If the schools close there should be no pretence that they have switched to "online learning".

[Billie18]

If the schools close they are shut. Schools are not equipped to deliver teaching online. Teachers have not been trained to teach online. Children are not equipped to learn online. The curriculum has not been designed to be taught online. If schools close then children will not be receiving an education. It is dishonest to pretend that they are.

So if the schools close then teachers should be furloughed and children's education should be paused at the point of closure. Closing schools should not be disguised as something it is not. This would allow the damage to continue indefinitely. If schools remain closed for a longer period then teachers should be made redundant so that they are free to do other work. This of course would be terrible and would hopefully not be allowed to happen... But then schools have already not been fully open for nearly a year.

I agree, to an extent. As both a parent and school staff member. We have not been trained to deliver online teaching, and many of our kids don't have what is required to participate. If we do close again, we will be doing what we did last time...teachers at home 2 out of every 3 wks sending an email on a Monday morning with a load of links in.

If schools close, there needs to be either an edict from on high that all schools have to follow so that all pupils, whatever their school, get an adequate provision...or pause the curriculum altogether.

There seems to be a few posters on here who are insistent that online teaching HAS worked and that anyone who is suggesting otherwise is wrong.

By contrast, those of us who have had poor experiences are acknowledging that its apparent that some schools have done very well but others have not. And judging by the many posts on this thread, it’s clear that a lot of schools and teachers have failed pupils woefully over the last 9 months.
I have no idea why certain posters are denying that this is the reality of the situation.

@herecomesthsun wouldn't it? I only read it to know my enemy (plus they get the govt. leaks).

If schools close, there needs to be either an edict from on high that all schools have to follow so that all pupils, whatever their school, get an adequate provision
There has been, as of 23rd October. There is a guidance document on the DfE site.

And judging by the many posts on this thread, it’s clear that a lot of schools and teachers have failed pupils woefully over the last 9 months. I have no idea why certain posters are denying that this is the reality of the situation

Who has said this?

@TheEchtMeaningofChristmas

Just as one example:
“ blue25

My children had fantastic online teaching during the last lockdown. I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Surely a more measured response would be to say that their children had fantastic online teaching during the last lockdown? “I don’t know what you’re talking about” clearly implies those who had otherwise are talking nonsense/lying/are wrong.

We had a weekly sheet uploaded, no feedback or contact at all.
Teachers worked 1 day every 3 weeks, the leadership team were very open about this - bizarrely. It was very disappointing.
Since September the school has returned to being the very good school it was. It’s all been raised with the governors - hopefully provision will be improved.

There’s needs to be a benchmark, it’s really unacceptable that some schools provided so little.

There’s needs to be a benchmark, it’s really unacceptable that some schools provided so little

It’s surely more important what schools provide from now on? Now there IS guidance from the DfE about remote provision? Remember in the last lockdown, schools were directed to suspend the curriculum and to provide childcare for vulnerable/KW children.

OK I agree re online learning. It's crap. My dds teacher takes registration gives one example, directs them to a worksheet, tells them to leave and crack on individually. That's it. They open the worksheet to find that it's matter they have Never covered. Then they feel dumb.
Or there's giving them gcse worksheets...... When they are Y9 with a lack of Y9 education. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
So no. Its

Yes I know that @SmileEachDay no need to bold.
But some schools acknowledged this wasn’t enough. Fantastic that those schools and teachers provided much more. They must have a huge sense of pride - rightly so.

It’s surely more important what schools provide from now on? Now there IS guidance from the DfE about remote provision? Remember in the last lockdown, schools were directed to suspend the curriculum and to provide childcare for vulnerable/KW children

This can be repeated until you're blue in the face, but so many posters, all of them purportedly parents, were not interested in the facts then aren't now.

I think if teachers were offered furlough/ redundancy many would jump at it after the vitriol aimed at them on threads and in the media.

"and" Grrrrr.

Speak for yourself!

I teach in a secondary school, yes there are barriers to online learning, but we give it a damn good go.

All lessons next week will be taught online via teams. A live teacher presenting a PowerPoint with tasks for students to do. There will be a follow up activity that they complete and email back in. Available for any student that parents can be arsed to lock out of bed or off their Xbox’s. support staff will be phoning students for welfare checks if they don’t log on.

Very very few students have access to no technology. We gave our laptops to those genuinely struggling, but most have phones that they can watch the lessons on.

Agreed it’s not close to being in school in person, but don’t claim schools aren’t providing online learning. We absolutely are and we are busting a gut to do it.

@SmileEachDay but when whole year groups have been isolating the home learning provision has been no different to during the 1st lockdown. The government guidance seems to have made no difference.

no need to bold

I disagree.

Did you ask the school why this was the case, mynamesnotsam?

Reading that there are lots of schools giving 6 full hours of online classes every day + pastoral care sessions etc has made me even more worried now.

We had near to nothing from March to Sept from dd’s primary school- one 5 minute phone call in 6 months and a weekly ‘learning guidance’ one pager which was things like ‘focus on telling the time’ (?!). To hear other children are getting nearly full schooling has made me so worried about the massive gaps she is going to face now and in future. This massive gap in what is being offered is just not right, surely

I completely accept that it has been massively variable and I can't even get my head around teaching lower primary online.

I've described what we have done, what my DP has done and what my own DDs received; I would have had a huge problem if they got a poor deal from this. The problem with these threads is the "all teachers are shit, let's furlough and make them redundant" approach. A decent number of teachers and school staff have gone so far above and beyond that there is now no line between work and home, and we are, and have, worked our socks off only to be met by complaints in the real world and on here.

I mentioned before that I was on my laptop as I had been in a meeting this evening and answering emails; genuinely over 15 emails complaining that we hadn't updated them about exams next week (I know as much as they do) that they were having issues connecting to their internet with the school issued Chromebook so we had to come and fix it (I'm not tech support nor going to their house!) or that another teacher hadn't answered their previous emails on Boxing Day.

These kinds of posts honestly serve no purpose than to bitch about what has happened previously, which is just not productive at all. And genuinely, these posts from @Billie18 show so little understanding or comprehension of what is a really difficult situation that I don't know how an adult can sit there and post what they do.

No op, that’s a crazy attitude.

Most teens watch YouTube. Teacher can link to relevant YouTube video at the very least. My kids’ school play YouTube videos in loads of lessons (the ones in the classroom). Many of them are excellent.

There’s no excuse for not trying to access education, other than being vulnerable, in which case the child will be at school with the key worker kids.

mynamesnotsam

What has the school said when you queried the lack of work for your isolating child?

@Whyarewehardofthinking I think many posters acknowledge provision was good in some schools.

I know smile, but that doesn't mean that every school is now geared up for providing alternative provision.

And I agree, just because some schools have done it very well doesn't negate the experiences of those involved with schools that haven't.

Are your kids primary by any chance?

Our school shut down 2 weeks early and my kids received almost a full streamed curriculum (no PE, RE or Life Skills)