Stop the doom narrative and campaign to plug the gap.

[SmileEachDay]

The constant narrative from groups like U4T, the wider media AND (if MN is representative) individuals that children now are “a lost generation” and that they will “never catch up” is tremendously damaging.

They may well not be at exactly the (completely arbitrary) age related expectation. Perhaps they aren’t quite at the (complete arbitrary) progress point at secondary. Yes, the GCSE and Alevel students are having a difficult time, and their results will be reached in a different way.

But...

We won’t motivate children or families if we tell them it’s a lost cause.

The EEF are estimating that on average children are two months behind where they “should” (based on an arbitrary measure) be. It’s worse for children from a disadvantaged background - as it has always been.
Rather than claiming they’ll never catch up, would it not be more helpful to:

Tell kids that yes, it’s been tough but that they’ll still reach their potential AND then plough our time and resources into really closing the disadvantage gap. That’s going to mean government funding for educational support services, SEMH services, support for families, literacy support where appropriate, Surestart, youth mentoring - and that’s just off the top of my head.

That costs to much money.

Better to tell them how much they’ve been let down and let the schools deal with the backlash?

Maybe suggest teachers give up 2 weeks of their holidays as some sort of time repayment?

Either way, whatever takes less funding and thought from the government.

*too

Better to tell them how much they’ve been let down and let the schools deal with the backlash?

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.

I doubt many parents are actually telling young children that their generation has been screwed over. By the exam year groups it's pretty obvious though.

Some children will struggle more than others, but that does have an impact on all. Over the next few years there are now more demands on the school's resources for support and that spreads it more thinly and has indirect impacts on all children in the class, even those that coped with homelearning and life by zoom.

Society says that certain standards from SATs to GCSEs, A-Levels and university qualifications matter. At the upper end, it does matter if we have a cohort of graduates with skills and knowledge gaps.
I'm not so worried about DS and SATs 2022 in itself, it's a narrow range of knowledge, but it does matter if usual standards are upheld, and having SENs and significantly impacted by a disjointed and very gappy year of learning, he's judged to be of less academic value than he's worth, put in lower sets and not recognised in his potential. The system is faulted at that point anyway, and the past year can potentially exacerbate those faults with long term effects on children.

I agree. So much pressure on youngsters making them feel like their life is ruined forever. Education doesnt ever stop.
We can alter the system to make them ok if there is the political will. Change the way things are assessed. Add 'foundation semesters' to some degrees that absolutely need prior knowledge like maths.

My son has missed pretty much ALL of ks2 due to issues with his SEN. Has it written off his entire life? I hope not. We have just had to adjust how, when and what he will learn. And we can do the same for all the others children too.
Its time to invest in whats needed to make it not a disaster.

I doubt many parents are actually telling young children that their generation has been screwed over. By the exam year groups it's pretty obvious though

It’s only obvious because of groups like U4T and the media though. They aren’t screwed. They’re taking a different journey. Things will change and flex to accommodate. It’s a challenging situation- but saying they are “screwed over”? I don’t think it’s true and I don’t see how it helps.

@SmileEachDay, I think I'd add to that list that there will also need to be some effort put in from the student themselves and that so much more is possible if they work hard to persevere.

I agree Angelina - that’s a very helpful lesson for children. They have more power than they realise over their own futures.

I think that is we planned to decrease class sizes

• it would bring us more in line with the rest of Europe
• it would decrease the advantage that private schoolchildren have over those in state schools
• it would be a lot safer from the point of view of covid

and

• it would help kids catch up

Let's do that.

But we must surely know the government are NOT going to implement or fund any catch up initiatives.
In fact I’d eat my hat if there wasn’t a squeeze on education.

Sadly, I fear you're right, @HelloMissus.

Regardless of when/how schools reopen more fully in the coming weeks, I am not looking forward to the next couple of years in education. We have a steep hill to climb.

here

There’s evidence from the EEF that decreased class sizes support faster progress.

The retention of good, experienced teachers is also one of the most effective ways of speeding up progress because crappy teaching has a disproportionate effect on disadvantaged students. So the govt might want to look at that as a strategy 🤷🏻‍♀️

CallMe I fear the perfect storm is upon state education. And there will be no will amongst the electorate and thus the politicians to focus time, energy and resources on schools.

The evidence supporting smaller classes is pretty weak. And it costs a fortune.

We'd be better off paying for targeted tutoring after school.

They’re taking a different journey. Things will change and flex to accommodate.

Not really. The endpoints are still going to be the same--for example, passing exams at particular ages. Kids who have been in private school or have had involved, able and English-speaking parents are going to be at a massive advantage.

"Kids who have been in private school or have had involved, able and English-speaking parents are going to be at a massive advantage."

Yes, private schools where they have much smaller classes. It's not that their teachers are any better.

The kids at private schools have typically had more face to face teaching (and far more involved parents). There is little evidence that smaller class sizes have much impact on kids' attainment.

I like your OP, smileeachday.

Yes - pushing for solutions is a far better and more sensible thing to do than this fatalistic, 'they're all doomed' narrative.

The data generally shows that when countries push to get smaller classes, teacher quality generally falls due to having to cast the net wider, and the sheer cost of hiring all those extra (not very good) teachers reduces money that could be spent on other things.

Reduced class sizes speeds progress up by around 3+ months, unless you go under 20, in which case it’s more. For EY, reduction is even more powerful.

Skilled feedback is one of the very best ways of speeding up progress, for very low cost - and smaller class sizes facilitate this as teachers can live mark, which is one of the most effective ways of feeding back.

Smaller class sizes would help enable social distancing. (though there is also an issue about space, but where we are, that could be helped for primary by some time in forest school, for example).

Whatever the pros and cons of class sizes - it’s not going to happen.
We don’t have the buildings, the staff or the money. And it’s silly to stick heads in the sand and think any of this will happen.

I think they can chsnge assessments without extra money and something like extra uni time would come under tuition loans.
Class sizes would cost money.

Hello

I agree re class sizes - it’s probably not going to happen, it’s an interesting topic though.

Facilitation of high quality feedback could happen though - by giving teachers more time would be another way of achieving this.

We won’t motivate children or families if we tell them it’s a lost cause

Yet you won't get any interventions or money to change the situation unless you first convince people there is a problem.

"Everything's fine" is more damaging than "things are not fine, these are the things which are proven interventions that will return things to fine" and you've not even got anarrative for what that is.

I'd be happy keeping the class sizes the same if I could have at least one full time experienced TA to support the children during the lessons.