Year 11s shouldn’t have finished school early

[solarlights]

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jun/03/schools-should-not-send-exam-year-pupils-home-early-says-ofsted-head

My DD went on exam leave on April 31st only attending school for the exams that were supposedly cancelled —but not—
They finished completely on 24th May despite missing months and months of school over their GCSE course, so what’s all this about? Our year 11s have been totally let down.

[quote Foosterin]**@Evvyjb* and @frippenos* I don't hold teachers responsible at all. But equally it shouldn't be all "yay! Year 11s are so ready to leave school". Some might be disengaged because they never recovered from first lockdown. Many are still struggling with anxiety and depression. A long break is not the answer. I am not asking teachers to deal with it, but they should acknowledge it.[/quote]
I would like the government to deal with it, and the people who voted this government into power to acknowledge their responsibly in messing about with the lives of hundreds of thousands of children’s lives. @Foosterin

cptartapp

And the kids that are going to 6th form/college from us also know when their college taster days are, and the date by which the 6th form/college will contact them by.

And that they will be given logon information and pre-reading lists prior to starting the course.

As I say, it's the disparity that's infuriating. I have friends whose DC are being kept until 25th June.!
I can certainly push DS to make up ground over the summer. I also don't tar all schools with the same brush. Just as a pp stipulating that some teachers on here saying they've delivered all content, which I don't doubt, doesn't make it a fact across the board.

That's good practice from your college. DS is moving from an 'outstanding' secondary to one of the top performing sixth forms nationally and has none of that.

I bet the teacher sin your friends school are tearing their hair out. I also expect attendance to be low. I wouldn't send my child in unless they wanted to go. What a waste of everyone's time.

Thanks OP, I posted about this a while ago (and also complained to my DC's school about it). For decades teachers have been complaining that teaching shouldn't all be about exams. And now they're all saying, the assessments are over, what do you expect us to teach them? What about, mornings doing non-exam aspects of your specialist subjects, ask the students what they'd like to learn about, life skills, relationships, social skills, mental wellbeing, enrichment areas... Then in the afternoons, PE / outdoor activities / games? It's not rocket science is it? But no, schools just chuck them out 5/6 weeks before the normal Y11 leaving date of last Friday in June, tara, enjoy your 3 months of sitting in your bedroom while your parents are at work, never mind that you've spent a large part of the last 12 months in your bedroom in front of a computer. They don't give a shit, as long as the teachers get their free lessons in the last half term like they usually do. I don't blame individual teachers, I do blame the heads, governors and LEA that allowed this.

cptartapp
As I say, it's the disparity that's infuriating.

I do agree with this, but it stems from poor information being given out from the goverment/DfE.

The first lockdown the curriculum was frozen, but no other guidance was given. Schools were even delivering meals to families.
The return to school information was spectacularly vague.
During the second lockdown there was more information but no real guidance.
and the exams! that changed several times before they absolved themselves of all responsibility and give it all to the schools to sort.
And even the exams boards have shown themselves as useless as all of the questions that could be used for the assessments where from previous papers.
This meant that some subjects only had two exam papers and samples.

And none of this was done with any real time for schools to sort things out.

Remember the summer schools that were promised?
The laptops (that turned up locked and useless)?
The extra tuition that was going to be sorted?
All government promises.

What about, mornings doing non-exam aspects of your specialist subjects, ask the students what they'd like to learn about, life skills, relationships, social skills, mental wellbeing, enrichment areas... Then in the afternoons, PE / outdoor activities / games? It's not rocket science is it?

When exactly would you have liked teachers to plan and resource these activities given that they've been rather busy recently doing the job of both teacher and exam board?

They don't give a shit, as long as the teachers get their free lessons in the last half term like they usually do
The free lessons in which we catch up with the work we've not been able to do whilst we've been doing the work of the exam board? Too right. I only teach y10-13 and I was crawling to half term. Now I might just be able to give my remaining classes what they deserve.
As for "giving a shit", are you seriously telling me that Bob, aged 16, would give enough of a shit to come in for mental well-being sessions when he could barely get himself in for his assessments?

GreenTeaPingPong

What about, mornings doing non-exam aspects of your specialist subjects, ask the students what they'd like to learn about, life skills, relationships, social skills, mental wellbeing, enrichment areas... Then in the afternoons, PE / outdoor activities / games? It's not rocket science is it?

No its not "rocket science"

But it is timetabling and planning. It seems that your plan doesn't take into account that there are another four full year groups in school.

What about, mornings doing non-exam aspects of your specialist subjects, ask the students what they'd like to learn about, life skills, relationships, social skills, mental wellbeing, enrichment areas... Then in the afternoons, PE / outdoor activities / games? It's not rocket science is it?

How are you timetabling this considering the rest of the school is still expected to operate as normal?

When am I planning these activities?

Perhaps if students were given a diet of a curriculum that isn't exam/assessment focused, they'd be more open to non assessed work. As it is, their motivation is for their grades.

If the exams are done, then whats the point in having them in?
They can have a nice long rest before they start sixth form / college / whatever they are doing next.

enjoy your 3 months of sitting in your bedroom while your parents are at work,

They get 3 months in a normal year. Sort your parenting out if you're letting that happen.

That’s all well and good, but who is planning, resourcing and teaching all of this. I’m a geography specialist, I couldn’t realistically deliver half of what you’re suggesting to a good level and to be be quite honest I haven’t got the time to find the resources or the energy. My sole focus has been pretty much on year 11 since March. It’s time for year 10 and ks3 to get a bit better of attention. The kids wouldn’t want to do it anyway and behaviour would likely be poor and I’m in a ‘naice’ school. We would only be doing it to appease parents.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

If the students have been engaging with the online learning provision, then they wont have missed much, if any, schooling.

Our schools online learning provision was appalling and luckily we could afford tutors. My ds would have loved to have had a full timetable of online learning so yes they have been let down dreadfully

They don't give a shit, as long as the teachers get their free lessons in the last half term like they usually do.

We keep 40-50 vulnerable year 11s in school and they aren’t allowed study leave at home as either won’t do any work or have a hard home to work
In.

Once they’ve finished exams we use the gained time to visit local Primary schools and start meeting with vulnerable kids coming into year 7.

Some people really do not have the faintest idea about how schools operate.

We would only be doing it to appease parents.
Some parents. A good number of ours were anxious about the pressure their kids were under. Those parents want them to be able to have their long summer.

I don't blame schools for the lack of info and guidance and preparation from above.
I work with shifting goal posts in the NHS everyday.
But some schools could have done more.
My SLT friend even admits they were slow to get going in March, with no hope in hell of ever really catching up.

Whereas we went online immediately, bought laptops, and sent paper home to those who wanted it.

I know that I definitely delivered a FULL timetable of lessons during lockdown. In fact my department started in lockdown 1. For those who engaged they are definitely not behind at all. Take it up with your school if you’re not happy.

I have.

@MrsHamlet yes we have those too. You can’t please everyone 🤷🏻‍♀️

Many of ours didn't finish until 28 May. When I left school at that age, it wasn't far off that date.