Repeating school academic year

[RoseHipps]

If this lockdown goes on for longer than Feb half term, which is highly likely, would it be feasible for the children to repeat the entire school year? My child had perhaps 6 months in reception last year and it could work out less than that if they don’t go back until after Easter this year as speculated.

I agree that raising the start age and having everyone else repeat is the best way. I have one DC who might not need that, but another who has now missed/is missing much of year 3 and 4 who really will struggle going into Yr 5 without those basics.

There will be qualified teachers who usually do exam marking who could work in the summer perhaps? I know several qualified teachers who don't do classroom work, but who could possibly be employed in the summer in some capacity instead of marking.

Yes, I think there are many students whose schools have enabled them to keep up with their courses and who should be allowed to sit their exams/ move on to the next year as normal. In the two schools I am connected with, students have kept abreast of where they should be and Year 11and 13 have now suddenly had the rug pulled from under them, having trusted government reassurances last term that exams WOULD go ahead. So having worked in good faith, they are now, not surprisingly, wondering what all that was for.

Exams should be available for those who want to sit them, and repeating a year equally an option for those who need to.

Not all children are behind though. My oldest DS is in year 6 and was ready for senior school at the beginning of year 6, if not before. What happens to children like him?

I think it really depends on the child I have one in yr11 and one in yr6 and both are bored and ready to move on to new challenges. Particularly the yr6 child, he just wants to move on. I realise that there are other children really struggling but I think it probably needs a more nuanced approach with more flexibility to move between year groups than the current system.

A few moving in each year group and some intensive support available towards the top of the system, extending funding beyond 19, it is already possible to access funding for an extra year, why not make that two so a child could go back to start of GCSEs at 16. I think that the reality is that for those who are less academic (and those who are but don't want to study more) many will not want to do more GCSEs, they will want to pursue courses which interest them more and will lead to a job. In ten years time will you or your plasterer really care what grade they got in GCSE Geography and how they got it as long as they are happy in their job and they are good at it?

Each year some children miss out on some schooling, most catch up. Schools are used to working with children of different abilities. For primary just keep reading and doing a little maths each day.

God I wish this could actually happen.

I agree that a simpler solution would be to move the school holidays. We could be on a months holiday now with only 2 weeks in the summer. It’s so much less radical than is being suggested here and could have been brought in in lockdown one/summer 2020

Delaying the school starting age would just create a bulge in nursery/preschool provision.

They pretty much will repeat it! They will still go up a year in name but they won’t just start doing work that’s too advanced for them because they won’t be able to access it, the teacher will adapt to where they need to be -which will be last years work- and go from there!

If a single child had lost out on that much schooling due to illness or family circumstances then repeating a year might make sense. In the context of the entire cohort going through this, it doesn't make sense. Everyone has had a disrupted education. The old goalposts don't apply. Keeping each yeargroup together and providing differentiated work according to progress on a case by case basis will help bring people back up to speed after this is all over.

@Chanandlerbong01

They pretty much will repeat it! They will still go up a year in name but they won’t just start doing work that’s too advanced for them because they won’t be able to access it, the teacher will adapt to where they need to be -which will be last years work- and go from there!

How will they catch up then?

Sure it’s a case for teaching in ability groups rather than year groups going forward. Those who ahead go up one or 2 years, those in line stay in their year group and those behind repeat?
I appreciate in this woke world where everyone has to be treated the same this is not going to be a popular suggestion.

I think the children who need extra support should be identified and extra support and funding made available for them. Some children will thrive in a homeschooling situation some will not.

Ramblingsonthego

“What happens to the students who are due to start reception this year? Are we moving to a compulsory start age of 6 from now on?”

Lots of people in the know think this would be no bad thing. I don’t know enough about the pros and cons but it does seem to work well in other countries 🤷‍♀️

@HNY2021

I think the children who need extra support should be identified and extra support and funding made available for them. Some children will thrive in a homeschooling situation some will not.

Wouldn’t that be nice?!! Won’t happen. Too sensible.

@HNY2021

I think the children who need extra support should be identified and extra support and funding made available for them. Some children will thrive in a homeschooling situation some will not.

That's more or less what the law requires now, but thousands of parents of children with SEN will tell you how ridiculously difficult it has always been to get the right support.

But for primary it's as much about their social and emotional development. After three months in school in a year, which will be the case for mine by Easter, many will need a bit of time to just get used to being back in a classroom environment and settle socially again with peers.

There is no comparison to previous home education because our children now are being isolated from others outside of school as well as in. No extra curricular activities outside the home.

And as regards underachieving in gcses/Alevels but then becoming successful later on.... yes but how many of those adults would say 'so I got a job in a bar/restaurant/Hotel for a while to earn while I studied. Travelled to broaden my horizons. Yep, not happening at the moment.

Educational institutions are more important than ever for just giving our youth, whatever, their families circumstances, a life outside the home. Repeating a year while vaccinations are further developed and before lifee and opportunities can truly become more 'normal' would really have it's advantages.

Lots of children with EHCPs will either not be in school at all ( all children with ehcp getting a vunerable child place is a myth) and many of them will be getting no provision whilst schools are closed. Even those that are in school or can do some home learning will not be getting what their ehcp says they should get.
I hope this will be taken into account with future provision for those children. Some will have had at least half a year of no education.

Re: shortening/moving holidays

You can’t strip teachers of unpaid leave and force them to work. Out of 6 wks in the summer most would spend approx 2 of them in school sorting and readying for the next cohort. A 3 wk summer wouldn’t work for them or in fact the children.

You are grossly out of touch with their current situation with many doing the jobs of 2 people (AGAIN) through lockdown and facing ANOTHER pay freeze. Teacher burn out is already huge. This would be adding to it.
There is a reason recruitment and retention is already shocking.

I think at least for a few years it should be a fairly flexible, moving the year that their ready, there will be some children who need to move, they’re ready ready to carry on and aren’t behind.

The Irish system allows children any time between 4 and 5 years 10 months really. Most start the year they turn 5 rather than the year turn 4 like here. What this means is there will be children spending almost 2 years in a single year group. I meant ion this because what that means is for now it would allow children who need to move now to go up while those that don’t get the support to catch up.

How often do we get my child is really young in their year can we hold them back.

I think there just needs to be some more flexablity leading to raising the school starting and leaving ages

It would also help raising the school leaving age, again in the majority of the world you either can’t leave school till 18
This happened years ago. British children have to be in education till 18.

My dc is due to start reception in September and Has been ready for ages already. I'd be happy for her to go straight into y1 to make space for a kid repeating reception but I really wouldn't want her in nursery another year.

@FancySomeChips

Re: shortening/moving holidays

You can’t strip teachers of unpaid leave and force them to work. Out of 6 wks in the summer most would spend approx 2 of them in school sorting and readying for the next cohort. A 3 wk summer wouldn’t work for them or in fact the children.

You are grossly out of touch with their current situation with many doing the jobs of 2 people (AGAIN) through lockdown and facing ANOTHER pay freeze. Teacher burn out is already huge. This would be adding to it.
There is a reason recruitment and retention is already shocking.

I agree. Teaching is a lot harder than many people realise. My suggestion is to provide additional teaching/academic support in the summer break but not asking those teachers who need/want the break to do it. Whoever were to do this would be paid.

My 16 year old said the same thing, if schools aren't going back until the late spring or later, write off this year & start again in September. Would stop stressing out already stressed parents with homeschooling. Children starting reception a year later won't harm them, most countries in Europe don't have children starting school until 6 years old.

I’m not suggesting anyone is stripped of leave and forced to work. I’m suggesting that working weeks/weeks of leave could be moved due to ‘business demand.’ We see in exceptional times.

Around the country people in both private and public sector have cancelled holidays, changed shift patterns, worked bizarre hours.

I’m sorry you feel I am grossly out of touch with a high demand workplace who have encountered wage stagnation for years. I’ll slip back to my corner of the nhs where obviously it’s all hunky dory...