Independent school - unhappy with quality of remote learning

[jeanne16]

I know it’s early days but I am unhappy with what is on offer. The school has issued a new timetable and there is very little content imo. Lots of sessions such as independent reading, finishing off tasks (with no tasks left to finish), wellbeing sessions (what is that?). 1 zoom session per week on maths and English and 1 per fortnight on history etc.

To make matters worse, they are giving us a paltry 10% off the fees, whereas other schools are giving up to 25%.

What are other people experiencing?

Our school is an independent day and boarding school. Our Summer Term fee has a 20% reduction of day school fee and 40% reduction of full boarding fees which is very reasonable. We got a full timetable with shorter class time per online lesson, around 40 mins each.

Two of my children are at a State Secondary and although we don't pay, I would pay for what they are receiving - it was flawless from day one. Full timetable, lessons set for everything including drama, dance, p.e, music, updated all the time. Their work is really interesting and we have enjoyed discussing it at meal times and it has been lovely to see them independently get on with it, although they have great systems set up for support too should they need too. Lots of updates from teachers via video, instagram, twitter including lots of pe challenges which the teachers have videoed themselves doing. Only thing they are missing is friends, but no one can give them that right now, not in the flesh anyway! Primary school has been more relaxed, plenty of work set but a bit dull using whiterose and twinkl so we are going a bit off piste as there is so much fun stuff to be found, husband enjoying doing the science experiments and I am loving finding arts, crafts, writing, nature learning. Just wish we didn't have to work too I would love to spend all day doing water colours with them!

Y10 Independent, no discount but offering full timetable via Teams including an organised weekly Games session but no prep/tutor or additional homework (which we are happy about as it's already a tough day - he says harder and getting more done than a normal school day). Teachers also available via email and very responsive. The kids seem to have kept their own communication channels open via social media so it's all very sociable too.
Considering the massive change to normal life thats taken place in the past month, I'm very happy with how this is running!

Year 9 DD is working to a full timetable, inc assembly. Lessons are on Teams, some are live for the full lesson, some are 30mins then 30 to get on with the work.

A paltry 10% off fees though!

If a full timetable is being offered, the staff will be working very hard to deliver it.

What % reduction in costs do you think the school has by being closed?

I think the fee you pay now reflects the fee and education you received before the lockdown and will receive again afterwards.....IF people pay sufficient fees now to enable it to offer that level of service in future.

I'd say 10-15% is a sensible discount for a school to offer at the moment and anything else (except boarding) looks a bit desperate and also endangers the financial fruits of the school.

Of course people would like a bigger discount (everyone would like to pay less) and of course schools aren't offering the usual service as it's just not possible without physically being at school. But I think lots of independent schools are educating the children well at the moment - they are offering live lessons, meaningful work for them to get on with and submit, marking etc. Progress is being made. Plus lots have some kind of form time/assembly/check-in system for pastoral care, plus links to extra curricular options too. It seems pretty full to me and it all involves the staff in a lot of work - possibly more hours than usual - the output is different to usual, but it's rightly an amended version for the circumstances we find ourselves in.

I hear of state schools that won't do any live learning or marking or follow-up. A project has been sent home and that is it. Of course lots are doing much more and as always, lots of state schools do as good a job or a better job than some independents. That's the case in normal times too.

When you're in a lomg term contract for education, the fees don't just reflect exactly what you're getting right now. Some of the fee goes to building work which might only benefit students in 5 years time. In the GCSE or A Level term, parents pay the full fee, despite students going on student leave 3 weeks after Easter and not receiving a standard term of lessons - but they have paid for a year of education - it just happens to be split into 3 payments. I'm seeing this term as a bit like that to be honest. A small discount is nice to have and also I think it's right for schools to acknowledge parental anxiety about fees and education, even if it reality schools aren't actually able to save much in costs in this time.

For anyone who feels their kids aren't getting quality education at the moment (bearing in mind what is actually possible at the moment, rather than wanting what's impossible) then they should engaged with the school about it.

My DC are at two independent schools - one secondary and the other primary. Both are providing a full timetable of lessons via Teams and using Show my Homework, One Note and various other programs. Teachers introduce each lesson either live or via recorded content and are then contactable for the duration of each lesson if students have questions. Work must be handed in daily and there is feedback. I've been very impressed with the varied content and the effort that has gone into producing PowerPoint lessons, video clips, padlets with a variety of activities, we've even done science experiments and cooking. I have no idea how working parents are coping, but as a student who has now finished my course it's fine. We've got a 10% discount for one and a 15% discount for the other. The only staff who've been furloughed are non-teaching staff - everyone else is working very hard, from what I can see.

WOW! Which school is this and what age group? Is this in London/South East? DD is at the Junior School at LEH and we were told at the very last minute in an arrogant undiplomatic manner by the school that there would be a fee reduction of just 15% and that it was a "poor" school (joke!) and did not have the benefit of large endowments and therefore could not reduce fees any further but were not furloughing any teaching staff and not even the junior school admin staff AND if you don't like it you can lump it and they were prepared to extend notice period deadlines for parents.LEH knows that demand outstrips supply and parents are too intimidated to speak out due to a small but hard core bunch of mostly English mums totally loyal to the school who will not allow any dissent or discussion. The Asian parents are too shy to protest or make their true feelings and views known and also want to suck up to what they perceive as the cool important English mums! There is a lot of racial/social/snobbery interplay going on at this school. I digress, anyway the first two weeks were a joke. Just setting of tasks and self marking via a school iPad. Most of the teachers in the Junior School are not IT savvy at all and are having to get to grips with IT very quickly but not very successfully.
Finally last week we managed to have one live English and one live Maths lesson; this week we are getting a total of 4 live lessons for the whole week (not daily!!!) and that includes a PE lesson! At this rate each online lesson up to end of term is going to cost about £300! Then the school has the audacity to inform parents who were stupid enough to carry on with private individual music and drama lessons remotely during school hours that their lesson may clash with a live Microsoft Teams class lesson and their DD will have to miss the class lesson and catch up!!! With so few Microsoft Teams live lessons surely LEH could have juggled the individual remote music lessons around so there were no clashes??? of course if you complain to the school they don't care and sometimes they totally ignore feedback which demands a reply. Very much let down by the school. I would never recommend sending your DD there to the Junior School anyway. Senior School is much better and they seem to care more about the Senior School anyway compared to the Junior School. Who wants to be in a class of 24 and no TA? I made a point of this to the Head and Deputy Head and they just shrugged it off and compared the school to Wimbledon High and some private school in North London also with large class sizes! Funny how the Deputy Head doesn't send her two girls to LEH, instead favouring Guildford High. Wonder why? That's a million dollar question. So the remote learning is not really learning it is more task setting and keeping them busy with power point presentations and loads of assignments. There is no motivation to do these as no class structure or contact for the girls with their form tutors other than by email. There isn't even a daily live registration which would be nice and hot hard to organise. No one to ones with a teacher; just a maximum of 4 live lesson per week. That's what £6500 buys you less a 15% discount! Total and utter rip off. This hard core set of parents and the school have the cheek to publicly state that some parents wish to pay more in school fees to support the school! Really??? Who are these mad hatters? I'd love to know.

Hi Lefters, the teachers at our school get paid very well indeed so a discount of 15% is paltry for the fees we are paying bearing in mind they have furloughed all non teaching staff other than a couple of admin people and the very poor teaching timetable we have been provided with only 4 live lessons per week. That is simply not good enough for a private school charging some of the highest fees in London.

Don't agree with Wombat chocolate at all. Sorry but you sound like one of the teachers or a mum that lunches big time. We have all been affected by the financial hit of Covid19 and schools are able to make huge savings if they try. Where they are, they are offering larger discounts to reflect this. Others are still making large savings but not passing on those savings to the parents and still demanding large amounts of money with little or no discount and are not providing adequate schooling or lessons basically not fulfilling their side of the contract. These are not real charitable institutions. They hide behind the veil of a charity for the various tax benefits but ultimately they are there to make a profit. Happy for them to charge full fees if they can deliver a proper timetable with lots of live sessions and interaction with the teachers and proper feedback and engagement. Alas they are not at my DD's school.

Interesting that schools have been warned about discussing discounts with each other
schoolsweek.co.uk/competition-watchdog-warns-private-schools-over-fee-fixing-collusion-during-coronavirus-outbreak/

@madmum sounds like you need to find your DD another school. Probably a state one.

Mad mum, where do you think the further savings lie that can be made short-term, but avoiding ruining what the school usually offers when it returns?

This is the key balance isn't it - that the schools are financially viable and also able to offer the service parents expect for their fees when they return. It's about not just taking the very short term immediate view, but the longer term one too.

Some schools will close. Some were on the verge of it anyway and the loss of a few pupils and some fee income this term will top them over the edge whether they offer 10% or 50% discount. Others will be able to survive and give a service parents value in future IF they manage their finances well now - and this involves keeping as many studentsand keeping revenue as high as possible as possible, plus reducing costs where possible. Losing huge amounts of revenue from significant fee discounts will make this much harder.

Parents receiving a big fee discount now might be pleased to have written a much smaller cheque this term, but not so pleased in the terms to come if the school can offer less (larger classes, less improvement in faciltiies, a reduced offering) or if the school goes under in a couple of years. It is about taking a rather longer term view that schools and parents need to do. Those with children on the verge of leaving might not be so bothered about the longer term future and offering from the school, but most parents want the school to be there in 3 or 4 years offering what they initially signed up for and so accept this 'blip' for what it is.

We're almost 3 weeks in from Easter now. The parents I chat to are really pleased with what their children are getting - they say they are working pretty much a school day, doing a mix of live and Independnet learning and are making progress in their subjects, as well as learning skills they wouldn't have developed in normal school. They were a bit worried when it all started and some of them in the first week whilst things were worked out, but they seem really happy now, especially when compared to what is happening in lots of state schools, where 7 weeks in, students are losing motivation because they don't see and speak to a teacher or receive quality feedback on the work they produce or feel they are moving forward with their curriculums. The independent school parents seem to feel genuine learning is happening and although it's never going to be exactly the same as being in school, it's actually really very good. Obviously provision is patchy across all sectors and especially those paying don't like to think someone else is getting more than they are, which is why genuine disappointment and a sense that the provision just isn't good enough needs to be communicated clearly and frequently if necessary.

I have two children with a big age gap. We are happy enough with the independent schools provision for our eldest in year 7 because he and his peers can work independently and make progress in their learning with the online provision now being provided which includes some live interaction with the teachers and marking of work submitted. However it’s a different story for my reception child. All the parents are finding it a real struggle combining it with work responsibilities etc. School is making an effort to deliver all the usual curriculum but it needs a parent with the child constantly to deal with the technology glitches, explain the instructions, coach them through tasks, do the filming and photographing and uploading of work, set up and participate in ball games for their PE games lessons, and so on! For a parent with nothing else to do it provides a fascinating insight into how the children are taught and may help with boosting the child’s development long term. However, for those with work pressures and deadlines its a nightmare. The school are sending out loads of public relations communications to try and keep parents on side but in reception year the whatsapp groups reveal that people are fed up but clearly restraining themselves in what they say publicly. It is difficult for schools and parents at the moment and a very uncertain future for independent schools catering for younger age groups if this continues much longer.

Mad mum, interested in your views on LEH Juniors as they were a potential target school for my youngest. Maybe no more!

I think how independent schools respond to this crisis will affect their reputation because the genie is out of the bottle now and this crisis may not be short term or a one-off. Already work colleagues have been asking what our children’s school have given as a discount and what the online schooling provision is like as they have offers for next year. Plenty of comparisons being made between how the local schools are dealing with this.