Different learning for those in school

[Todayisanewday75]

In the first lockdown the school essentially provided childcare, staff in on a rota and children in school were just given the same learning posted online for the rest of us. This time we’re still getting the same rubbish online work but all teachers are in school teaching their reduced size classes. How is it fair that the kids at home are getting less education when the ones in school have a full timetable?

Schools have to deal with the children they have in school. It would be wrong to not give the children in front of them the best experience they can give them just so that the ones at home have the same. Schools really are in an impossible situation. Teachers who are working in school are trying to do two jobs: provide remote learning whilst teaching and dealing with classes at school. There needs to be some give here. Many are very much struggling. Some of my colleagues have been in tears this week. Many, many schools are absolutely doing their best. if yours is not supplying work then fine, challenge that but nitpicking that work is not stretching enough or comparing what the children get in school and out of school is unfair.

Check with the school whether the situation is going to be different next week. It's certainly going to be much more equal from next week in the school where I work.

Similar experience at our school, the children ‘in school’ are much further forward in their lessons. When a year bubble closed due to a positive case, work set for those ‘in school’ was different on Google Classroom. For example in English the home learners were doing a reading comprehension for chapter 1 whereas in school children were already on chapter 4. I have asked school and was unsatisfactorily told ‘they will all catch up’. During the weekly update meeting those who had been in school were also saying ‘we did that 2 weeks ago, what should we do?’

Our schools teaching those in school, recording the lessons and then posting those videos online for those at home. It's not the same experience but the teacher has been very good at responding to queries and calls you if you're still not understanding. She's also done a couple of 1-1 zoom calls with my DD which helped.

It's not the same experience as those in school and that does feel unfair. My DDs an only child to a single working parent so is missing out socially and its affecting her a lot.

We aren't doing anything at all that the children at school aren't doing. I'm not teaching anything. I'm just telling them to watch the videos and then pausing them and saying 'get your books out' or whatever.

Mine are in school and doing exactly same as the kids at home. They are being supervised by schools teacher and TAs.

Yes this is my experience. We are getting crappy worksheets and really poor quality videos. The children at school seem to have a teacher between two children, better quality resources and marked work. I asked if at least one piece of marked work could be done per week for the online learners and was told no.

It’s a two tier system, really shit.

That does sound absurd. In our school the kids in school do the same onlline classes as those at home with the exception of PE (I don't think any of the PE teachers are actually in school but they go out on the field and run around with whoever's supervising their bubble where as at home we just have generic videos). Obviously the teacher supervising will try and help with practical things (saving documents etc) but for actual help with work the class teacher is available in the meet.

I am teaching in one primary school, my son (7 - year 3) attends another primary school but is at home as his dad is WFH and my two daughters (12 and 14 - years 7 and 9) attend a secondary school.
I teach 3 x 1 hour live lessons each day. I’ve got an exact 50/50 split between home/school. I teach all children (home and school) together and we all do the work together. Beyond the this, I also do spelling, times tables and read a chapter of our class book and we chat/tell jokes/ catch up etc.
In school, the children have 2x PE lessons - week and the rest of the time they work in Edshed/sumdog/getepic using iPads for same stuff as those at home.
My sons school use recorded lessons with daily schedule and voiceovers by contrast classteachers. They do live chats and stories each week. Work has deadlines and is marked each day.
My girls have live lessons with teachers for each lesson - usually about 20-30 minutes then independent task to complete for the can rest of the evening the hour. Work has deadlines - might be commented on but infrequently so same as when they are in school!
If you find that your school(s) do not seem to be providing similar tasks for this even very school and home, I suggest you contact school for clarification.

Sorry for so many typos - it’s late, I’m exhausted but I hope you get the gist!
Note to self - preview to check first and get a new phone with a screen that works properly!

I stand in class with a mix of kids from my yeargroup, covering exactly the same work that we've set for our classes at home. They get to watch any videos that are posted together, and I'll read through the explanation of the tasks that are set on google classrom. The major bonus for them is that they get to ask me if they are stuck and they have the chance to see and play with other friends who are also in.

The downside for them is that they can't get away with doing nothing if they are at home one day (a few seem to think if they are in the hub they only have to work when they are in class) and I ask them to catch up on missed work when they finish the day's work.
And they don't get away with submitting slapdash work because they are asked to improve it there and then if they do. Others at home get feedback from me, but a lot don't send me the work back again if I've returned it to them (or more annoyingly they resubmit it without making any changes at all!). This does mean that they might make a bit more progress with the tasks. But our HT has been clear that we are not allowed to actively teach the children or provide them with extra to those at home.

Our school is rather full at the moment of various key workers, but not that many hard working NHS ans other front liners, but a lot of banking ans financial people.
Half of the teachers are in school and the other half at home preparing the home learning provision. The kids in school get a great learning provision as they are in half their normal class size with a qualified teacher.
At home it is hard as my reception children is no longer interested in the zoom calls. The school says they are delivering the same, but a child at home sitting at the kitchen table next a parent attempting to work is definitely not having the same experience as a child in a small school bubble taught by a teacher
I just hope the kids who have stayed at home are properly looked after when they go back to school. I just find it very unfair as lots of people are exploring the relaxed key workers rules (I know stay at home parent who still send the children to school as the other parent is a key worker!)

Work for both sets of kids at ours is all uploaded on seesaw and all marked in the same way.

For our school it's exactly as @Changalang has described. Our 2 girls go in whilst myself and husband go into work. I would like to be able to work from home and keep on top of what the girls are doing. It seems like that lots of schools are doing it so differently. We have little contact with the class teacher as she is working from home for the other home schoolers. And there is little opportunity to speak to the TA's at school as they don't want you lingering about understandably so feel really in no mans land!

Our class teacher posted a video today which showed the keyworker/ vulnerabel children in DD's class - no wonder the class WhatsApp has been so quiet - half the class are in!

Whilst I don't think the children in school will be benefiting especially on the academic side, there is no doubt that socially they are. There were 15 kids in! DD hasn't seen another child her age in person since they finished in December because, you know, we're actually following the rules. I'm so pissed off about this side of it.

I am a TA. I supervise a class of 17 from across all KS2 year groups. All doing the same online work as those at home. The teachers are all at home setting and marking the online work.
We have all the vulnerable children and key worker children in. Due to the nature of the children in school I spend most of my time on behaviour management. Believe me the children in school are really not getting a better deal.

Please also remember that the children going in are not with their friends. In our situation my 2 are in class bubbles with no one they knew from
Before and in mixed year groups. They sit in front of a screen. There is no p.e it's watching someone like Joe wicks and follow the routine in school uniform!

When schools were open for face to face learning am sure everyone wanted them
Closed. Why not start lobbing local MP's to ask for it be made safe for teachers to return to face to face teaching as soon as possible.

Yep socially you can't argue with it. My DC are in KW classes which aren't their usual classes and tbh that's a positive too as they are mixing with other kids. But academically no benefit and we risk getting COVID from school as 40% of kids are in

Ours have 4 live lessons a day that are the same for those in school or home and each child is taught the same with breaks to do work set which has to be handed in. most days at 100% attendance across the class and all teachers and ta are in school. Extra reading groups etc as normal.

I don’t know about the school provision but I doubt dd would be doing more work at school. The provision from her school has been quite good and since last week they’ve been ‘meeting’ their teacher and class 4 times a day to explain work and get feedback. They’re in a reading scheme so dd is reading a book a day online during school hours. They have to answer questions at the end too. They’re doing structured maths, English and science daily with a mixture of other topics.
They’re on teams and engage with message chit chat with friends throughout the day too.
If dds school can do it, I don’t see why every school can’t.

We have been told that teacher will not mark any of the online work whereas the children in school have their work regularly marked and fed back. It’s not brilliant, it’s hard to hold a child’s interest when they see their friends work praised and admired by the teacher when their own hard work gains no recognition.

totally agree thewinkingprawn people are really taking advantage. I know families where one is a key worker and one is unemployed and they are sending them in. My friend who is a teacher is sick of hearing that children 'need to come in' because they 'do better with routine'. We ll dont we all but we are in lockdown for a reason!!!

@abitofpeace

We have been told that teacher will not mark any of the online work whereas the children in school have their work regularly marked and fed back. It’s not brilliant, it’s hard to hold a child’s interest when they see their friends work praised and admired by the teacher when their own hard work gains no recognition.

I thought they had to tbh. Ours use the online platforms to feedback to all the home school DC all day long. As parents we can see it too. DC post work up and teachers comment. Teacher share really good work too so all can see what people have done at home too

Can anyone advise on home educating primary year 1 ie best resource books to buy to cover all national curriculum subjects? I'm a first time home educator

In child is going in.
They are doing the same learning. Just a lot more art, PE and sometimes watching movies as well if they have done all the other work.