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.

My eldest is in Y1 and they're using Google classroom. They have a meeting once a day where the teacher tells them about the planned work and they read a story. Then there are tasks uploaded for them to complete and upload/submit. There's very little differentiation, though, and some of it is really insanely boring. We've agree that we'll just read books and find a project that interests us if schools close again. I'm lucky in that she's fairly self-sufficient once absorbed in something so I can set her up and get on with paid work while she's doing it.

[quote KeyboardWorriers]@lemons1571 my list would be the same as yours. And I don't think it is too much, it should be the bare minimum.

Oh and I would add- no messages from teachers going on about what wonderful fun they are having with their own children! Fucking insensitive when I am doing their job and mine.[/quote]
This is broadly what I would have liked to, and I see there just as many parents saying this as those saying the opposite - which means the system failed is spectacularly last time round

More twinkl I suspect. Hopefully with some actual feedback or marking this time around.

Lots of my friends work from home in highly stressful jobs, you know the 14 hour a day type solicitor jobs, under huge pressure. They also pay lots of taxes! They are on their knees just as keyworkers are, including my doctor friends. Some of them nearly had a breakdown last time because they are the types of human beings that insist on everything been done properly. I don’t see why they shouldn’t qualify as their children going to school as keyworkers. I mean who decides anyway what child is entitled to go in and what child isn’t.

It can't happen properly though can it? As many of these parents (including me) are keyworkers on the frontline of the pandemic so if our kids can't go in neither can we

Well that's the same for me - two teacher household with two primary aged DC

I mean who decides anyway what child is entitled to go in and what child isn’t.

The government drew up a list. I think lawyers were on it.

I’m not a ‘keyworker’ but my work is pretty key to us having food on our table and a roof over our heads.

"Some of it is insanely boring"

Well yes, some work is boring. It's boring whether at home or in school. Teachers jazz up a lot of very dry topics but sometimes children just need to learn something fairly dull and accept not every lesson can be incredibly exciting.

@Musicaldilemma

Lots of my friends work from home in highly stressful jobs, you know the 14 hour a day type solicitor jobs, under huge pressure. They also pay lots of taxes! They are on their knees just as keyworkers are, including my doctor friends. Some of them nearly had a breakdown last time because they are the types of human beings that insist on everything been done properly. I don’t see why they shouldn’t qualify as their children going to school as keyworkers. I mean who decides anyway what child is entitled to go in and what child isn’t.

I agree, anyone keeping the economy afloat is a key worker to my mind, there's a huge misconception out there that those able to WFH have an easy life, I'm pulling 12 hour days every day if not longer, it's unsustainable even without being a teacher to kids as well

Go down that route and most kids could be in. Keyworker was specifically coined to cover those roles essential for society and other roles to continue

@IndecentFeminist

Go down that route and most kids could be in. Keyworker was specifically coined to cover those roles essential for society and other roles to continue

Loads of people at our school didn’t take up their keyworker place last time (generally too petrified), but have said they will this time if it comes to it. I suspect the school will be about 50% full of keyworker/vulnerable kids this time if they don’t reopen (I’m a governor so have some access to the data). Doesn’t leave many teachers free for home learning.

at my dc primary it's one short video session with the class teacher and some specialist teachers. work sheets otherwise.
secondary is full online lessons.

This time round we'll make use of being key workers and send ours to school. We almost killed ourselves last lockdown trying to juggle work and kids at home and I am not prepared to do it again. I am sure there are others who plan to do the same so I am guessing there will be more key worker children in schools than the last time
Yep, I’ll be doing the same. The dc can go to school as key worker children. In March, Dh and I were both off so able to help with school work. In June, we both went back to work. Dh in manufacturing, I’m a childminder so at home all day, but working. It is impossible to help with school work whilst dealing with 3 under 5s and made harder that school still wouldn’t accept some of My key worker children as they also had a non key worker parent. So I also had them too some days.

But if school shut, I will do everything in my power to keep my own dc in school and my cm parents have said the same, they won’t be fobbed off again. (It left them with quite high childcare bills too for July and August, which had not been budgeted for by them, but that is a different issue).

A teaching assistant friend said that it’s a really bad attitude, if parents can keep their dc at home, they should, completely failing to see how hard it is to do any kind of work while also trying to sort out technology that doesn’t always play ball, trying to explain a new concept to your child that they just do not get despite watching the video While trying to work to keep food on the table.

I wonder what the percentage of parents are who want schools to remain open vs those who want them closed. Take out those Pupils who Have parents who want them home, making school safer for those of us who want them open. Provide government teachers to produce online lessons (like oak) And everyone gets what they want.