Longer school days to make up for lost learning

[StitchInLime]

Source: Various newspapers, give it a Google (admittedly with a right wing lean)

Apparently one of the options being considered, nothing set in stone of course but for the purposes of discussion...

AIBU to feel both joy and sadness at the prospect of this (joy for me so I can claw back work hours, joy for children so they can claw back some school time but sadness for my teacher friends and all teachers who will need to add more hours to already heavy workload).

I would think anyone homeschooling would notice tge drop off in the afternoon.

I think the social skills mental health catch up are just as important

@yomommasmomma

Maybe we could take a few weeks out of the summer holidays instead of extending the school day?

The government won’t be ‘paying handsomely’ for that either!

@Letseatgrandma

and I agree teachers should absolutely be paid handsomely for it.

Well, we all know they won’t be paid handsomely for it, so it won’t actually ever be happening.

Best thing the government could do is invest in smaller class sizes. That won’t happen either.

But its free if you help educate your children yourself and support the education system in this country! Not only is it free, but it's your job! You took on that responsibility when you had children. You don't get to pass that responsibility on to other people because it happens to be hard or inconvenient in your life at the moment. All the parents out there who do take responsibility for their children's education will attest to how much more successful children are when they get the support and attention of their parent(s).

I think the social skills mental health catch up are just as important
Absolutely.

To prepare a really good 1 hour secondary lesson in my very long experience is about 3 hours.

X 23 per week. Plus the teaching of. And the marking.

69 hours per week plus marking, meetings, registration, clubs, activities, chasing up homework and discipline issues, photocopying, downloading exams from internet, filing, seating plans, fun stuff.

Explain where you would like us to ‘find’ the extra time. 🙂Not including the holidays. Apart from 4 weeks the rest of the holidays are spent planning and preparing resources.

Wh

I already work all evening every evening for free until late when my Dc are in bed. If I were to do extra time at school I'd need to pay for extra childcare and in essence that's losing money as I pay for childcare but earn no extra. I already do many many hours for free.

[quote Nicknamegoeshere]@ElliFAntspoo Most definitely. I've been a lone parent for years but refuse to let that get in the way. My 13 yo (August born) is in the top 5% of his year group in a selective school. I also work ft. Very proud of him indeed
I think it's about priorities a lot of the time.[/quote]
Yay! Bravo to you. I'm sure it is so much harder as a lone parent.

Of course any one of us could end up a lone parent at the moment. So we also have that to think about.

Just another pointless thread.

It's not going to happen. What does anyone get out of posting government/media bullshit on what might happen in schools and mulling over how it might work.

It won't. None of this crap about 'catch up plans' etc was ever going ahead. There will be no summer schools, no longer days, no repeat the year, no volunteers in village halls and lecture theatres, etc, etc.

It's just utter bollocks.

@ElliFAntspoo 100%. Parents should see education as a partnership between themselves and the school in order to gain the best outcome possible for their child. The reality is a lot of the time this is not the case.

Yeah forgot about data tracking and assessments.😢 just a bit more to add into the mix.

@Countdowntonothing

THERE AREN'T ANYMORE HOURS IN THE DAY!!!

In normal times:
5:30am wake up shower etc.
6am Get the kids up, dressed, breakfast etc.
7am Leave, do 2 drop offs
8am get to work. Briefings. Set up for the day.
9am-3:15pm Teach. Get some prep done while eating lunch.
3:15pm-5:30pm Prep,marking,meetings,phone calls,admin,data entry,change planning die to today's learning....
6pm - pick my children up
6:30pm - cook and eat dinner
7pm - bath/bedtime for the kids
8pm - quick clean up, take bins out, clean kitchen etc.
9pm - start work again. Maybe put something on TV in the background
11pm - bedtime for me.

When exactly are these extra 2hrs teaching + associated planning/prep/marking going to come from??????

The extra 2 hours are in the evening in the children's homes with their parents. The ones who cannot be bothered because its too inconvenient and they've been at work all day and just want to watch the telly. They want you to take responsibility for educating their children, but it isn't high enough on their priority list for them to be bothered with it, and they don't care much for your priorities.

I haven't read the whole thread but my friend's kids school was doing this twice a week before lockdown. He is year two, not sure if it was the whole school but they stayed til 4pm on a Tuesday and Thursday to catch up on missed work.

[quote Nicknamegoeshere]@ElliFAntspoo 100%. Parents should see education as a partnership between themselves and the school in order to gain the best outcome possible for their child. The reality is a lot of the time this is not the case.[/quote]
That is the problem with the education system in this country. Almost the entire problem with a child's education is in the home.

Again this is what those of us in the private sector do, during the periods of time when we are extra busy. It's normal......

So:

In non-Covid times, my in-term working hours are 7.45 am - 5.30 pm and 8.30 -10 pm, plus Sundays.

Currently, my working hours are 8 am - 7 pm, and 8.30 -10 pm, plus Sundays (due to having to replan every lesson for every subject for home learning) I accept this because Covid times are no normal, and so I accept that for the good of the children i teach, that replanning is needed.

Once children are back in school, you want me to add another 2 hours per day to my 'non-Covid' timetable [plus associated planning, plus the additional work which will anyway be needed in terms of SEN and vulnerable children provision as a result of lockdown]

So at a minimum, 7.45 am - 7.30 pm in school and 8.30-10.30 daily at home, plus Sundays?

Sorry, I can't be a good teacher working those hours.

@Countdowntonothing

THERE AREN'T ANYMORE HOURS IN THE DAY!!!

In normal times:
5:30am wake up shower etc.
6am Get the kids up, dressed, breakfast etc.
7am Leave, do 2 drop offs
8am get to work. Briefings. Set up for the day.
9am-3:15pm Teach. Get some prep done while eating lunch.
3:15pm-5:30pm Prep,marking,meetings,phone calls,admin,data entry,change planning die to today's learning....
6pm - pick my children up
6:30pm - cook and eat dinner
7pm - bath/bedtime for the kids
8pm - quick clean up, take bins out, clean kitchen etc.
9pm - start work again. Maybe put something on TV in the background
11pm - bedtime for me.

When exactly are these extra 2hrs teaching + associated planning/prep/marking going to come from??????

Again this schedule is normal and during busy periods at work, you just learn to work more effectively and encourage husband (parents/whoever you are in a bubble with if you are single parent) to take the kids stuff off your plate and work more hours to get it done. Why can't you do this on a temporary basis to help the children to get back on track. Teaching is a vocation surely?

@cantkeepawayforever

Again this is what those of us in the private sector do, during the periods of time when we are extra busy. It's normal......

So:

In non-Covid times, my in-term working hours are 7.45 am - 5.30 pm and 8.30 -10 pm, plus Sundays.

Currently, my working hours are 8 am - 7 pm, and 8.30 -10 pm, plus Sundays (due to having to replan every lesson for every subject for home learning) I accept this because Covid times are no normal, and so I accept that for the good of the children i teach, that replanning is needed.

Once children are back in school, you want me to add another 2 hours per day to my 'non-Covid' timetable [plus associated planning, plus the additional work which will anyway be needed in terms of SEN and vulnerable children provision as a result of lockdown]

So at a minimum, 7.45 am - 7.30 pm in school and 8.30-10.30 daily at home, plus Sundays?

Sorry, I can't be a good teacher working those hours.

A lot of us cannot be good parents and ask you to.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Teachers are working beyond capacity. Where would you suggest the extra time came from?

Lunch time? Taken
After school? Taken
Evenings? Taken
Sunday afternoon? Taken doing lesson prep.

Share your ideas for extra time?

My sister in law is a primary teacher .she normally teaches a language - which she's still doing over zoom - plus covering a class with a shielding teacher and supporting a key worker bubble!! She's absolutely worn out, working weekends and often not home until late. Thankfully her children aren't young (teens) so she's not having to get involved with their home learning too.

@yomommasmomma May I ask what you do for a living? What are your hours of work?

Teaching is a vocation

FUCK OFF

Teachers are being asking to do this for a short period of time to get the nations children back on track, why the refusal?

What exactly do you think teachers are doing now? Genuine question.

I would love for the children to be given some extra time for play, arts, music, sports, doing some show maybe as they missed nativity, games, some mental wellbeing sessions (so some proffesionals can actually gauge if anyone needs help)

But, I much rather this be in a form of summer camp. I know some people say summer should be for spending time with friends and family, but my son is in primary, so he cant go and meet his friends on his own and everyone in my family works, so we cant go visit on a Tuesday anyway.

This wouldnt need to be done by teachers

I'd prefer a change to summer term dates or repeating the whole school year. It's going to take them a while just to settle back in a classroom environment with their peers.The pressure needs to be taken off.

Safeguarding is also at the forefront of my mind with the mention of 'volunteers'. My DCs primary is in special measures, partly due to concerns around safeguarding and though an academy trust has taken over I'd say improvement is slow.