Children who’ve flourished in lockdown

[SparkleM]

I have a sinking feeling about sending son back to school in September - not because of fears around Coronavirus but because he’s come in so much during lockdown. He’s really thrived since having one to one attention and being taught at an appropriate level (he’s way behind the rest of the class). Instead of using energy to challenge the school re support (or lack of) it’s felt really positive to see him develop and throw our energy into that. Obviously he’s missing friends but his confidence in his own ability has improved massively.

This isn’t a teacher knocking thread - the school system seems to fail children who are very behind because of the pressure to get the majority over the line. School has provided the same workload for the whole class through lockdown - which is way above his level of current understanding I work so not able to full-time home school. I know it doesn’t work like this but I wish I could part-time home school - carry on with some of the one-to-one daytime support. We do what we can in evenings but in term time it’s hard after a school day when he’s tired to do more learning.

I am worrying about September and what it may mean for children who were really struggling academically anyway.

Is this the experience of others who have children that really struggle in school?

(Ps I know children who’ve really struggled in lockdown and really need the structure and routine of school so appreciate not everyone’s experience of lockdown schooling has been positive)

At my DDs school it seems to be the opposite and those that are fine who sort of get left. A lot of effort goes in to the ones struggling at hers.

In my experience it's the middling children who are left to coast, those above and below get pushed to achieve the next level.

It’s the opposite in my children’s school too. The ones who are struggling are really helped to get them ‘over the line’, and the others are sort of left to get on with it.

Why haven't they differentiated the work? Surely they have to do that under usual circumstances ?

I home educate but a lot of people in the home ed groups found the same with their children and deregistered them. You don't have to teach them all day. There was a teacher who wrote an excellent post on how a lot of hours in the day go in getting children lined up, telling those misbehaving off and spreading themselves amongst all the children. When you teach your child one on one, you only need a couple of hours a day. As home education is not copying the school environment but making it suit your child in a way which benefits him/her.
A lot of home ed parents work. They find other home ed families and might pay them to look after their child, or something you could do (have other children come to you) or there are other options which people will suggest to you if you join home ed groups. It is doable.

My experience (of primary schools only) is the same as others above. Every single spare resource at our school is used supporting those who are struggling. I imagine that will be even more the case come September. For example, normally the class teacher is teaching 29 kids and the assistant is outside 121 with a dc who is struggling.

I know how you feel op, my ds has flourished at home. He struggles in school and is not looking forward to going back and I am not either. Given the responses on this thread I assume that parents of the DC in the class would be grateful if I kept him off too so he is sucking up to much of the teacher's time....

@Doveyouknow

I know how you feel op, my ds has flourished at home. He struggles in school and is not looking forward to going back and I am not either. Given the responses on this thread I assume that parents of the DC in the class would be grateful if I kept him off too so he is sucking up to much of the teacher's time....

Not at all. I said that the teachers at my children’s school give most attention to the children who are struggling. I didn’t say that was a bad thing.

Time should be dedicated to those struggling. I think (hope) the majority agree. I think any parent resenting that should educate themselves rather than worrying about their children. I speak as a parent of two children who are utterly outstanding in their averageness.

I'm also not resenting. I have a child in the middle of receiving an EHCP she takes a lot of time but I look at what she receives compared to what parents of the middle-ing kids say about what their children receive and the difference is huge.

Thanks for your feedback, it’s interesting to hear the different experiences. Our son has TA support but it’s not one to one and with a group of children The support is more helping the small group engage with the work the rest of the class is doing. The work isn’t differentiated so same spelling, maths exercises/“quizzes” etc for all. So it’s not that there’s no support, more that it’s not effective support.

In my experience of our school - it doesn’t seem to target support to the high achievers. The focus is on the “middling” kids with extra sessions after school to help them through national tests as they are the kids that can make a significant difference to the school stats.

Doveyouknow- glad it’s not just me. Thanks for your post.

Mine has not made much progress at home but he has been 100x happier and we have seen how much more he is capable when he is not using all his coping capacity just to get through breaktimes, jibes from classmates etc. So I can't relate as such, but I do think I get it. I never thought I would say this in a million years but if we could get him to work productively at home I can really see how it could be a great option for him. I just don't think I can inspire & engage him like real teachers do.

There's not much to be gained from wrangling about whether high, middle or lower achievers are getting more of the resources. Each class, school & teacher is different and parents only see a tiny snapshot of what happens in their own child's class. My experience is the lesson tends to be pitched for the majority, so in practice they get the core part of the lesson pitched at their level day in, day out. It is not overt like the teacher taking them out for extra attention, but underneath it they should be the ones best served of all. If we went to evening classes we'd pick the right level for us - if you're a an advanced French speaker or a beginner you won't enjoy an Intermediate class. Whereas if you're an intermediate speaker, you'll naturally enjoy it more and get more out of an intermediate class. I would 100% rather be an intermediate speaker in that class than be far ahead of or behind my classmates, even if that means less individual attention from the teacher.

In my experience it's the middling kids who will achieve expected levels that get no additional help. Yes, the lessons might be pitched perfectly at their level else it would be too hard or too easy for most of the class. But with the emphasis on age expected levels needing to be reached as a form of measurement, up to the 100 'passmark' for SATS, there is far more incentive for a school to try and move a kid achieving 98 to get to 100 rather than moving a kid at 106 to 108. Sad but true. I don't begrudge those that genuinely need help, but the current system and lack of funding for state schools does nothing to make the middling kids strive to achieve more. Surely this is in the country's interest too? So I think a lot of middling kids will have benefited from lockdown if parents have been able to give them more one on one attention.

I agree with what you say changemyname18. That’s what our school does - takes the nearly there children and helps them achieve the expected level. When I say my son struggles though I’m talking way off the SATs pass mark. Just as there’s no incentive to support the children who are already at that level there’s no incentive either to support those who even with support might not convert into a pass.

In posting I was interested mainly on whether other parents who have kids way behind share our experience of homeschooling.

You could flexi school?
Even if he goes back you will probably end up doing work with him at home if he needs it.
I think that 1-2-1 reinforcement at home helps most kids.
Which is why they could do with textbooks and homework coming home

At primary our son was in a class of 25 - 1 teacher and a TA. Two children occupied the TA full time and then about 5 other strugglers occupied the teacher. The other 17 kids were left to it. I know this because a friend is a governor who has done observations on the class and the description is confirmed by what my son says and the amount of work done in his book.

Flexi schooling sounds interesting. Could any of the posters who mentioned this give me a bit more info on how it works?

Thanks

I know it doesn’t work like this but I wish I could part-time home school

Some schools and LEAs do allow for flexi schooling - part time school and part time
Home school. Might be worth investigating?

Is there an official protocol for flexi?

Our school are suggesting 2 afternoons at home but its complicated by DS having additional needs/EHC

Ours is way behind (think years) but has really enjoyed learning at home and been less distracted and very motivated. I can see school offer lots of variety and there are some advantages but in my heart I think home school would be really positive. He has stuck with school for 5 years but really it has not suited him at all. DH and I disagree on this and due to both of us working in the past it has been a non starter.

Some schools are reluctant to agree to flexi-schooling because they have to mark pupils as absent.

There is more information and links here.

DS3 isn't behind but has an EHCP. He prefers being at home because it's quieter, fewer distractions etc. There's no way he's staying at home long term because we already have DS1 at home with an ETOAS package, which is hard work. Although I am anxious about DS2&3 going back in September because DS' have been shielding.

When I looked, about 10 years ago, I could find no school, state or private, that would agree to flexi-schooling. I opted instead for home education. There were children in the home education groups who were flexi-schooling, but it was only for helping children with problems going to school to get back into full time education. They were flexi-schooling on a short term basis, while trying to integrate into full time. Obviously, being a decade ago, things may have changed, but I did looked extensively and had no luck.

For educating outside school hours, could you do one morning at the weekend? Also, for week days, in the morning is when a child is less tired. So 15 or 20 minutes before school is better than after, if that is possible.

You obviously have a natural ability to teach your child, so I hope you are able to work something out. Good luck.

Our 3 are a mix of abilities and due to work they only get 1 and a half hours a day with us to do home learning (4pm - 5.30pm) however they have all come on in confidence. Before all of this week I did reading and spellings before school and husband did some reading or spellings after kids club (eldest daughter did more as she struggled slightly anyway). When we return to normal work and school hours in September I will be doing English work in the morning before school and husband will do maths in the evening. It will only be between 30 mins and 45 mins in each session but it really is helping them. Almost like having a tutor. My girls love it as well as they can ask questions through out and have it explained until they understand.

I could have written your post OP.
My DS has absolutely thrived under lockdown.
All the work sent home has been well above his level so we've ignored that and just concentrated on Reading Eggs, Tt Roackstars and the occasional Outschool lesson in something that takes his interest.
Just recently he's started showing an interest in writing which he lacked the confidence/attention span to even try at the beginning.
He writes a few words in his journal or labels places on a map. The school will make him struggle through a few sentences at a time and make him feel awful
Im starting to feel like I'd be doing him a disservice by sending him back.
Like you I'm looking down the barrel of a long fight to get him the help he needs. He's on the way to being diagnosed with ASD and ADD but there's no guarantee of getting additional help on the back of that.
He would be happier and achieve more with a few hours effort a day with me, I'm sure of it.

I could have also written your post op. My son has adhd and asd and he's flourished at home.

He does get some support in school but not with schoolwork and it comes home with him so I was doing the work at home after school with him which he absolutely hated because he had been at school all day.

School is good at supporting him emotionally and socially but there was no academic support and he is left to do whatever small amount.