Year 11 or Year 13. Is your dc's school doing additional lessons to catch up?

[ThatDirection]

Following the announcement yesterday that A levels and GCSEs will be delayed by 3 weeks, everyone is commenting that 3 weeks is not enough time to catch up from the lack of learning during lockdown.

Are your dc's schools doing anything extra now to help fill gaps? Dd was fortunate to go to a 6th form college which continued online teaching. She's having to catch up on some practicals. A friend is getting 50%extra teaching in one subject that was poor and lacking regular teacher during lockdown. I believe the college is also open during half term for some courses.

My younger Dd is Y10 so she's ok but in her school I've seen extra lunchtime clinics advertised - limited to Y11 pupils only, when normally they would be open to all. So, taking some measures (and probably others) to support this year's GCSE cohort.

I'm guessing different schools will be able to offer different things - and some will be able to take advantage of the catch up tutoring. But surely they won't be relying on just 3 weeks extra time in the summer to catch the students up.

Y11 - nothing extra, just the normal timetable

Nothing extra here. They are working them hard, but I don't know if that would have been the case anyway in year 11 as she's my eldest so nothing to compare her with.

Nothing extra (y13)

Nothing extra here either, plus half the class has been self isolating at various points already. So they have missed an additional two weeks of school as a minimum so far.

I can't understand the three weeks delay at all, it just seems a joke.

My DD is in yr 10 but the yr 11s are having extra lessons every day.... school ends at 3:10 but year 11s are there till 4:30/5 every day.

Nothing at DS school, oh wait I forgot and extra 15 mins at the end of the day for Yr11s Mon to Thurs
Absolute joke
Because that 15 minutes will ensure they catch up missed new topics - not!

Nothing extra for any of the year groups. But I’ve no idea how far behind they are and how much catch up is required. The communication is non-existent. I’m not asking DC as don’t want them any more pressured than they already are.

Y11 - nothing extra but loads of homework. Online work was set all through lockdown though.

Year 10 booster class for 1 hour after school 3 days a week for maths, English and science. After half term or Christmas, I can't remember which, this then becomes option subjects. This is an outstanding academy who usually go all out for year 11 revision anyway so this was no surprise.

I believe that although Ds was able to participate in online learning not everyone was able to benefit this due to circumstances at home so they are going with a belt and braces approach.

Sorry, online learning whilst home from March - July.

We offer year 11 an extra lesson across every subject each fortnight, always have.

Those of you frothing, who do you think is going to pay for the extra teaching time? All teachers' directed time is pre-allocated.

DD year 11, school seems to be leaving it up to individual teachers.
Amazing history teacher is doing an extra hour & a half every week after school, Spanish teach has said doing and extra 45 minutes once a week but has so far failed to turn up for any of the lessons.

DD had online learning back in March, nothing extra this term. She's in yr11

Yes, they had a personal timetable of extra lessons according to need. My dc had two lessons on a specific aspect of maths.

Its absolute madness here to try and make up for the actual shit show during lockdown.

After school sessions, form time and lunch time classes. But DD’s v large Comp organised extra maths lessons a week after dreadful GCSE mock results in Maths and English and tried to cram a whole year 11 cohort into 3 ordinary sized classrooms after school in Covid world too!!! Also only 4 days in a week and maths and english are both on twice a week so DD missing out on attending any other subject specific classes which have also been arranged after school.

No, nothing. The history teacher has mentioned some catch up classes but not heard anything about it yet. There has been a lot of homework and dd has started revising for the exams they are doing in November and December. I pay for her to see a maths and science tutor anyway and she has external art classes which are currently one to one so she is getting extra help there. I've actually just emailed the school asking if the revision sessions they normally start doing at this time of year will be happening. This year of students seem to be missing out on so much.

Nothing extra here (Year 11) but the provision was pretty good during lockdown

@SaltyAndFresh I wouldn’t say frothing, just angry and upset for my DS. The teachers are amazing and are doing their best, but I would like to know what’s happening with teacher time in DS school as 50% of kids are starting between 9.45 and 10.05am from a previous 8.40am start
That’s a lot of missed time over the week for any child in exam years

That’s great @SaltyAndFresh for the kids you teach but as you can see not every kid is getting normal input let alone extra sessions. I don’t know what teachers can do about it. I think a lot are working crazy hours to just manage the covid stuff and provide the best teaching they can to isolated kids and can’t possibly provide anything extra. I’m sure lots are already on their knees. My DC are! So I’m sure the teachers are too. There’s no simple solution. There will be disparity.

Nothing extra here (Yr13 - 6th form college in Northern city with very high Covid rates) and certainly nowhere near normal timetabled input since March. College on 'blended learning' (one week in, one week home) since start of term. Three weeks to 'catch up' is a joke. Disparity in results between state v private, rich v poor, north v south will be worse than ever. Please sign this petition if you're concerned: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/326066?fbclid=IwAR2btTgrMOjUhoo_2c-a8-SbK2HzqxjDDJ4omqguU5d1klB4piyviGSXDFg

My Y11 DS has just had a schedule of before and after school 'masterclasses'. Each stream are allocated sessions for each subject. They are not compulsory but they are strongly encouraged to attend. I have no idea how the school are managing it but I will be heaping my thanks on them at every opportunity.

I am pretty furious about the three weeks 'to catch up'. I think it totally brushes over the importance of teachers in learning. As if all those weeks of online lessons were the same as all the face to face time missed. DSs school were amazing during lockdown but nothing could have mitigated for the kids who need a lot of input and a lot of support.

I just don't see how they can justify the extra three weeks when it is obvious that there is so much variation in what schools are able to provide as extra.

Chuffles your dc’s college sounds the same as my ds’s college, begins with C?

Mine is at a large 6th form college and he’s in year 13. Lessons continued right through lockdown for two of his subjects and one was a bit patchy. They’re now preparing for mocks and are suggesting extra reading, websites,materials etc.

Ds is on a week in and a week home learning. He prefers the structure of being in college. He has Aspergers and anxiety and is worried about the exams next year. I think 3 weeks is an insult to those kids and their tutors and teachers who have worked incredibly hard across the country.

Ds mentioned the 3 weeks to me but it hasn’t yet been announced how they will implement it.

Y11 - nothing.

Lock down provision was really patchy - good in some subjects to nothing in others.

However Y11 had two weeks isolation due to postive test in year group and those two weeks on-line distance learning was much better.

DD school has just announced doing extra lunchtime and after school lessons for all Yr 11 & 13 which must be starting after half term as we finish on Friday.

I didn't start the thread to teacher-bash. DP is one and I have many friends who are and I know the amount of stress they are under just trying to teach as normal under difficult circumstances to mitigate risks of covid.

But, I can hear some school leaders pushing for exams to be cancelled. I'm concerned they will put all their energy into lobbying for that and not making any catch-up efforts over the next two terms, while other schools are working as if exams will take place as usual and taking extra steps to prepare their pupils to get over the gaps they have.

I agree the 3 weeks extra in to summer makes very little difference. I don't agree with cancelling exams. I'd push for exams to be changed, content lessened, more parts optional - to account for lost teaching time and chunks of knowledge.