. They could even bring in Saturday mornings so not all the summer is lost. I work in a school so don't say this lightly but if this virus is as dangerous as they say?!? Get the infection rate and more vaccinations underway whilst the kids are off.

DS is 4 and in reception. It doesn't matter what the school provide in my view, he won't engage with it (not a criticism of his school who are fabulous). He needs to be in school or it's pointless, I don't know how to teach a child to read! I might be able to persuade him to practice writing a few letters but that will be it.

If primary closes I'm keeping everything crossed the childminder will continue to take him and DS2. If not I'll look for a nanny. It will be childcare though, not education.

I have a year 2 who recently isolated. State primary.

He got 3 hours of zoom lessons from the teacher a day plus work uploaded to seesaw. In lockdown 1, he “only” got lots of work uploaded to seesaw with the teacher commenting on 1 piece of work a day. I don’t think our class have gone backwards academically - there were lots of extra support classes put on during the autumn term. The parent group is very supportive of learning and privileged (most live in houses with gardens). Most have bought laptops, bond/Collins books etc.

Zoom classes with 30 kids on are not that conducive to actual learning but they can be very good for a child’s mental health. I expect if schools close again our school will do a mix of zoom lessons and short video clips from the teacher explaining the tasks to be done. Then the kids can choose if they prefer to join all the zooms or work on their own from seesaw.

@Musicaldilemma

I have a year 2 who recently isolated. State primary.

He got 3 hours of zoom lessons from the teacher a day plus work uploaded to seesaw. In lockdown 1, he “only” got lots of work uploaded to seesaw with the teacher commenting on 1 piece of work a day. I don’t think our class have gone backwards academically - there were lots of extra support classes put on during the autumn term. The parent group is very supportive of learning and privileged (most live in houses with gardens). Most have bought laptops, bond/Collins books etc.

Zoom classes with 30 kids on are not that conducive to actual learning but they can be very good for a child’s mental health. I expect if schools close again our school will do a mix of zoom lessons and short video clips from the teacher explaining the tasks to be done. Then the kids can choose if they prefer to join all the zooms or work on their own from seesaw.

We didn't even have a platform/dojo to upload work so there was no feedback or interaction at all.

Forgot to say our school (TAs) hand delivered a bunch of things during isolation. They are doing really well but the whole school community is undoubtedly privileged.

My cousin lives in the West Country and her child goes to a leafy, privileged primary too but she got barely anything last time round and this time, they have already been told local internet connections are not good enough for live lessons. Luckily their Covid rates are much lower... but to make their schools close because we have huge Covid rates in London (but good internet access) just doesn’t make sense to me! I think the aim has got to be for as many kids to keep learning in person as possible.

I would like to see the headteachers and councils properly working with the DFE on a case by case basis. However, unfortunately children’s education has been unnecessarily politicised! It is so unfair on the kids.

The difficulty with live provision in my small rural primary, is that we're with mixed age groups of keyworker and vulnerable children all day. Last lockdown I organised work packs and short videos for my year 1 class, but they need so much input and support. Some didn't access it at all.
We're also still waiting for our Google classroom training, even though as teachers we wanted it before Christmas. We have been told to do what suits us and our class but given no guidance or support.
I really hope we can remain open.

@Musicaldilemma

I have a year 2 who recently isolated. State primary.

He got 3 hours of zoom lessons from the teacher a day plus work uploaded to seesaw. In lockdown 1, he “only” got lots of work uploaded to seesaw with the teacher commenting on 1 piece of work a day. I don’t think our class have gone backwards academically - there were lots of extra support classes put on during the autumn term. The parent group is very supportive of learning and privileged (most live in houses with gardens). Most have bought laptops, bond/Collins books etc.

Zoom classes with 30 kids on are not that conducive to actual learning but they can be very good for a child’s mental health. I expect if schools close again our school will do a mix of zoom lessons and short video clips from the teacher explaining the tasks to be done. Then the kids can choose if they prefer to join all the zooms or work on their own from seesaw.

That sounds incredible! Wow.

The teacher must have been isolating too, that's the only way that could be managed. If they were still at school they wouldn't be able to do that.

Our school's provision during the first lockdown was absolutely woeful.
However we had a fortnight homeschooling when my youngest was self isolating in November and the provision was substantially improved.
So just because they were rubbish the first time it doesn't necessarily mean it will be rubbish again.
I'm holding out to the hope that primaries will reopen, at least in low case rate areas. A bloody nightmare with work for a lot of us .

Everything I've read suggests primaries would stay open, rates are much higher in secondary than primary. I'm still dreading it with a Y7 and Y8, I don't really feel they are old enough to be left the whole day.

Our school recently had to put their plans into action when bubbles burst and it involved small group zoom meetings for 'show and tell' type sessions, and a mixture of video links ie numberblocks and worksheets to print, plus loads of ideas for home craft or activities related to the learning.

The older ones have work set in the school website and then send work in by email which was a clunky way of doing it.Teachers rang each week, emailed marking back frequently and did live assembly type things.

All required huge amounts of parental input and supervision but none of my DC have missed any work or fallen behind. Unfortunately this means they're pretty bored in school as many others couldn't or didn't do the work for various reasons. I am less inclined to try to keep up with anything set of schools close again because the stress of trying to work and facilitate 3 different curriculums was immense and caused a lot of tension in the house.

Lots of schools locally had much less provision and a couple had gold standard laptops provided and live classes. Realistically, all approaches were dependent on parental engagement and faciliitaion and the live lesson/tech provided school didn't result in any less parental stress.

The situation is rubbish for all until they're old enough to work independently I think.

I would even be happy with a blended approach where the kids were in on certain days and off on other days.

OP You need to ask your school for their remote learning plan/policy on it. It should be on the website. Every school had to produce one in preparation for any bubble isolations or school closures.

I teach Year 2 and the whole school used Seesaw during the first lockdown. Our remote learning was as available from day 1 of lockdown with video lessons and interactive activities a possibility. All with feedback of course. It nearly broke me doing it with two young children at home but it is possible. Find out what your school has put in place.

[quote Lemons1571]@iamusuallybeingunreasonable it’s beyond me why we even expect parents to be able to do it all. It’s not achievable IMO.

Either primary schools come up with something that means parents are still able to do their day jobs and keep a roof over their children’s heads. Or they don’t and do nothing. All the helpful suggestions that parents start their own work at 4am and finish 11pm so they can do schooling in the middle of the day, on an ongoing basis with no end date in sight, leave me dumbfounded.

I can only presume that this is dreamt up by men who don’t worry themselves with childcare and homeschooling.[/quote]
This is exactly why I'm feeling so much dread right now. There is no way I can do a 'normal' working day when I have two sat behind me at the dining table. The thought of starting at 6am to get a couple of hours in then resuming late afternoon / evening just makes me want to cry.

My job share colleague has a preschooler and one in early years: she didn't get a full weekend off between March and when the schools went back in Sept, and she frequently worked into the evenings to keep on top of the paid job.

My eldest is now in Y7 and I understand he'll have more scheduled lessons which will be much better (I hope!).

I’m a senior leader in a primary. We have a plan for remote learning involving live and recorded lessons, feedback and so on. However if my teachers are required to be in school with key worker and vulnerable children then that plan is not workable. The government cannot have their cake and eat it. We can deliver the best remote learning that we can OR the teachers can be in school working with children. Ideally they would give us more funding to have more TAs (plus senior leaders) supervising children in school while our teachers deliver remote learning accessed at home and school. Unfortunately the government are not exactly funding schools well.

I dread my children having live lessons. We can only have one thing streaming at once on our internet connection. Our electricity supply fails at least once a month (sometimes power cuts, sometimes our electrics...). Pre recorded stuff would be ok. Id prefer workbooks tbh, that we could do at own pace and not rely on various bits of technology (like two children sharing one laptop... And there's loads with even less).

Then there's the obvious... How are teachers supposed to look after keyworker children and do online stuff for everyone else?

@Scarby9

A friend's Y4 class bubble had to close for the last fortnight of term. She did a live 30 mins in the morning and 10 mins in the afternoon to introduce the work, then recorded voice over ppts and a video of her reading a chapter of the class novel for each day. During each day, around the two live sessions, she was also available on Class Dojo to respond to work or questions sent in. Between her and the TA they also phoned vulnerable families each day and phoned the other families once each week. Over the first week, a total of 9 children submitted any work and 6 the following week. A maximum of 11 out of the 32 children joined the live sessions on one day, but the average was 7. A part-time teacher from the school met one family (of a child that had not engaged) in town in the last week. 'It's quite nice to have a longer Christmas break,' said the mum, 'What are you planing for home learning if we can't go back in January? I think she might start getting a bit bored by then'.

I’m a y2 teacher and this reflects my experience when we were shut for 2 weeks: it was harder work than my usual 10 hours a day in school! I called every family, and also did a telephone parents evening - my home telephone bill was extortionate. Constant marking/ feedback on individual pieces of work - which usually would have had a quick verbal whole class feedback; some kids did everything, lots did nothing.

I dread primary school shutting again, as I’ll be chained to seesaw, and my own 8 year old will be left to her own devices...

I just need to get through this year, and then I’m going part time/ finding a non teaching job.

@Hugepeppapigfan

I’m a senior leader in a primary. We have a plan for remote learning involving live and recorded lessons, feedback and so on. However if my teachers are required to be in school with key worker and vulnerable children then that plan is not workable. The government cannot have their cake and eat it. We can deliver the best remote learning that we can OR the teachers can be in school working with children. Ideally they would give us more funding to have more TAs (plus senior leaders) supervising children in school while our teachers deliver remote learning accessed at home and school. Unfortunately the government are not exactly funding schools well.

I read this with interest hugepeppapigfan.

A friend of mine who has taught for 22 years says this has been the worst term of her career, expected (independent secondary) to teach in the classroom AND deliver remotely at the same time.

However, I just wondered about TAs delivering in bubbles in school and teachers delivering remotely? My youngest would get to go in to school, and I surely you would need a teacher delivering in school too?

Op we didn't even get given twinkle sheets, in the end I had to research the national curriculum myself, then assess dd, and go from there. I brought books, signed up to reading chest and In between supporting my own students, and dd on lashings of roblox I managed to teach her.

I appreciate very well tech and more so WiFi issues, however many children now have smart phones, tablets, lap tops.

Children can be taught on line, we are very lucky to have these resources at all. If other teachers are allowed by their heads to teach as closely to the timetable as they can... That frees up parents working from home to do their jobs.

It keeps everyone busy, you can monitor children you her concerns about as well.

There are many ways to teach on Google meet or zoom with the teacher presenting, asking the dc questions, setting work.

Primary certainly presents more challenges than secondary but many primary schools also taught the older years in line.

I’ve just checked our primary’s policy (drafted in October) on their website. No live teaching at all. They upload stuff to seesaw, teachers are “encouraged to respond in 24 hours if possible”. And the best bit - there’s a section with bullet points on “what staff expect from parents”, which includes parents asking for guidance on which resources to use.

Aren’t the school supposed to direct the parents with signposting them to the appropriate resources??

It’s worse than I thought. Better get on to tutor.con right now...