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.

Can only speak for our household but our kids are fired up to make a difference, have careers that contribute to solving vital problems, to return to school (whenever that may be) with an appreciation for everything school provides whereas previously it could be a "oh do we have to go to school today".

Academically, who knows, but I trust our heads and teachers to do their upmost with the resources they have to get our kids back on track as best they can. If there are any gaps we can help to fill we will, but happy to leave them in the school staff's professional, capable hands.

All we can do at the moment is prepare them for a return to school, ready to learn and behave, trust their teachers and do their best.

Our kids have changed, bit down in the dumps, but the sudden lift in temperature, kicking them out to do garden jobs not YouTube seems to have made them turn a corner this week.

It will, in the long run, be ok. I think/hope.

Everything's fine

That’s not what I said.

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

As a secondary teacher of 25 years l say that’s bollocks.

Class sizes have grown hugely under this government. With a class of 30 odd in an hours lesson, that’s not even 1 minute per child.

In a class of 15 it’s much more manageable. And the weaker/quieter/ don’t fly under the radar either.

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.

I agree.
Can I also add that now would be an excellent time to review the curriculum as well, and possibly have some meaningful debates about how we assess secondary education?
And can we also have proper investment in SEN support as well so that those children who need it the most can access high quality education and relevant specialists in a suitable timeframe?

The likes of U4T and the CRG aren't genuinely interested in children and families though, and nor are some posters on here who sound awfully aligned with such positions whilst pretending to care about children. If these groups did care then they wouldn't have been trying to ensure children go hungry in the holidays and they'd not have cut relevant services and education, and those posters would be interested in a meaningful debate instead of restoring to 'wah wah wah teachers don't want to do their job... open all the schools as normal asap'

A reduction in class size can be achieved by rotas.

DD was in half class size in June and July and she made more progress then than she's made in the entire time Sept-December. All the normal distractions - like the boy next to her poking her with his pencil or blowing on her neck - were gone in socially distanced school.

I would RATHER my child be in half time in a smaller class - from an educational and mental health perspective before you even get to the obvious fact it's safer in terms of covid - rather than full time crammed in.

Covid aside, I don't understand why people are so willing to accept the worst conditions in Europe for their kids?

But the Tories are dead set on not funding state schools at all, so it looks unlikely to change. Every time I write to my Tory MP about it he essentially writes back telling me to fuck off (not in those exact words of course)

I am currently in a position where I can choose to have 4 small classes of 23-25 in my phase, or 3 large classes of 30/32.

Smaller classes have no full time support - some potential for part time support.
Larger classes have the option of full time support.

I went for the larger classes - that way every child has a 1 in 15 chance of getting to speak to an adult in a lesson if they are stuck. All other teachers in my phase opted for the smaller class.

Anyway...

Yes, closing gaps would be good, obviously. What worries me is that we are not very good in this country at closing gaps even without covid. Now we've got more gaps, and fewer options easily available. That's just in the classroom.

As a country we are obviously shocking at even recognising there are gaps in wealth, mental health, physical health, deprivation etc. This government are very much not the government to do anything about those things. I think societally we're in quite a bit of trouble actually. I'd be panicking if I gave it too much thought.

I would RATHER my child be in half time in a smaller class - from an educational and mental health perspective

Me too, if there were other childcare options for the other half of the time. If my child was in school doing academic (R, W, M, STEM) stuff for a week, then in a sports, arts and music camp the other week, that would be ace.

Well I have been very reassuring to my kids all along

But now my primary seven has started to self harm, any little tips please for how can tell her she will be absolutely fine?

But now my primary seven has started to self harm

I’m really sorry to hear this, that’s difficult and scary for both your child and you.

I hope you’re in an area where MH support can be accessed relatively easily - are you in the loop about the options for support locally to you?

My secondary school lost complete confidence in our borough’s support agencies for pastoral care in the past 8 months or so, so much so, that instead of replacing one of our teachers when they quit, they employed an on site counsellor instead.
It has meant non specialist teachers picking up the gaps in the timetable that was left by not employing another teacher BUT it was marvellous in the last two months or so before Christmas, to quickly start supporting many of our students who had been languishing on terribly long CAMHS waiting lists and those that did have appointments who had only had the odd Teams sessions and was not helping.
I would like to see funding for all schools to employ a professional therapist/counsellor for all schools to help prop up the pastoral side of children’s progress that other agencies are struggling with, without schools having to sacrifice a teacher to do it.
I know it won’t happen but my goodness, it could make a difference.

I know a couple of schools that have done that Chloe - also some which have employed in house (or in MAT) social workers or EPs. In every case it’s been really successful.

Actually what I’d like to see is the covid ‘discussions’ banned on GMTV especially when they have such a large audience.

I’d really like their narrative to change. I’d really fucking love that.

OP I completely agree with you. Giving up, in any situation ever, is never helpful. We need to acknowledge and accept the harm that has been done, and focus on positive solutions. This goes for your worrying situation too @Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow. Not sure what time teachers are meant to be repaying @DBML, as at the moment they are working harder than ever!

@BeautifulandWilfulandDead

I know I was being sarcastic. That’s all I seem to hear these days...that I owe something back because of “all the time I’ve had off”.

Agreed Lola re curriculum and SEN funding.

The media will stop talking about vulnerable children as soon as school is back and the pandemic is “over”. The vulnerable children will still be there.

I wonder what the MN talkboard coverage will be like then? Will as many posters still give a shit?

We have a school counsellor and a school nurse, and it's great. I fear, though, that they will be considered luxuries we can ill afford with the school budget looking as it does. We've got a very small year 6 locally and we're very worried.

@DBML right you are! Apologies, it can be very hard to read sarcasm sometimes

Does anyone remember this programme? It was called School and showed three schools in a MAT where funding suddenly had to be split between three schools and what was the first to go, was pastoral care support and teachers’ TLRs. Was a very good programme showing why pastoral support is vital in ensuring children have the support they need for the academic side of their education and how this has been eroded over many years.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bs43b7

It’s interesting how this gets forgotten about though, when not in the media. This needs to be reversed completely if the government and any other ‘groups’ are serious about young people right now.

It’s interesting how this gets forgotten about though, when not in the media. This needs to be reversed completely if the government and any other ‘groups’ are serious about young people right now

Quite, Chloe.

Absolutely, Chloe
We have a DHT pastoral, a head of year and deputy for each year in ks3/4 and hoy + 2 for sixth form, a learning mentor per key stage, a nurse, a counsellor and 4 staff working permanently with the vulnerable kids.
So that's 23 staff in total. Of those, 10 don't teach at all and the others teach very little.
When the money runs out, we will still need qualified teachers in classrooms.
There is no slack - we're all at capacity and the class sizes are as big as they can go. It will be the "nice to haves" which go.
I'm not counting SEN staff in this - they've already been cut to the bone.

What campaigns are there?

I think we need to amplify the useful, serious, non-cynical campaigns.

We need to give them the publicity the doom-narratives get.

I was a teacher and the government never have and never will care about state school education. They care even less about disadvantaged children. That won’t change after a pandemic. They will make some noises about catch up finding but it’ll be nothing.

My children go private after seeing how little
money is ploughed into state schools and how detrimental large classes are. My children are easily 2 years ahead of where they would have been in their class of 12. The weaker members of the class are supported both in and out of the classroom by a proper SEN team with no other teaching commitments. That’s what all education should be like.

We also have a nurture room with a full time member of staff. Children can take themselves off there if they are feeling sad for anything from a family divorce to a hamster dying. It has been well used over this pandemic. That is the sort of support all children need at the moment.

We have an equivalent to your nurture room... although kids can't take themselves there. I can see that having to be downgraded because it costs too much to staff it.

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

I think the danger is that schools have lost the ability to motivate children and families by not listening.

Families want schools to champion these causes, to bend over backwards to get the children back in, to engage them and to help families that are struggling.

I can only speak for our school but the impression is more of a fortress where they keep adding more and more barriers and excuses for keeping the kids out - at the same time as barriers and excuses as to why they children can't have an interaction with a teacher.

That's why these groups are successful and I'm glad for them. They seem to care more about my children than the school.

No-one gets to decide the damage, the children will judge that for themselves. But it's there. How can it not be? What we've done to a generation of children - I'm not even talking just educational is disgraceful. All these sad, lonely, mentally struggling children with no access to friends, sport or much in the way of fun. It's appalling.