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.

Get paid 80% to do nothing instead of get paid 100% to go above and beyond and risk my health and that of my family? Deal.

*Can't adapt

Schools are very variable. Our secondary was already an iPad school so exchanging materials online was already the norm and on the first day of the first lockdown they hit the ground running with a full timetable of lessons.
It wasn’t ideal and one of my teenage dcs who has SEN struggled to engage in some subjects but the idea the children weren’t being educated is insulting to both students and teachers, and simply wrong.

Ds2’s primary, not so much, but can we please not generalise?

Why are you suggesting happens to all the keyworker / vulnerable children when schools close and staff are furloughed / made redundant ?

Furlough... I wouldn’t mention that ;

I think it can work for short periods of time in secondary.

Yet to see it in primary but I’m not sure how you do if if you have some in and others and home (kw etc)

What a lot of shite. I can only assume you’re trolling as the option this is sincere and someone can be so ignorant blows my mind.

Just ignore - load of goady wank bollocks.

Rightey ho then. Redundancy takes months and costs a fortune.

And once the vaccines been rolled out, what then?

Schools have to reopen and re-recruit fast! Many teachers won't return (if they have successfully pursued other forms of employment) and there is a retention/recruitment problem as there is....

Wouldn't it be better use of Government funding to ensure all schools and pupils have sufficient technology so online learning can happen.

DS had 'live' timetable in summer term, teachers doing live lessons through Google classroom. Totally possible if you have the technology. Not as good at being at school but definitely not the same as schools closed.

Rubbish. I am a lecturer and all my colleagues managed to produce the highest quality online teaching within weeks with the support of a digital education team. Teachers can do it too and some of my DCs teachers were great already. They just need, like the universities, which have fees, resource, such as wage rises, investment in technology, training programmes, which is what Tories won't give, because they don't think state children are worth it.

Dd had excellent online teaching throughout lockdown and made great progress, so your generalisation does not fit everyone.

Because teachers aren't bashed quite enough at the moment are they OP?

My school has been open throughout. Yes, we closed to certain year groups following government guidance in the early summer but only for a few weeks. During the autumn term we had no bubbles closed, at all. A few children self isolated and had work sent home. My class made very good progress.

I do feel it is risky opening fully next week. Rotas should have been put in place.

Not sure OP is feeling well, a bad case of adjusting her set to the new broadcast.

Nice feedback about the online learning though, makes a change to what's often heard on here. It's pretty much been a success at our school too with above 80% participation even in the long lockdown, and attainment data looking like it normally does at this time of year. :)

I've been delivering online lessons since June - but properly started October as soon as we started to have isolations. We were lucky to not have any students off really until after October half term.

If we're home ill we are expected to deliver a live lesson from home Into the classroom.

If a student is home (even 1) we have to stream the lesson home so they can join the lesson remotely.

We have to upload all resources & tweak lesson so they can all take part.

I have for example posted resources home so students can take part in assessment same time as rest of class.

If all the class are isolating we deliver a lesson from our usual classroom.

State school not private.

By Christmas hols I was worn out by it all - especially as we have to keep moving rooms. I'm across 7 bubbles so always on the move!

Furloughed?? I've heard it all now. Yes furlough all the teachers and school staff. That would mean us all sat at home and against the law to so much as lift a finger in respect of any school work.

Why can some schools deliver and some not?

The education my DC got over lockdown and during periods of self isolation has been superb-the staff have gone above and beyond on a daily basis.

Your post is inflammatory and goady. I presume that is quite intentional.

I think 80% to do nothing would be a pretty good deal

I probably agree with OP, for below university age, anyway.

University lecturer friend constantly juggles small children at home -- sent there due to covid symptoms (but never tested positive yet). it's a pretty impossible teaching situation for her, too.

We’ve had the same @Barbie222

Our last two sets of isolating year groups had 95% attendance for online learning, which is about what we get in school on average. So excellent. Lots of engagement.

In fact, quite a few parents and kids asked us if we could roll back the workload and give them more break.

This is not true for every school. I know of schools that struggled and those that didn't even try to continue. However the state school my 2 DS attend was amazing and switched straight to online teaching in March. There were emails asking who didn't have access to laptops and good broadband even before the schools shut in March so those without it were given help. Online lessons started immediately and whilst there were some teething problems whilst the teachers got to grips with Microsoft teams 50% of the school day was online and work was set for the rest. Work completed was submitted and marked/fed back promptly. It wasn't perfect but I don't feel that my DS's had much of a break in their education at all.
It's not easy but it can be done and with more time to prepare I don't see why more schools couldn't do a better job this time.

Billie, I think I recognise your name from lots of posts this year. Am I right in thinking you don’t like teachers very much? Your post shows you are feeling stressed by the ‘will they, won’t they’ school closure situation. Chickens are coming home to roost, aren’t they? Perhaps you should have supported ways to make schools safer earlier on?

For what it’s worth, lots of teachers would willingly take furlough. If you make them redundant, they will take redundancy payments. But your children will have no one left to teach them after this crisis is over. Do you want to think again?

I'm glad some schools are successfully providing online learning but surely all schools should be. My daughter's primary school's online provision was abysmal. They say they have no plans to do anything differently should schools shut again. The work set took her about 30-40 minutes a day. There was no feedback or marking, no differentiation and no teaching whatsoever.

@HidingInTheToiletFor5minsPeace

Get paid 80% to do nothing instead of get paid 100% to go above and beyond and risk my health and that of my family? Deal.

Yup up for that.