Question for teachers

[whattodo2019]

How do you think the children returning to school in September will fair compared to 'normal ' years? Will they be noticeably behind?

Year 10 who haven't engaged in what has been on offer will struggle but the others will be OK. I think with some clever timetabling most subjects will be able to catch up. My year 7s had twice as many lessons this year (8 a fortnight) than the current Yr 8s had last year and were actually up to the same point before lockdown so they will be fine, those actually engaging online in all years are probably getting better 1:1 feedback than they would in a normal class situation. Unfortunately not many are engaging in my school or are able to access online resources to receive feedback.

Most will initially be behind the usual standard (how could they not be?) but they’ll catch up.

The ones that have engaged from home will be much better at working independently than usual.

It won't make a jot of difference in my professional opinion. You constantly go over things and teach them again as the children forget them anyway!

My pupils I teach Yr 5 maths to did just as well as children in previous years sitting the same paper.

What they will struggle with is the ability to sit and listen properly. The children have come back as right fidgets and keep muttering and talking, as they are used to being on mute at home!

They are much better at washing their hands and have gained considerable IT skills!

I think initially the problem will be getting them back into routines - early morning, correct uniform, homework being done.

They will catch up, it’s not a “national emergency”. Every other country in the world is managing without catastrophising it all.

The cohort will be broadly comparable - results are normalised by proportion of the year. This may mean grade boundaries change (probably lower, but depends if the exams are written to try to be easier).

Biggest difference will definitely be how much progress individuals have made in the lockdown term. Those who engaged well will get a disproportionate benefit (e.g. earning a 7 when they are really a grade 6 student) and those who did not engage well will be disproportionately punished (e.g. getting a 5 when they might have got a 6 under normal circumstances).

Unfortunately this probably correlates with opportunities like having a supportive parent, going to a private school, having a work space available at home...

And that’s the national scandal right there, riversandbeds

Can I jump on this and specifically ask about Year 12 /13 A level students please? It just seems like such a high proportion of their course has been impacted, despite best efforts and provision has varied widely for whatever reason? Thanks