State primary schools - what work are they providing for children at home

[Pitaramus]

Our kids are in year 3 and year 1 of our local state primary. They were each sent home with a print out of the twinkl school closure pack and a couple of other worksheets. We’ve had no communication from the head about what to expect going forward and a few messages from the individual teachers linking to useful websites for home education.

Our school is completely shut and the key worker children are going to a different local school. I think the teachers from all the local schools must be working some kind of rota system to staff the key worker school, so on an individual level none of them will be doing much.

Their teachers seem enthusiastic and hardworking. I’m surprised that we have not had anything from them, even a note to say that they plan to do nothing or that they plan to do something and they’ll let us know. I’m interested to hear what others’s experiences are before I email the headteacher and ask what I should expect. I just want to get on and plan something for them if the school aren’t going to do anything!

I know lots of the fee paying schools have been running online classrooms and essentially attempting to deliver the same teaching to the children despite school closures. Clearly they need to justify the fees so I’m specifically asking about state primary schools as I want to compare like with like.

We've had even less than you. Children sent home with printed out worksheets but no contact since then .

State school - teacher updating class page with worksheets daily, writing task for submission fortnightly. Work displayed on website and comments

We got a large pack of worksheets and tasks plus our usual planned homework for the term. After Easter they are using Google classrooms to provide more teaching and communication. It’s been well handled considering such little time to prep.

State school. About 6 things uploaded to google classroom daily. And marked when handed in. I’m impressed with what they are doing

I have a child in Yr1. So far they have uploaded suggestions for each year group, with a handful of activity packs and resources to keep us going till Easter. The Head does a weekly discussion topic and invites the kids to submit work on it via Google classroom (more suitable for KS2 I think). Several links to other resources have been posted. Class teachers are available on a chat stream on Google classroom and via email. They have made it clear that after Easter they will be using Google classroom to set work in a more structured way.

I'm pretty impressed by this response.

Plus lots of messages from head and class teachers - suggesting online resources we can look at. Our school is doing their absolute best in the circumstances.

DD is in Reception at a tiny village primary which is hosting key workers children.
DD was sent home with a pack of worksheets, maths activities booklet & some printed Twinkl sheets. Also included was a letter from the head & a separate letter from the class teacher.
Class teacher emailed last week to see how we were doing. We can contact to ask for more work, they suggested websites & apps.
No mention of Google Classroom as of yet.

Year 1 and year 4 here. Year 4 sent home with a pack of passwords for online sites, writing book, maths methods etc... every day work is set online with worksheets, online work to do and a weekly project. Its submitted online via photos of work and they check the websites that have been logged into.

Year 1 pretty much the same but a bit softer with more relaxed work , yoga to do etc.

The teachers are checking in daily and the year 4 have class zoom meetings daily for whoever can join with the teacher reading to them or doing other stuff.
I'm impressed with how the school sorted it out

DD in year 1 at a relatively large primary. Communication is generally poor even prior to this. We’ve had some online links, and an email at the end of last week to say they’ve added some more resources to their website (just the school one, no fancy virtual classroom). The class teachers were told to ring round the parents this week.

There’s no submission of work and no direct contact details for teachers/year groups.

On one hand I think DD’s only year one so not missing out on too much. On the other hand me and DH need to work so she needs some structure. And I think some feedback would be good for her confidence, especially if it’s set to go on for another term.

I have a friend who teaches at state school. He’s uploading a short video every day for his class and setting work. About half the children are completing it and he’s happy with that.

DS2 Y5. We got a few links and worksheets (from twinkl) at the beginning and DS2 was a bit 'meh, boring'. It was just maths and english. Nothing since. I've just joined twinkl myself and print off what I think will be a bit more interesting in all subjects for him. He's happy enough to do those.

Where I work the teachers are preparing a weekly pack that goes onto our website on the Monday morning and is emailed out.
It contains a weekly overview of all the activities planned. Then there are 2-4ish daily tasks - with a suggested timetable to help those that want structure to have structure.

They also have links to websites for more 'keep them occupied' type activities based on the same area as the time table.

The staff are on a rota for answering questions and giving feedback on work / being onsite for key workers.

It is really difficult for the younger classes as they learn through play and this can't be recreated in the same way with a worksheet that a parent can do. Then further up the school, there is more sitting and being talked at and going away and doing task in your book so its a bit easier.

We have a few generic web links and worksheets (YR4). It seems very different to some schools with Google classroom and daily submission of work. However, I'm not complaining - I have to WFH, and DC2 is not great at working independently, so I really don't need more right now.

Year 6 daily email with maths powerpoint, daily comprehension, weekly literacy task and weekly topic task. Also expected to read for 30 minutes a day (book reviews on all books expected) and 30 minutes minimum exercise. Weekly art via a workshop. Online times tables, spelling and maths apps available if they want. Mindfulness colouring and a few mental health wellbeing sheets sent home. We scan/photograph everything back for feedback.
Working really well at the moment the children were told they were expected to do a minimum of three hours per day think we're averaging four.

Reception child we are getting emails on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday with tasks although heavily emphasised that they are optional. So for Mon/Tues a phonics topic like a sound and a maths topic with suggested fun ways of doing them. Same for Wed/Thur and Friday and also a topic for the week based on a book with a creative task. They are really doing a brilliant job

DD got 3 of these, maths, SPaG and English, plus a sheet of topic work & a Twinkl art activity. She's year 3.

Her teacher was off sick for 2 weeks before school shut but she messaged yesterday reminding the kids to keep reading etc.

And a reminder to do Times Table Rockstars & Mathletics

In Scotland with kids in P2 and P3. One workbook of printouts each sent home. Reading books weren’t updated before being sent home.

P3 has finished it in about a week, content was good and clear but not enough to last.

P2 content was a crap, loads of the sheets we have dismissed as we would need to come up with lots of content, explanations and vocabulary lists for them to understand it. I presume she uses these in the classroom after she has done a lesson.

Sounds like there is a lot of variation in what’s being done across different schools then. I’m trying to work with three kids at home (one is a toddler) and so its quite chaotic. On the one hand I’m thinking maybe we just don’t bother with education at all at this rate.

I think my year 3 child would do well with a google classroom type set up. My year 1 child needs more real life help to keep him on track. And then the toddler just causes additional chaos!

Our experience is the same as RAINSh0wers. Yr1 and lots of links to resources but no planned work and no contact from class teachers or contact details for teachers. The Senco emailed as DS has an EHCP but no other contact. A bit poor tbh compared to colleagues at other state schools and from what I've seen on MN.

We got sent home a pack with worksheets in it-loads to get us through a few weeks. We were also given an exercise book to write/stick it all in. On the school ‘news’ app, daily there have been messages from teachers with ideas and general goodwill messages plus a daily story videoed by one of the teachers, which is nice.
The school is also open for keyworker and vulnerable children and they are still preparing packed lunches for delivery for FSM.
As am also working from home, have managed about one or two worksheets at home each day plus maybe another activity like baking, being out in the garden, colouring in and Andy’s Wild Workouts! The rest is a lot of CBeebies and Disney+

My grandchild in KS1 was given reading books, word books and some printed work sheets. Haven't heard from school again but not a problem because there is so much work available online for KS1.

Very little. Dd is year 5 and two maths worksheets and a spag worksheet were put on the website on Monday last week. Nothing since and we’ve had no communication from them at all, which I think is pretty bad actually. They’re open for keyworker children but only have a handful of kids in.

I’m sourcing my own stuff from Twinkl and other sites.

DD1’s secondary school on the other hand have been brilliant. She’s following her normal timetable from home and I’ve had two calls from her form tutor, a call from the SENCO (she has ASD) and an email sent to all parents from the head.

State primary and secondary.

State primary has set work which has to be handed in at the end of the week. Some mandatory and some optional. A few emails from the school, a newsletter etc.

State secondary has set work which is all on line. A few emails back from teachers and emails from the head.

A fair bit of online work and resources but the head teacher is big on teacher wellbeing so wouldn’t be pushing for online teaching or marking. Plus a lot of the teachers are having their own kids at home so I can’t see how they’d be able to do much more.

We have a couple of "challenges" posted each day. It's usually something on Sumdog or write some sentences.
I've handed some stuff in but not had anything marked so far. I think after the Easter holidays things might pick up a bit.
I don't mind tbh. I have to work as well and once I've done reading book, bit of writing and times tables practice that's about all I have time for before tea.