Guilt Free Railing 5

[WouldBeGood]

Just in case railing remains required.

My DD’s school don’t have enough whiteboard pens so we’re giving in some that we have at home. There was a shortage of jotters last year. Maybe JS needs to direct the funding directly to schools and only give laptops to those who can’t afford it.

Ahh. I'm slow today. How could I forget that parents who have recently recently received a laptop for their DC will of course be so kindly disposed to the snp that they will vote them in again.

Swinney seems to be absolutely wedded to this blended learning nonsense. That's what worried me most when they were pushing it on us - as a short term reaction to the pandemic a bit rubbish but there we go,but he genuinely seemed to think - and apparently still does - that it was some sort of panacea to all teaching ills, whereas the last couple of weeks has demonstrated how it does not work and widens the gap between private and state - S3 DS has been in 50% f the time at his private school and friends S3 DD in 1/2 day per week in state.

Blended learning will never work.
It was a poor substitute in a pandemic but certainly not for normal life.

@DeepfriedPizza

My DD’s school don’t have enough whiteboard pens so we’re giving in some that we have at home. There was a shortage of jotters last year. Maybe JS needs to direct the funding directly to schools and only give laptops to those who can’t afford it.

Hmm, I don't agree with laptops for everyone but I find it really hard to believe this is true. A school asking parents for whiteboard pens? Where?

Yer a liar deepfried

Laptops break and need replaced too often. All the tech initiatives in my kids primary seemed really awful, sorry.

Yep, I’m a big fat liar. Where did I say that the school asked for whiteboard pens? Dd came home and said her teacher had no more whiteboard pens and the teachers were borrowing each others. Dd has some spare so we’re giving the spares to her teacher.

I know for a fact some teachers buy school supplies from their own pocket so my point still stands about the schools getting more funding.

@DeepfriedPizza yep several friends who are teachers who buy supplies from their own pocket on a regular basis just to do basic activities.

Lots if schools are always appealing for donations of books too

That's nice your dd took whiteboard pens into school for her teacher. I'm a teacher. Of course we buy things from our own pocket - this morning I was out buying Easter treats. I've never known a teacher buy jotters - sometimes there is a shortage but it's because the admin haven't ordered replacements in time. We've just had all our smartboards replaced with Apple TVs. P6s and P7s have their own I Pads ( this was before the home learning surveys).

I think this money would be better spent on music specialists being back in all schools and better school luches.

How many whiteboard markers does it take to change a lightbulb?
Not a joke. There’s a direct cost to the school to fix any of the bulbs on the aged screens currently in the majority of state schools in Scotland. The new screens required for continuity of digital learning cost thousands per classroom. Any money to replace those, Swinneybot?
Meantime, over there in the news on an election campaign, the Swinneybot sends a laptop to homes that can’t afford a decent broadband package to support digital learning anyway and it’s up to the commercial tech companies to run ‘donate a dongle’ style campaigns to support children with access to digital learning. Sigh.

Can’t just ‘insert blame Boris here’ for that.

I think this money would be better spent on music specialists being back in all schools and better school luches.

@StarryEyeSurprise a point we can agree on!

@Bytheloch

I think this money would be better spent on music specialists being back in all schools and better school luches.

@StarryEyeSurprise a point we can agree on!

🙌😃

To be fair, we do have music specialists who come in and do whole class sessions but I'd like to go back to the (one to one) teaching of musical instruments on primary.

• in primary

Stupid waste of money. Give one to any kids that haven’t managed to get hold of one yet but not everyone. Our school also struggles for basics like whiteboard markers, enough books for a whole class, decent pe equipment, balls, storage for books, coloured pencils, art supplies, coloured photocopying, playground storage etc, etc.. All things they have requested from parent council. We have one class worth of iPads that are shared for the school. My son is dyslexic and doesn’t have access to a laptop at school to write on despite being promised access to one. I have a laptop at home, I’d rather they supplied them to the school.
Parent council also had to fundraise for the screens/visualisers in the classrooms a couple of years ago.
Blended learning in Fife seems to be one day a week for all years inc exam years unless doing practical subjects. But we have had a letter saying we’re going back full time after Easter unless they hear otherwise before then

We have one to one music lesson at primary @StarryEyeSurprise but it costs £30 per month and only 3/4 people per year can have them in p6/7 only, they have to be assessed for musical ability first. Plus it’s brass instruments 😬😀
I don’t think they do much whole class music, they just view music as covered by the nativity play as far as I can see

starry

Has instrumental music specialist tuition stopped altogether in primary schools? Or do you mean 1 to 1 rather than group lessons?

I'm thrilled to see this mentioned as a valued thing.

£30 per month isn't too different from private tuition fees.

It's weird how patchy the provision is.

We had specialist peripatetic music (instrumental) teachers, plus instrument loan from p4 to p7. That fell to pieces obviously over lockdown, with the council not allowing live online lessons until february, so the teacher was manfully communicating via teams and a series of sway video things. It is so difficult to teach an instrument online (I'd say beginners especially who are being taught the rudiments - just as getting phonics and numeracy nailed early on is critical) let alone without any lessons to motivate the children! And tuning a violin isn't an easy task to give to parents with no musical training... About half of DSs class of 10ish gave up between p4 and p5 and most others had not managed anything between March and February so effectively had to start again. DS only managed because we had given up hope by August and started private lessons - still online, but at least having the teacher able to see and hear him. Probably just as well because now they're back at school, they aren't allowed online or in person lessons again. I can sense the teacher is ripping her hair out! And it was hardly a well funded or secure service to begin with, always at risk from council cuts, so I can't really see it surviving this.

On whiteboard markers etc, our school hasn't had a problem as far as I'm aware, but others in the city, especially in the more affluent areas, ask for a standard "voluntary" contribution to pay for those kind of things. Because their budget from the council without any pupil premium kind of uplifts, just isn't sufficient. It is shocking. Yes, many parents may be able to afford it, but that's not really the point, and not everyone living in an affluent area is able to afford the extra expense.

Private music lessons are closer to £30 per week than per month unless you can find a group class.

We have free school lessons at our primary but instrumental tuition is rationed and the school instruments are also limited and usually in need of serious TLC.

That said a couple of our teachers are trained enthusiastic musicians who run the specialist music and drama element of CfE across all classes. I was impressed with their lessons during lockdown. Everything from music appreciation to rhythm joining in at home with clapping, spoons etc to starting to build musical terminology and note recognition. They are looking to use tech going forward to be able to spread themselves better across the school.

I have tutored my own DDs through the ABRSM system and DD1 did Advanced Higher Music a couple of years ago, so I could see how the approach was providing the building blocks.

Hope we can all get back to choirs and concerts soon.

(our music tuition and instrument is free apart from buying the music and consumables which is fab. Only violin or cello though).

Sorry @SempreSuiGeneris I should not have said one to one lessons. It is small group tuition, so 3-5 children at a time and that costs £30 Ish per month

As a private instrumental music teacher that's interesting. My fees for 30 minute lessons are much closer to £30 month than £30 per lesson. The Musicians Union recommended rate is £35 per hour. But lessons in schools are usually no longer than half an hour, as far as I can see.

I know private tutors are going into private schools from 19th April.

One of my pupils who started S1 last session had 10 months without a lesson on their other instrument.

I can confirm that teaching wee online beginners is hard going. And it's limited what we can do. I can't wait to get back to being in the same room. Albeit, socially distanced. It's still not as good as the normal arrangement but so much better.

Having said that, most of my pupils have done so well. I do admire them keeping on going and persevering despite technology problems . Some of them have done exams recently. The exam is conducted remotely, recorded and submitted to the exam board.

I can't wait for live group music making to resume.