Secondary school closure not a disaster

[Rowenasemolina]

In among all the doom laden unhappy threads, I just want to put the other side.

Some children prefer home learning , and do better

No teacher time is being wasted on bad behaviour, so the whole lesson is about the lesson.

Given that 25-50% of learning time in schools is wasted For the average child for the average week, there are positives to the current set up

And the school meals sent home are no worse than the school meals served on site. Maybe now the electorate will wake up to the absolute con of s a school meal system which takes millions of pounds and spends almost all of it on wages rather than food. School meals should be got rid of altogether

As a tutor, I would say around a quarter of my students say they prefer being in school, a quarter day they prefer being at home, and half vary in their feelings from day to day.

They certainly have less interruptions to their learning from badly behaved students at home though.

Not surprising, it is the parents of the badly behaved students that are Complaining most in our schools, and pushing hardest to get them back In

Here I mean. Of course we’re positive etc

Frodont yep

I think one thing that is having a harmful effect of the dc's mental health is seeing so many things telling them that it should have an effect on their mental health.

What a load of rubbish.

We've been nothing but positive with our dc. We don't have rolling news on and dc don't watch it anyway. We get outside as much as possible, do as much as possible within 'the roolz'. We try to keep the dc busy, motivated.

I really wonder about the psychology of people who insist on denying how bad this situation is for most people. Just because they themselves are, for whatever reasons enjoying it, they won't believe that anyone else could possibly be suffering. They want to deny people's perfectly legitimate feelings and concerns.

@Rowenasemolina

Redskybynight. It’s such a shame students can’t use labs, IT rooms, drama rooms, sports equipment etc. But they couldn’t use them in a pandemic anyway. No local school had those facilities in use this school year, except occasionally for sixth form, with the premises staff cleaning for an hour before and after.

really?

dd is doing GCSE drama and they were using the drama studio.

dd2 is in year 8 and they had art, science, pe and drama in their form rooms. Not amazing, but they did it.

Surely the best thing for their mental health would be to encourage them to think of it as something that will pass and make the most.

^^

I totally agree - but my mum was a war baby - rushing to bomb shelters age 7 so we had a cheery positive upbringing in spite of massive problems we faced as a family!
I do appreciate this is awful for so many people, esp single mum, those trying to manage toddlers, babies and elderly parents...those with SN children...

BUt for many - because life has always been quite smooth there is no sense of perspective or the resilience tools to keep as positive as possible.

@Januaryissodull

I think one thing that is having a harmful effect of the dc's mental health is seeing so many things telling them that it should have an effect on their mental health.

What a load of rubbish.

We've been nothing but positive with our dc. We don't have rolling news on and dc don't watch it anyway. We get outside as much as possible, do as much as possible within 'the roolz'. We try to keep the dc busy, motivated.

I really wonder about the psychology of people who insist on denying how bad this situation is for most people. Just because they themselves are, for whatever reasons enjoying it, they won't believe that anyone else could possibly be suffering. They want to deny people's perfectly legitimate feelings and concerns.

Similar to how those who are finding it difficult seem incapable of believing that others are flourishing.

I really wonder about the psychology of people who insist on denying how bad this situation is for most people. Just because they themselves are, for whatever reasons enjoying it, they won't believe that anyone else could possibly be suffering

Because there is a balance, I know many posters claimed to be screeching in play grounds that Brexit had ruined their Dcs lives and their DC were distraught....so I do wonder how those posters are coping and passing on distraught reactions to their dc now?

We do not have to enjoy a global pandemic to be resigned to it and make the best of the dire situation> it would be far worse for us to be talking about how hopeless and dreadful it is.

I suppose all these resilience people are fine to tell parents of dc who do suffer in school to stop implying their dc’s mh should be affected.

Anyone who doesn’t fit mainstream just isn’t trying, not being positive, parents telling them to have bad mh.

My dc are better this term as last one was fairly woeful. Nothing has changed they respond well to school scenario. It’s a bit closer. But still lacks in some ways.

I really don’t get the minimising. Is it vested interests, I suppose so.

BUt for many - because life has always been quite smooth there is no sense of perspective or the resilience tools to keep as positive as possible.

This is hugely insulting.

So fed up of all this "if you were just a better parent your dc would be fine".

You really have no business talking about other people's resilience. You really have no idea about other people circumstances. To suggest that people aren't resilient because their lives have always gone smoothly shows your lack of insight. As you clearly will have no idea what other people will have faced and overcome throughout their lives.

Resilience is now just used to bash people who are having a bad time over the head with.

It’s such a shame students can’t use labs, IT rooms, drama rooms, sports equipment etc. But they couldn’t use them in a pandemic anyway. No local school had those facilities in use this school year, except occasionally for sixth form, with the premises staff cleaning for an hour before and after.

My year 7 child had science lessons but only the teacher did the practicals after the front of the class. IT, sports and drama we’re all done using the same equipment as normal.
Year 12 child all lab work was being done as normal. They even had to share goggles in a couple of Chemistry lessons. 😬

Similar to how those who are finding it difficult seem incapable of believing that others are flourishing.

I'm certainly capable of recognising that some people are enjoying this lockdown. What angers me is that those people, who always had other options available, would wish for us all to live this way long after it is necessary.

But like me saying I'm loving not having to see my in laws every week, so I hope that restrictions on family carry on. Would be a bit sick to relish in everyone else missing their family and tell them to be a bit more resilient.

I spend my days working teaching online. I’m live six hours plus a day. In that time, I hear kids laughing, being witty, asking questions, working hard, joking with classmates, telling me how much they’re enjoying my lessons. I then come on Mumsnet and find out every last one of them is depressed and suicidal. I don’t buy it.
This is definitely a “mileage may vary” situation, and we’re always going to hear about the cases when it’s going badly more than the cases when it’s going well.
Fact is, schools are shut because they have to be, they’re not going to reopen yet because our country does not have the infrastructure to deal with the consequences. We are where we are, and you’d be better off looking at solutions to mental health issues that don’t involve collapsing the nhs in the process.
Stop comparing this to normality. It’s obviously worse (for most but by no means all). But there is no possibility of a return to normality in the immediate future. This is not an alternative to that, it’s an alternative to chaotic closures, sickness, increased bereavements, repeated isolations and cover teachers galore. Compared to that, it’s going pretty well in secondary, I think.
What was a disaster was what we had before Christmas and what we would have if we went back now.

I didn’t even post about going back atm. Infection rates are too high.

It’s the trite posts on mh I object to.

No no is telling dc their mh should be affected. But are likely worried if it is. And better to listen than dismiss.

There’s no point arguing about this. Some kids will be really struggling with homeschooling, others will be loving it. My kids are very happy with it on the whole and it’s working well. They’re certainly not desperate to be back.

Long term it would be great if once schools are back and all is well again, there is some sort of easily accessible online schooling for children who would rather be at home and it’s an option for.

Every child is unique and this one size fits all state education doesn’t work for so many children and parents for a variety of reasons. I’d have to check the exact stats but I also wonder how effective a school system is where only about 40% of kids get an a C or grade 5 in Maths and English. It’s really not good enough in my opinion.

My DC are doing ok at home. Same way as I am doing ok wfh.

The key word is "ok". I'm not particularly worried about their mental health. I just know they were happier in school last term than they are now. And I know that DS comes back buzzing from his (very part time) job which is the only time he leaves the house because the change in his mood is palpable. I expect most people and children are the same. They are coping and getting by, but know that life could be better.

And of course secondary school DC are seeing news about coronavirus which will have an inpact on them. Unless you ban them from social media entirely, it's inevitable - the news is everywhere.

My DC's school also made full use of science labs, music rooms, art rooms, drama studio, DT labs etc last term. DD (taking Art and Drama GCSE) is really missing having access to them.

Wow @Nellodee ‘you don’t buy it’ because in your small world every child is laughing and fine.

All the other posters are just making it up are you saying then? What an ignorant post.

@Nellodee as you are a teacher, I'm very surprised that you can't understand that because your particular group of students are presenting as happy, chatty, witty on your lessons, that some or even most couldn't be having periods or moment of utter despair at another time of day, or at the very least not feeling extremely sad, lonely, bored, isolated, demotivated.

My child doesn't go onto live lessons and pour his heart out. He does what most people do and gets on with it, puts on a brave face.

Even adults who suffer from clinical depression will appear happy to those around them.

Even when someone commits suicide people often didn't spot the signs.

I expect most people and children are the same. They are coping and getting by, but know that life could be better.

Yes, but in the case of my kids and most I know, it’s not school that they want back, it’s the socialising outside of school, going to McDonald’s, the cinema, shops, parties...school isn’t on their list of priorities. 😬🤣

Did I say none of them were suffering? No, of course I didn’t. But neither is this a disaster for the majority of secondary students, despite what many on here would have us think.

I’m school support staff and also a tutor for a 6th form tutor group. Calling my tutees last week the overwhelming thing a lot of them were saying was that they had no motivation to work at home, that they couldn’t get into a routine and they were struggling to get work done. The ones who are getting on ok are the ones who excel at school anyway. I think people tend to view this only through the lens of how their kids are doing or their pupils are doing tbh, there’s a wide range of how well pupils can cope at home.

@Nellodee you have no evidence either way.

Your pupils appearing happy on live lessons is not evidence that this isn't a disaster.

Only time will truly tell the impact all of these measures will have on our children and young people.

One thing that I believe is that there will be a much worse, harder, longer negative impact on children than on adults. Because childhood is short and children are developing.

Justine talking on R4 atm. Lots of talk about impact on dc’ mh.

All the other posters are just making it up are you saying then?

I don’t disbelieve anyone who says their kids are struggling with homeschooling, lockdown, mental health issues.
I think it is important to remember that many children will have been struggling with mental health issues before the pandemic though. My kids have definitely talked to me more about everything since the first lockdown, probably as a result of just being together more. I think we’re all getting more of an insight into our kids feelings because they aren’t sharing as much with friends and there’s less distractions. One of my kids friends had been struggling for a couple of years, they have only recently confided in their mum so she’s now aware, but it didn’t start because of lockdown. They were previously getting support from friends and now that’s not as easily available to them.
Regardless, the government certainly need to put more money into mental health services as what is available at the moment is appalling and I think early intervention is key.

Well I’m pleased there’s lots of air time about children, mental health and schools today.

@Nellodee you said ‘you don’t buy it’

Which implies you don’t believe it. Please clarify if that’s wrong though.