Do you think your kids' educational achievement will suffer?

[Echobelly]

I think I'm lucky as my kids aren't in really essential years (start of primary, secondary exams) and both schools are mounting a fairly good provision online, especially the secondary. And TBF, we are a very fortunate household where the kids have space and equipment to learn. Even with DS (Y5) having ADHD, I don't feel as though either of them will underperform academically in the long run because of this.

Emotionally/socially I have more concerns for what they've missed out on, especially with DS having some challenges to managing social skills, and DD missing out on chunks of her first and second year of secondary school - I feel that chould have more of an impact for them than missed learning.

Academically, no. DS is in Yr 4 and has always done pretty well at school. He's engaging well with the online learning and the school's offering is good in this lockdown. He has his own device to use and I'm around to assist him if needed, so we're very fortunate there. I also managed to get him to do quite a bit of school work in the summer term in lockdown 1.

But socially, my heart breaks for him. He's an only child and can struggle with social interactions (he's been diagnosed with high functioning autism). He hates Zoom/Facetime with friends; he's fine with lessons or organised activities on there but has no idea what to say on informal calls so doesn't want to do them. The lack of contact with other children really worries me. He had made a lot of progress socially since starting school and I'm very concerned how much the isolation is going to set him back.

My child is in Y2 now, when he left in March Y1 he was struggling at school, way behind in maths and English. He only went back to school in September. He has gone from being at the bottom to the top 10% in his class, so no I would say being at home has done him good. Maybe all the one to one has helped. It has been hard for me as my partner works 12 hour days 7 days a week and I have been trying to keep working from home full time, but his education comes first.

Yes. He is Y11. Spent March to Sept out of school in Y10. 6 weeks out, SI, for Covid in his bubble, plus he tested positive himself and was ill between Sept and Christmas. Now spent this term out of school. Likely to spend next term out also. We are not honestly expecting schools back before Easter.

His GCSEs are fucked, frankly. And he's unlikely to get accepted for the A levels he wanted to do.

No, it'll be fine.

Mine seem to be doing ok at home, better in some respects. DD1 (17) was in year 11 last year so missed out on her GCSEs and didn't get the grades she wanted. Seems to have kicked her up the backside and she is top of her class at college.

DS1 (13) has SEN and is working really well at home as he has me around to help him a lot where he is sharing TA's at school. I know what's going on with his work which I don't when he's in school as he doesn't pass info on so it's working well. DS2 (8) is the one doing amazing. He has dyslexia and is already a bit behind but with more attention at home with me only having 2 kids schooling rather than with the 30 he's usually got, he's come on so much in skills and confidence.

DD2 is the one I'm most worried about as she is nursery but is one of the older ones in her year. She starts school in September. She's missing out so much early years stuff.

I think it will. Particularly for my yrR as the work that is sent is pitched very low, and they appear to have reduced the amount of differentiation particularly in phonics. She's bored. We are extending it as much as we can, but between the 2 DCs' work it leaves little time to do much more. They have both made progress this year, but I suspect not as much as they should have. Most frustratingly, because they will still be performing at or slightly above expected levels when they return, I doubt it will be seen as a problem/having affected their progress. Hopefully they are young enough that we can catch them back up to the track they were on previously.

Yes y10. Ok at home, does the set work, but has missed a year of social life and has no friendship group. Has no idea how to work for gcses next year and has missed 1/3 of the science and maths teaching already. I just don't see how they can cover it

No not really, the school provided good provision the first lockdown and more this one. They have engaged with the work and socialised online where possible as we are following the rules.

Secondary age, not an exam year - no, although the mental health impact is definitely tougher.

Yr 2 and yr 4 - definitely. They do very little schoolwork, only maths really gets reliably done every day. English most days but it's absolutely not their best work. DH and I both working full time which really limits our ability to make them do more.

Yes absolutely. We've worked out my year 13 has had 18 days face to face teaching since last lockdown in March and my year 11 has had 35 days in the same period due to lockdowns, enforced repeated self isolation and blended learning due to student numbers.
Online learning plagued with technical difficulties and teacher absences and the introduction of a 'catch up' day, i.e., no teaching at all one day a week.
They're hard workers but will be a grade down ability wise in most subjects I imagine. It can't be otherwise.
They need to be massively compensated for this accordingly.

My DD is at uni. Hasn't had any face to face teaching or support since March last year. It's just been announced that due to doubt over quality of what the uni is able to offer, they're now all going to get a pass mark for exams they sat in December regardless of actual mark. There are limited spaces for the year abroad, she got one - whether she gets to go on it is another thing. Employers aren't going to know who stands out from the others if marking isn't accurate. Also, are these students going to have the knowledge and experience that comes from a degree? It's a knock on effect for the whole education system.

I think there is hope that most of primary can catch up but I think with secondary for Year 9 and above it is going to be a huge battle to get them to up speed and tackle full GCSES, given that they have only completed one full year of secondary school to date (Y7). Same for Y12s as since last March when exams were cancelled they've possibly only had a few weeks of face to face teaching education in college as some had periods isolating. Many started new subjects, have not had time to get to know their teachers or fellow students and now they talk of choosing their unis when they have barely been to college at all. Something needs to be done to help this cohort.

Time will tell

Mine are in y11 and y13

They have everything to lose

Predicted and achieving good grades, but who knows what the fuck they’ll decide in terms of “exams” as all we know is that there will be some type of exam, but not the normal exams

So doing past papers is pointless (is it?! Who knows) and they will end up being randomly given a random exam and therefore random grades

Who the fuck knows how it will work out

Like everything in life, there will be winners and losers. But kids who were predicted to do well now face a random unpredictable time, they can only lose really

Yes. Years 10 & 12. Year 10 is doing ok, but she hates school anyway as can't cope with social side.
Year 12 is a mess. After 6 months out of school and then a disjointed autumn term, she has lost all confidence and has practically given up. She used to be a hard working, happy girl, but is now scared to open up Teams and full of anxiety. School is helping as much as it can, but she's just needs to be in there. I'm not sure she'll be able to go in to year 13. It's heartbreaking.

Mine is in y10 and I can't see how it won't suffer unfortunately

I think mine will be ok academically. I've tried my hardest to do everything I can to ensure that they don't fall behind. My worry is that my eldest DS has become a completely different person and I don't know if I'll get my happy and cheerful boy back He spends most days crying and follows me everywhere! He's 7 and I can't even go to the toilet alone because he's so worried I'm going to leave his life too, just like everything else has. Youngest DS adores being home and he's less anxious than he was when he went to school. It just goes to show really that all children are different, even siblings born a year apart couldn't be more different!

Like many here, mine are well ahead academically, but will still suffer from whole class being slowed to lowest common denominator pace for both online learning period then catchup period for those who haven't engaged/couldn't engage with online learning. Particularly primary DD's attitude to schoolwork which is pretty dismissive right now after seeing innumerable worksheets asking her to do stuff that would have been easy three years ago.

Yes. DD1 is academically very able, was at greater depth across the board before all of this hit - is now below expectations for Maths because of the chunk of curriculum missed, and more worryingly - when they've been trying to do assessments to work out where the kids are and what needed filling in on - has now decided from this that she's crap at Maths and has just shut down completely with the subject.

Language loss for DD2 who has SLCN has been terrifying - she's really struggling to focus and engage at all. Most of the work sent home for her year group has been completely mindless busy work as well.

Yes for my 9 year old, she has lost confidence and I think it will take a while to build back up. She is in year 5 so will be in secondary school in just over a year so really want her back on track by then.
5 year old no , she is coming on leaps and bounds and doesn't seem harmed by not being in classroom.

I’m not worried about mine academically as we have the resources at home to help. They complete the work their school sets and do bits and pieces of Brownie badges etc, reading, writing stories, baking. I am worried about when they go back and other children not having done as much at home, meaning the standard falls for the class and expectations as a whole. I’ll find that very unfair to mine. We are both keyworkers, could have claimed school places, didn’t and have worked our lives around the children’s schooling, working shifts etc. I’ll be annoyed if that is for nothing and ours spend the next few months catching up children whose parents didn’t make similar effort (and before anyone starts, I’m not referring to people who couldn’t help their children, just those who genuinely could not be bothered).

Interesting variety of responses and to see how it's not necessarily round one year or another that there's concerns. Niece missed out on taking her GCSEs and I guess schools will continue to be affected for her remaining school career. Nephew just embarking on his GCSEs - I do feel particularly bad for both of them academically and socially.

I have GS living with me, he is year 11 and doing really well. He is bright but not always great at concentrating but he hasn't got the same distractions as at school, he has gran in the next room and I will pop in and check what he is doing. He is doing really well.

He doesn't seem to have struggled with isolation, he has lots of online contact, I think he'd find it harder if the weather was nice and he wanted to go and meet friends at the beach (1 mile away) but I have noticed he is more restless in the last few days so I think it will be good if he can go back on the 8th March but so far I think it has been positive.

Looking at the work my Yr5 child has today. They are writing letters to their favourite author, sportsperson, actor etc. We've managed to chose the person and track down the address. But planning the letter... She's completely stuck. At school they would be bouncing ideas of each other and working it out together. At home, I'm giving her hints of things to think about. But I can't tell her what to write.

Not at all

My 18 year old is flying though his BTEC without having to go into the college he hated and my 7 year old has my attention and the extra work I set to top up the schools and has come on leaps and bounds (thank fuck I'm a SAHM who has previously home schooled though).

My sons doing great. Home learning works really well for him.