Which option would achieve the best outcomes?

[CKBJ]

Another school thread following on from the latest IFS study. This study has highlighted the long term impact of school closures and how future earners of our children will be affected. Schools had to close and when it’s deemed safe they will reopen but how can children catch up all the missed learning? Children (will) have missed at least half an academic year and importantly the time out of the classroom coincides with last year so topics taught last year online are being taught online again-I’m thinking primary. The IFS praised the government’s catch-up fund but argues it doesn’t go far enough and suggest:

“The IFS report outlines options including extending the school year, lengthening the school day, mass repetition of entire school years, or summer schools to help children catch up.”

Each one of the options have positive and negatives and would suit different children. I don’t think the school day should be lengthened as children generally find it hard to focus in the afternoons hence why a lot of primary schools have Maths and English in the morning. I think the summer school would potentially miss the children you are trying to target. Changing the school year is something that probably needs to be done as it doesn’t necessarily fit in with the modern world. The impact on children’s learning though would be slower. This leaves me with the repeating year scenario. Personally my children have kept up and will be fine still I can see the benefits. Children who are behind have an opportunity to make up ground and those that are fine could be pushed further/exposed to higher order thinking within each subject. To achieve this the starting age for school is raised to 5/6. Children who were due to start school continue with a paid place at pre-school for equivalent school hours. This would help the nurseries. Investment on staff further education would also be needed. At the other end the graduate output for one year will be significantly lower but the government would need to create a list of those degrees that are imperative to graduate as normal a bit like a keyworker list. Not as wide! Each student would have to decide with their uni if they wanted to repeat or not. The repeat year tuition wouldn’t be charged but living expenses would be.

What’s other peoples views and opinions?

My view is the government won’t want to put a penny into anything to do with schools unless it goes through the pockets of high-connected Tory chums along the way. We may get some money into tutoring agencies which schools will have to substantially top up themselves to be able to access, but that’s about it.

Schools closed on the 20th March last year and I reckon the government intend to get them (mostly?) open before then this year, so no repeating of online subjects.

We’ll go back to 30+ to a class, not enough classroom support, and lots of talk of ‘catching up’. I expect ofsted will then quickly be along to tell heads they did everything wrong and aren’t doing enough.

That's a no from me. DC1 has already begin school a year late due to SEN (this was completely the right choice). But, it comes with the risk that ge can legally choose to leave education a year before he's completed. If you force repeat a year, he could leave two years early and every other child in his year and the year behind could leave one year early.

Also, what about parents who need their 4yo to go to school this year because of financial strains, this suggestion could screws things up for them further.

Universities: who will pay tuition for that year? Staff wages still need paying and they haven't stopped working

If I had to pick an option I'd go with summer schools so you have some chance of targeting the areas your child needs help with, rather than holding others back for no need.

No I’d rather they temporarily reduce some subjects to increase teaching of core subjects, especially high school. I’m sure several dance lessons a week could be reduced to one for example for those not taking it as a GCSE.

What would happen to the children who were due to start nursery or pre school? Where are the extra places coming from? For example my dd is starting nursery in summer, she has a place booked and we need it for work. Other children are leaving in summer as they start school in September. What happens to them? They have already said they are leaving, others have paid for a place so they can’t go stay longer.

There won't be enough nursery places for all these extra full time 4/5 year olds.

I wouldn't have wanted my child with severe sn to miss out on the specialist input schools can provide and nurseries and pre schools often cannot. It will broaden the gap for children with sen.

Everyone will want a personalised solution that is just right for their own child and their own child's interests.

A mixture of solutions that can be tailored for each school, as different demographics will mean one size fits all won't work. You would imagine Heads, teaching staff know their children, as a group, best.

Whatever the solutions presented they will be wrong for some people. Another subject to complain about.

Every option as I said has pros and cons. I was interested to know what others thought. I like the idea of one comment about reducing the curriculum to allow more core teaching time. Maybe optionally extend the school day so art,dance etc happen after the main school day for those that want those subjects. Smaller class sizes would definitely help too but as someone said no government is going to fund that.

Summer schools seems like a punishment for some children for not being clever. While friends are out and about having a good time (assuming we can!) they are getting up and going to school. Also the children who really need to be there don’t come. DP school did a 2week summer school last year (primary) the children that it was aimed at either had very irregular attendance or didn’t even turn up. They don’t intend offering it this year.

For many children repeating the year would be beneficial. This would mean raising both the school start and school leaving age.

Repeating the year would also allow more of a focus on pastoral and mental health in the coming year as not everything will need to be repeated which arguably will be of a great benefit to a number of children.

Having said that there are plenty of children who are on track with their learning and risk losing interest and not being challenged enough by repeating a year.
Not to mention finding the space and staffing in nurseries to allow for a full extra year group.

Universities could carry on as normal given lots of people will have taken a gap year so there will still be an intake this year, even if it’s smaller than usual. Students could choose to repeat a year if they wanted to and on this occasion I would be interested if there was scope to waive fees for a repeated year.

Summer schools seems like a punishment for some children for not being clever

It isn't about cleverness, though. If they'd had the teaching then they wouldn't need the summer schools, so they aren't a punishment, either.

These aren't normal suggestions for normal times and it might help to get away from viewing it as cleverness. Think of it instead as the big disparity in education given this year.

I think repeating the year is the only way to cover the discrepancies between the quality of online learning .

They could just change the national curriculum and make it a bit smaller and more manageable for a couple of years while the kids catch up. I look at the amount of grammar my year 2 has to learn and weep tbh.

I don't have any useful ideas but I think they need to do something to help these poor children catch up. Luckily for us, MIL is a private tutor and is going to start lessons with DD as soon as is allowed. I'm thankful we have this option as the idea of her falling behind and not reaching her potential breaks my heart.

What about children who have already taken their 11 plus for grammar school entry in September. What happens to them? What happens to private schools who have generally been able to keep their pupils at the required level? What happens to the very bright children like my oldest DC who are already a couple of years ahead of where they need to be and are currently bored in year 6?

@BunsyGirl

What about children who have already taken their 11 plus for grammar school entry in September. What happens to them? What happens to private schools who have generally been able to keep their pupils at the required level? What happens to the very bright children like my oldest DC who are already a couple of years ahead of where they need to be and are currently bored in year 6?

I’ve never heard of 11+ we don’t have that here in Scotland .

Surely private schools could continue to do their “own thing”. Currently the curriculums aren’t aligned, term dates etc if a child were to switch to state education they’d slot into the appropriate age group,just as children do if they move here from a different country.

11+ is the entrance exam for academically selective state schools (grammar schools) which exist in some parts of England and in Northern Ireland.

Moving away from the wording of “cleverness”, children will notice and question if their friends are not joining summer school and no matter how it’s phrased will feel inferior. Also as I’ve already said how do you engage the children that won’t attend summer school even if it’s in their best interests or parents who won’t engage with summer school?

What's 11 plus?

Xpost

@CKBJ I’m sure they will which will mean that we end up with a system where privately educated children finish a year earlier than their state school contempories. As far as the curriculum not being aligned, although they do not have to follow the national curriculum by law, they do the same public exams as state schools so they have to cover the national curriculum.

Could their place at grammar school not be held over to the next academic year?
It is the class teachers job to cater for all needs in the class so if children are “bored” the work is not challenging enough and those children are being failed just as if a child with SEN wasn’t catered for.

@CKBJ a lot of bright children are failed. That’s the point and it will make things worse.

Reducing subjects such as dance, drama and the arts seems like such a shame - for some children that may be where their future lies. And others may discover abilities they never knew they had. Targeted catch-up programmes for those who need it are the way forward - before school, after school, Saturday mornings. But for this the government need to invest and not just use the investment as another stick to beat the school system and teachers with

Children will be fine - people miss years and years of education due to illness and lots of reasons and they see fine. Teachers will start with what children need to know and work from there. I have taught 7 year olds from different countries, with no formal
Schooling, even with English as an additional language, and they have achieved so well.

Repeating the year would be a logistical nightmare - no spaces in nurseries etc