School only providing 1 hour of live interaction a day!

[NotLookingTooGood]

What is everyone's school experience? I am going a little crazy. We have live online learning of 2 increments of 30mns (maths & english) a day + homework that we have to supervise.

What is everybody else's experience?
The school is relying entirely on us to do the work.

Work set by school. Moderate to severe autism and non verbal child. No other support even though child has an EHCP and is at a special school. No live lessons or interactive support.

@herethereandeverywhere

But all the teachers are working 12-15 hour days aren't they? So what are they actually doing?

We have been asked to work from home. It is a pandemic, remember. Many of us have children too, who need home schooling. I marked assessments today and marked and responded to the work I"ve scheduled on Google classroom. I've dipped into live teaching this week, somewhat challenging when you're in your 50s. In short, I'm doing my best, as I suspect everyone else is. Please stop the unnecessary teacher bashing. It seems clear from reading these comments that there is a huge variation in the quality and quantity of online teaching. If we had an Education minister who had a clue, there should have been clear guidelines given to schools about basic expectations for online and 'blended,' learning, depending on age/ key stage. 5 hours a day of online live lessons is crazy and unsustainable for teachers who also have to look after their own kids, some of whom might also be single parents. And what of parents who are wfh with limited devices? My own school have got the balance right, I believe. There is a middle way between death by worksheets, and endless and intense live lessons .

I'm teaching a full timetable live (secondary) just like I would do in the classroom - there is a teacher led element and worksheet/tasks for the kids to complete but I am there the whole time on zoom if they have any questions. The kids then upload the work they have completed at the end of the lesson.

It will never be as good as being in school as I cannot monitor exactly what all of the kids are writing down or what they understand until after the lesson (I do random questioning during the lesson but that won't cover everyone). It also takes far longer than normal due to making/adapting suitable resources and the extra time online marking takes, not to mention the hours spent chasing up missing students/work and helping those who are struggling. After 3 school days this week I am exhausted (I also have young kids of my own at home).

Lessons from 8.30-12.15, then again from 1.30-3.30 (secondary). All lessons start off as live on Teams, most continue live for the whole time period, some move onto independent work.

Kids are encouraged to ask questions and they've started introducing the rule that everyone has to turn on their video cameras (unless they have is a valid reason not to). Presumably to stop kids being distracted by their phones or not paying attention.

Year 2 Primary School. Pretty much full day here 9.15 - 3.00. Comprises of structure below but not all classes last the full duration.

9.15: Registration
9.30-10.30: class 1 (I.e. phonics/english) then 15 min break.
10.45-12.15: class 2 (I.e. maths/numbers)
12.15-1.15: lunch
1.15-2.30: class 3 (some practical exercise) then 15 min break
2.45 - 3.00: story & close.

It’s a good structure but not so great having to structure your working day around them. There’s also a lot of distractions from the children themselves. Hopefully, it will get easier. I wasn’t expecting it to be so full on but it does keep the little ones entertained.

Both mine at secondary school. One year 11 and they do maybe a third of lessons on teams. Plus I have noticed they only do lessons and no homework.

Hi- I’m not saying it would replace a real lesson, I’m saying surely it would be better than having no interaction whatsoever with the school, not even a request to send work in, just a few work sheets and answers on a website

My year 5 gets none. Just tasks set through class dojo

For goodness sake, give them time, Bojo and chums f*&^ed this all up again in case you missed it.

Can not believe some people are suggesting reporting teachers to Ofsted. Give them a bloody break.

Yeachers cannot win. Some parents want all live learning. Some want none. Some kids are sharing a device between 3 of them. Some don't have a quiet space in their house to take part in lessons. Mamy teachers have their own children at home. Plus, live lessons present a significant safeguarding risk for some children.

@Theforest

My year 5 gets none. Just tasks set through class dojo

We are doing this. Teachers will be online on dojo from 9 - 4 to respond live and set work and mark it. This is as well as staffing, planning and teaching the key worker bubble 3 x per week. We are not doing live lessons but some recorded and some links to videos on Oak Academy, Bitesize and Third Space. It's worth pointing out that our parents categorically do not want live lessons!

I completely fail to see why if teachers are in with key worker kids in year groups, they can’t stream/record them explaining work to both the kids in the classroom and online at the same time.

Schools aren’t allowed to teach and livestream at the same time due to safeguarding issues even if the camera is pointed at the board and not kids apparently.

You would also get a lot of parents complaining that those in school are getting a better education than those at home.

@IggyAce

Primary or secondary? Ages of children? You do realise that primary schools are facing a bit of a planning nightmare because they have to schedule live lessons so they don’t clash with another year groups in case someone has more than 1 child in the school and limited access to tech. Schools are doing their bloody best with little notice and the government don’t seem to have provided the extra laptops & tablets they promised. My ds will have live English & Maths lessons via zoom the rest of the work is set via seesaw or workbooks that are in the home school pack provided. I’m very happy with the planned work provided, please remember your child isn’t the only child in the school and schools are doing their very best for all children.

This and remember they are providing on site teaching for essential worker’s children & vulnerable children. There may be some teachers who are ill.

@ClaudiasWinkleMan
I don’t think parents know how much their children repeat what they hear, word for word, in school so, yes, teachers do know who is taking the piss and the parents you describe are selfish and lazy. Looking at the infection rates, it won’t be too long it before it all completely falls apart so their time is nearly up. What a shame it impacts you, me and, as you say the ICU nurse too. Try to keep safe until that moment - it won’t be long in coming.

Kids are encouraged to ask questions and they've started introducing the rule that everyone has to turn on their video cameras (unless they have is a valid reason not to).

My DC is doing full live lessons and was told today that from now on no one can have their camera on. I wasn’t sure if this was something all schools were doing now or if something has happened at that particular school.

Secondary (state not private) school here - we are all following normal timetable & delivering live lessons (also have upto 70 students on site) registers taken every lesson, those who do not engage are contacted to see if a tech access problem & arrange for laptop/ wifi connection. Also doing daily covid testing for those on site as well as 1:1 contact from tutors, careers advice appts, counselling appts, PEP meetings for LAC students, FSM hampers organised, staff trainjng & aporaisal, plus interviews for any new posts, interviews for new in-year admissions, staff training every day at end of day until 5.30 then SLT meet each eve & weekends, also making plans for extra curric clubs to run once h/w club finishes, all 180 risk assessments reviewed weekly - I could go on! So whilst I am sorry that some feel let down by their schools - there are a large number of schools who are trying their best to ensure that our young people are at the centre of everything we do despite v difficult circumstances espec also trying to manage our own families & health ( yet we still get some parents/ carers complain that we are not doing enough!) Thank you to all parents & carers o mumsnet for those supportive comments regarding their schools & those who have been less so please be a little patient - schools are not all fully closed! We have found out info from the gov when you do on the news & then 100s of pages of 'guidance' 2-4 days later!!

@Mumofferalkids

Hi- I’m not saying it would replace a real lesson, I’m saying surely it would be better than having no interaction whatsoever with the school, not even a request to send work in, just a few work sheets and answers on a website

I'm not saying that your kids are getting offered great provision and I do hope that it improves once they have time to get to grips with it.

But a live link to a normal classroom would honestly be worse than nothing. They would genuinely be looking at a blank screen for most of the day, or a static of a PowerPoint. They would be far better off playing (young age) or independent reading if older.

@toocold54

Kids are encouraged to ask questions and they've started introducing the rule that everyone has to turn on their video cameras (unless they have is a valid reason not to).

My DC is doing full live lessons and was told today that from now on no one can have their camera on. I wasn’t sure if this was something all schools were doing now or if something has happened at that particular school.

That is the most common approach to safeguarding.

All cameras off, the session has to be recorded by the teacher as a record in case there is a complaint.

Thank you. I’m not a teacher. I’ve many friends that are. The whole concept of dobbing teachers to Ofsred appals me. They are dealing with a lot more kids in class over lockdown because of people taking the piss and also trying to supply outstanding online learning with Ofsted breathing down their necks. Give them a fricking break. Your kids will be fine.

All these examples are poor in comparison to the amount of teacher complaints on the news every day about how much work they’re having to do!!!
Have lost all respect for the profession right now

Ds9 gets about 3 hours a day live lessons. He's basically working from 9-2 ish straight.

@toocold54

I completely fail to see why if teachers are in with key worker kids in year groups, they can’t stream/record them explaining work to both the kids in the classroom and online at the same time.

Schools aren’t allowed to teach and livestream at the same time due to safeguarding issues even if the camera is pointed at the board and not kids apparently.

You would also get a lot of parents complaining that those in school are getting a better education than those at home.

Schools are allowed to do this. Few would see it as a good solution (see earlier posts) and some have written safeguarding policy that does not allow it.

One of the issues with all of this is that there is no overarching safeguarding advice for online learning that has been provided to schools. So schools have had to develop their own safeguarding policies to adapt to the situation, without clear guidance. So each school's policy will look different. It will get some of them in trouble eventually I'm sure.

Zero live learning here. I really wish the school would do a couple of live calls per day but it’s all just uploaded and we need to print off apart from one my pre-recorded lesson per day.

State secondary with full programme of live lessons.