Westministenders: The Truth Isn't A Made Up Concept

[RedToothBrush]

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

Not George Orwell but often attributed to him. But a powerful statement with resonance nonetheless

As a former Upper School teacher, I agree they are much better but yes to the year 9s being unbearably irritating. although I've never been a fan of KS3 in general. In fact, as it was then, it wasn't until year 11 that we'd finally get to talk about what atoms actually looked like. No wonder uptake of A level Chem is so bad when you've spent KS3 and half of GCSE boring the kids to death with the limestone cycle and reactivity series. Important, but all a bit pointless when you can't get in to the nitty gritty of why for another few years. I remember my A level Chem teacher telling me, at the start of every module, "now, what I told you last time wasn't quite the whole truth..."

Sorry. Pet topic.

Just remembered the Year 12 student, looking at her periodic table at the end of a lesson on atomic structure and marvelling "this is really quite a useful table, isn't it?!"

I can't help thinking that since children aren't expected to leave school at 16 now that they should scrap GCSEs, and have a general curriculum until about 15 and then introduce a proper baccalaureate system with major and minor subjects.

In Germany, schools reopened for selected forms from about 4 May

First classes to come back to school here were all old enough to socially distance:
the final year at primary school
plus those at secondary school with important exams in the next couple of years

Other years have since rotated in, so all pupils will have attended school at some time,
before breaking up at the end of June as usual for the summer vacation

Kindergarten, nurseries and other childcare are opening from about 2 June,
so all parents should soon be able to work ft again

Holiday childcare should be open for all kids
and schools are expected to reopen full-time after the vacation, for all pupils

Peregrina yes, absolutely! And proper vocational education which is properly valued for those kids whose talents lie in areas other than the academic. We're so wasteful with our talents in the UK.

Honeysucklejasmine based on my two DDs and their experiences I am of the opinion that Year 9 is just generally awful, that all Year 9s are incredibly hard work irrespective of which tier system they come from and that we should just put all children in stasis throughout Year 9 and then drop them into Year 10, when they seem to become nicer people.

Despite schools, shops, gyms etc reopening, both cases and deaths continue to fall in Germany
Deaths have been only double digit for quite a while, sometimes single digit.

With masks and social distancing, the UK economy and schools could safely reopen in stages,
if intelligent targeted testing and contact tracking etc is in place.

Lockdown should only ever be a temporary pause button of limited duration

Looks like the UK has yet again wasted much of the time - shades of Tusk's "do not waste this time" -
and may end up doing the double:
worst results for both deaths and the economy, especially as transition looks like ending with No Deal

The thing is bigchoc , no one here it seems would put up with the rotating in and out. Germans start school older, which is often overlooked and far more German women don't work while their children are young.
Primary schools here (although some have ignored this) have been told no rotas, no part time, no weeks on followed by weeks off. We can't envisage a society without full time schooling from the age of 4 and panic sets in when it is temporarily suspended.

The German schools also recently returned at a much lower point in the daily infection rate etc, likewise obviously Denmark. I feel we are rushing.

Can I also say as a teacher that it is a complete myth that older children socially distance. They are far more likely to be awkward squad and openly defiant about it. Younger children may be like herding cats but they tend to be more biddable. Older children are forever touching each other!!

@piggywaspushed
@OhLookHeKickedTheBall

I am (currently) in a 3 tier system (Northumberland)
I didnt think there were many left now???

No info re my Y8.
Plus, 40m round trip to school on public bus makes it difficult too.
My Y10 is very down about lack of info too.

You won't get any info re year 8 because they will be the same as all the other years. I'd work towards assuming some sort of restart in September. It's all very bewildering .

There are more three tier areas than people think but, yes, a dying breed!

Piggywaspushed I taught in 9-13 middle schools in an area where you could change schools at 5,7,8,9,11,12,13 and 16. We had infant/ junior, 8-12 middle, 9-13 middle and the 11+. 😱

No idea if ds1 would be better to repeat y12...ugh.

He has his final Y12 assessments this month.

In other news...there are a very worrying number of half naked (topless) old men walking past my house :(

Why???

@piggywaspushed

Yes. I wonder what % of kids change over in Y8 rather than Y6?
I am guessing v small and that's why the Govt has not accounted for them. Do the local schools get any leeway, I wonder?
But crap for a Y8 with SN and SEN who needs a careful transition.
She may never go back, at this rate :(

piggy Social distancing seems to have worked OK with older pupils in schools here

However, imo more has always been expected here wrt behaviour
e.g. being able to toilet and dress independently, to travel to school alone,
but that goes with not starting school before 6 or just 7.
2ndary schools often have free periods in which kids are expected to be responsible for themselves

Another difference is possibly that all kids with SEN etc about 400,000 pupils, are separated into special schools.

Schools are keeping to the vacation plan; hence the pt / rotations are only to end June before breaking up.
Some school is better than none, especially for socialising and checking how the kids have been doing at home

Childcare is coming back in stages from tomorrow (today is public holiday) and should be ft as usual over the vacation,
so many parents should be able to work as normal from some time in June, latest July

Noone is panicking over this and imo it would be welcome in the UK too

Literally just had a letter from School:

' The decision on whether to reopen a school is not straightforward and a whole range of factors will need to be taken into account, including how effectively a school can put some of the social distancing measures in place and whether there is a large proportion of teachers / support staff who are shielded or who are otherwise unable to come into school.

Headteachers and governing bodies will make the right decisions for their school communities. Headteachers do not want their school to be closed for longer than is absolutely necessary but they will put the safety of their pupils and staff first when deciding when their school can start to admit more pupils.

Families should of course check with their child’s school for their planned reopening dates.'

Looks like Sept, then :(

Peregrina - couldn't agree more re scrapping GCSE's - and I hate how a levels are so narrow here (most only doing 3 subjects)

Re; parents panicking about kids being out of school ..... did you see the article in the daily mail (yes I know - but do find the headlines an interesting barometer) about 3 mums threatening to sue over the closure of schools.
I just don't get that attitude.....

Do the local schools get any leeway, I wonder?
I know my old area LA were trying to get this shifted but were refused. So schools were told Y6 and that's it.

So last week ....

As far as Year 6 goes, isn't that now a grind through SATS? Does it really matter if children have missed them? I can see the problem with patchy provision, some children will have worked on projects, or read voraciously, and others won't have done anything, but I can't really see any loss with SATS.

In at least one other thread there is a discussion about term time holidays. There are mixed responses, but a general feeling seemed to be that parents weren't going to worry about the odd half day absence any more, or listen to dire warnings about missing out if they couldn't get an out of school hours dental appointment. Not when we have had three months of hit and miss provision.

An ability to pass exams is proof of nothing except an ability to pass exams.

We're going to be hopefully taking a term time holiday next year. One from this year that we moved. It was our last chance before reception and now that's gone too, I'm not paying an extra grand, we can't afford to! So just this once, term time it is.

(No, I am not prepared to cancel it, not least because I don't want the poor venue to go bust with being closed for 5 months.)

DGR but still so funny

We were meant to be taking a term time holiday this year, but it got cancelled due the lockdowns here and there. Was only for 2 days prior to a term break but the saving was massive. My DC have good attendance in general and are doing well so 2 days wasn't going to knock them into any worrying category for attendance or learning. May try again next year, but now I'm even less bothered about taking them out.

DTDs (Year 6) are going back tomorrow.

"An ability to pass exams is proof of nothing except an ability to pass exams."
Exactly - as Raab has demonstrated many a time....