What should we expect from a primary school during school closure?

[Pitaramus]

Its clear to me that schools won’t be back for some time. I’m trying to work out what I should expect from my children’s school during this time without being unreasonable and expecting too much.

Me and DH are working and have 2 primary aged children and a toddler. We’ve been cobbling together work for the older two during the days to keep their routine over the last two weeks of term and the holidays and taking it in turns to do homeschooling / childcare / our actual day jobs. It’s tricky!

I was hoping that from the beginning of this coming term the school would provide some online teaching to actual teach the children rather than just send them off to get on with worksheets but we’ve now been told they’ll be setting a bunch of work a week at a time. I don’t think it will be marked, just set and then they will be left to get on with it.

This leaves me as the teacher which would be fine if I didn’t have a two year old and a job! In the circumstances I was hoping for a bit more from the schools.

Both my children’s teachers are child free and from what I can tell they are on a rota to be in a local school with key worker children (I think once a week). So this isn’t a question of them not having the time to do more. They are both really enthusiastic teachers and seem to enjoy their jobs.

Is it unrealistic because of the age of the children to expect them to be able to teach the children remotely, say by sending videos and then setting work and marking it and providing feedback? Obviously there is no perfect solution but I need to understand the reason why they are approaching it the way they are and not doing more so as to decide whether to contact them / the headteacher or whether to just leave it and carry on as I am. I don’t want to be unrealistic or unreasonable in my expectations.

I’d be grateful if any teachers could give me an insight into why they are approaching things in this way or whether they could be doing more.

To be honest the BBC have taken the pressure off the teacher's. The content for the new term is already on their website and looks good. All there stuff follows the national curriculum, so if your primary school isn't supplying you with much. I'd just follow that. We had very little direction, I know in the scheam of things they haven't missed much school yet, but I've already realised my son needs moving on with his maths everything he does currently is way to easily for him. But then he could do with focussing on his English a bit more as he doesn't seem that bothered about it.

Yeah, leave it to the BBC, MigGril.

@girasol

You need to speak to your child’s school.

It’s not parents and teachers plural. It’s your experience. I’d contact them on Monday if you’ve still received nothing.

🌷 🌹 🌷

This is really hard to answer... I’m not a teacher!
However, My Mum was a teacher, my sister is a teacher and my Daughters are both teachers, and my ex wife is a teacher.
So as I see it the issue at the moment is keeping the children engaged, unfortunately the education system says there is a set curriculum, that has to be followed. In this time it is not clear what that is going to be when the schools return.... some will be working hard with their children, and some will not..... Watch the news of any of the schools that are open with key-worker children... and there are no real lessons going on....Why? When they go back they have 30 children in a class. And 1 teacher... maybe some assistants. They can only teach 1 level... because some will know and some will not... you have to have a balance to get them all to their set groups again so the education is equal to all... so how will it work? And will we all complain that our kids are being treated unfairly, or haven’t done that yet when they go back..... or will it be... the children are bored because they know all this stuff.... like everything in this situation... only time will tell... my advice... do the best you can for them now... and be prepared to deal with they’re behind or in front later......

Please explain all the flowers?!!

It's very tricky add they're had been no national guidance what to expect. Hopefully my school is getting the balance right - like pp is all the same format for the whole school so individual teachers can't do live lessons even if they wanted to.
We upload to see we and do give feedback.
This is fantastic though if you want support at home for maths. There's teaching, resources and answers too! whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/

Apologies for all the typos - I can spell honestly

@Toby365

We don’t all teach to ‘one level’.

When they come back there will continue to be differing levels of ability. We will continue to meet their needs. That’s what we do.

@Toby365

Schools have been told to not ‘teach’ in hubs, they are for childcare. There is no expectation on schools or parents to deliver the curriculum.

Work is being set from my child's school via online programs they already use. So each day we go on Purple Mash, Mathletics a d LBQ and do the days work set there. Also on Purple Mash each class has a blog where they can talk to their teacher about any issues they're having and also can keep in touch with their friends, the blog is moderated by their class teacher who approves their posts so it's safe, this is done a few times a day. The links are all on the school website along with links to stuff like BBC bitesize ect.

All the flowers are teachers not engaging in the conversation as they feel they are being singled out and getting stuck. So refusing to engage in discussions where they believe they are being 'attacked' ??

Thanks for the link to whiterosemaths @NCTDN I hadn’t come across that yet! It’s great to have something which had separate things for separate year groups and shows what they should be doing this summer term! Most of the resources I’ve found seems to have broader age ranges - eg KS1 /KS2 and I’ve been struggling to work out what level to pitch things at. Also, it’s impossible to know what they’ve done already and what they need to have done by next year. I try asking the kids and they just give me a blank stare or tell me they know everything already so can they please just play computer games all day!

I don’t want live video lessons by teachers but what I would appreciate is some guidance from the teacher.
We were just given a load of website addresses Twinkl etc. Basically there you go - get on with it. No contact from the school since then. I don’t think a trainee teacher or NQT would be dumped on like that.
I know some teachers have been great staying in touch and guide posting appropriate work but some schools have done very little and it is these schools causing posts like this and reflecting badly on all teachers.
The flowers on posts like these are from teachers who feel they are being criticised in posts. They are probably the fab teachers who do care, work hard and are helping parents. I simply wish they were at my kids school.

Had basically bugger all. Some website links. An idea for a craft 'junk modelling' activity. That's it.

The educational websites etc are not working for us, DC is using too much tech as is. I don't want to encourage any more. I bought some maths / Eng work books from amazon.

It's the Easter holidays. Save your complaints until the summer term actually begins and then speak to your school directly. It is utterly ridiculous to be this wound up already. The schools have only been closed for about ten days. The individual teachers you are slagging off could have dead or dying parents, could lack internet facilities, could be ill themselves. You have no bloody idea, so stop.

DC is using too much tech as is. I don't want to encourage any more

I dont want to sound totally wild and crazy here, but how about, if you want to limit tech, only have them use it to access the websites your school has sent, and for their down time get them to do other things like read, draw or play.

I know. I know. Crazy.

I don’t think a trainee teacher or NQT would be dumped on like that.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-williamson-backs-national-online-academy

I very disappointed in our school. They sent a borderline rude letter about applying for keyworker childcare, then one day later said they couldn't and closed the school straight away. One teacher is lovely and sends messages to the younger one. One is a disaster....sends the wrong work...basically 3 worksheets...says can only be contacted by email between 9-11 on a Friday. Then we get a school newsletter every Friday reporting about how hard the teachers are working...

Our nursery that's attached to a school has given plans for this week coming for what they'd like our children to learn at home. Not set time schedule. It's more play based. The whole school has also got a weekly plan per year group. However I don't know what they are expecting the older ones to do exactly. I think it's a good idea because I feel like I can help my son learn by giving me and him structure and just doing bite sized chunks per day rather than a lot and getting overwhelmed.