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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Spending ages finding, preparing and setting work that doesn't get done.

101 replies

DrMadelineMaxwell · 20/04/2020 21:39

I get that it was a great message to give to parents that they are not teachers and that anything that they can do while schools are shut to help is great.

But after our school sent out that message, the amount of my class who is doing anything that I set has dropped from about half-3/4 down to a handful of kids. Sometimes just one or two.
It does mean there's less time being spent having to give feedback on it all, but also means I'm finding it tempting to begrudge the time it takes to do it.

One fb friend is a parent of a child in my class. If there was homeschooling competition then she'd win first place, but very, very little of what they are doing is anything we are setting.
Which is great - her child is learning and enjoying it. And she's happy doing it.
But I worry about all the kids who have no support at home to do anything, or who have put their foot down and are refusing to, or who just took the 'don't worry' message to mean don't bother.

I have y6 and worry about the knock on for next year for some of them.

OP posts:
echt · 20/04/2020 21:51

Horse. Water. You have an audit trail. Respond to those who do the work. Of course at some pont you'll be lambasted for not following up on each and every one them.Hmm

Imok · 20/04/2020 21:58

@echt - don't forget the parents who'll also be demanding that schools open during the summer holiday so that their childreican catch up on the learning missed during lockdown. Because all teachers and school staff are currently sitting on their backsides at home enjoying a fully paid break!

Original poster
DrMadelineMaxwell · 20/04/2020 22:12

Oh, I'm responding to those that do work, or who email me.

And I've informed my HT about the takeup rate. Their reply was that as long as we were setting the work, we were doing what we could do.

OP posts:
Hercwasonaroll · 21/04/2020 07:20

Stop spending ages sourcing stuff. Surely school has a twinkl subscription or similar?

Use corbettmaths numeracy for maths along with the white rose stuff.

If parents aren't engaging your head is right. You can't force them to.

RhymingRabbit3 · 21/04/2020 07:26

I would spend less time setting meaningful work if nobody is doing it - watch this video, complete this worksheet etc.
Is it the same 2 or 3 kids completing it every time? If so you could email them with extension tasks they might be interested in.

Proppedupinbed · 21/04/2020 07:30

I get the frustration. A lot of my time was spent chasing up non-completion of work for the first 2 weeks. Especially as I have a-level and year 7. Now I just think sod it and record who hasn't done the work and every so often will contact parents or revelant hod. It's all about covering your arse are so that the responsibility falls on the child and not the teacher. I've already had a few cases of teacher blaming when caught out for not doing work. Imagine what it would be like if we didn't bring it someone's attention that they hadn't done a tap. We'd be sitting ducks.

I don't mind setting the work. I resent chasing up non-completion instead of actually teaching. It takes far more time.

DeathByBoredom · 21/04/2020 07:33

When I've had online work to do I very rarely follow the schedule because I know it will still be there in a few days/weeks/even months. I work at my own pace. This has been a big shock to people and routines are gone, a bit like the 6 week summer. You might still get re-engagement with work later on. My kids are only just starting now. The work is still there to be done

Inconnu · 21/04/2020 07:34

I realise this must be annoying for you OP, but speaking as a parent I did welcome that message. DH and I are both working from home, DH in particular is busier than he usually would be, and trying to home school our three kids on top of that is a challenge! And mine are relatively self sufficient.

Hercwasonaroll · 21/04/2020 07:35

Oak academy and BBC bitesize cover most things now. Just set that and try to communicate with families who aren't engaging.

Verily1 · 21/04/2020 07:36

But if parents are still working full time how are they supposed to homeschool full time?

And what about parents who aren’t well educated themselves?

And what about the kids in overcrowded houses with no desk or quiet space to study?

All setting lots of work is gong to do is create a huge attainment gap come autumn.

Raindancer411 · 21/04/2020 07:37

Our school are setting work that we are doing but none of it is getting marked. We have been told to take it back with them when they return. I honestly don't think it will get marked and wonder what's the point.

I am pleased you are giving feedback as it will make the parents who are doing it grateful, believe me!

fuckinghellthisshit · 21/04/2020 07:40

Please please please set mark and comment on work. My DD has competed everything and sent it as requested and it’s like a black hole - no one reads it or responds. It’s effecting her mental health as she is worried about ‘missing out’ - she is year 10.

reefedsail · 21/04/2020 07:44

I think a weekly formula is the answer. I only have 9 children in my class, but I am setting individual work for each of them, so it could easily take a very long time.

However, I have every intention of settling into a routine of the same activity on repeat from sources that are already differentiated so I can just select the appropriate pitch for each child in each subject.

Current front running resources are White Rose maths home learning lessons, Pobble creative writing tasks, Oak Academy English lessons.

I have yet to make a final decision for 'other subjects'. I might just ask them to watch the BBC programme for their age group daily and set some follow up tasks from Bitesize.

Anyway, the point is, once I've decided what resources it will be every week, the planning will be much quicker. I think it will be easier for parents too, not having to navigate a million different things.

SoloMummy · 21/04/2020 07:49

@DrMadelineMaxwell
Well, if you begrudge it, would you wish to stop receiving your significant salary?
If not, do what you have to do. And accept that there will be a lot of catching up happening over the next year's I anticipate if there are further lockdown etc.

Grasspigeons · 21/04/2020 07:52

Its a no win situation. I work in school admin and all school emails go through me. 50% are stressed by the amount of work set saying its too much and 50% are saying its not enough and we are lazy. Half are saying its too structured and clashes with their lifd and half saying its not structured enough and what are they supposed to do with the bits of the day around learning. Then half want more online resources and videos but half dont want as many online resources as they only have one smart phone for all the family and the older child needs it. Then some parents dont speak English or cant read but others are patronised as they have a PhD.

So you need to create something that is both structured and unstructured and a lot of work but not much work, both online and not online that is both useable by some one that can read and someone that cant Flowers

DeathByBoredom · 21/04/2020 07:53

Oh, you are setting work you also give feedback on? That's not a realistic model for the moment imo.

ScatteredMama82 · 21/04/2020 07:58

I'm a parent, not a teacher and I have noticed there seems to be a core of kids who are doing the work set by school. We use an app, and can see which kids are commenting/asking questions each day. My kids are completing it but only because I am engaging with them and helping facilitate it (they are reception and yr 5). I know a few parents who have said their kids just won't do it, refuse to etc. I do worry how this will pan out when they get back to school. Some will have a lot to catch up on, some won't - how will that be managed?

Mlou32 · 21/04/2020 08:00

@solomummy "would you wish to stop receiving your significant salary". Oh for goodness sake. She's simply saying that it's frustrating spending time on setting work out for hardly anyone to do it. Which is a perfectly reasonable sentiment.

carryoncoping · 21/04/2020 08:06

Have a bit of empathy for the parents. I have one laptop, 2 dcs and I need my laptop to work from home. Setting on-line or zoom work is impossible for me.

I do my best but I can't cover the full day time table with both dcs. They are early years and need near constant help and supervision. I am one of the parents who really cares, so we will do lessons at odd times and weekends to try and catch up. That might mean work isn't returned for marking on time.

Mumteedum · 21/04/2020 08:07

I get the frustration but I'm a working at home full time lone parent and it's a struggle. It's not that I can't be bothered. I am doing my best. I set ds 8 his work yday before I had my own online class to teach (uni) and he'd done nothing later when I checked. He needs supervision and I can't do it. Hoping he'll settle again after the Easter break. We managed a bit before Easter.

zafferana · 21/04/2020 08:12

I agree - stop investing so much of your time and energy if so few DC are doing the work and returning it. Remember too that many parents will be working FT from home and anything they manage to get their DC to do in terms of school work is a triumph. I'm not working, so my DC are doing all their school work, but their schools (private) are providing teaching as per the normal timetable and they have their own computers and desks. How many DC is that true for? I don't know what kind of school you work at and what sort of community you serve, but I'm guessing that most families will not have the time or the resources to provide home schooling. That's why they send their DC to school, rather than choose to home school!

poshme · 21/04/2020 08:13

I have 3 kids and a shit internet connection. My DH & I also working from home.

I'm trying my best to make sure kids do work set- but we can only use the internet 1 at a time. So they can't get everything done.
1 teacher (secondary) sent an accusatory email that my son hadn't competed a task in the time set (set at 9am, due in at 2pm- internet dependent). I responded that sometimes my & DH work has to take precedence & explaining internet issues. He came back with 'nothing is more important than school work and you should get better internet. You clearly are not key workers or you'd be at work- not at home. This work will not be covered again and your child will fail their GCSE next year if they don't keep up'

I know teachers are working bloody hard. But so are many of the rest of us. My job is very busy, very stressful & very important. What I do can mean life or death for some people. His email made me very angry and very upset.

slug · 21/04/2020 08:13

On the other side of the equation, DD (an A level student) was complaining on Sunday that her teachers had more or less given up setting work.

"They've posted nothing new for the last two weeks" was her major complaint.

Err....Easter holidays??????

Bless her little nerd soul Grin

purpleme12 · 21/04/2020 08:23

@poshme that's awful. That would make me upset too. I think I'd actually complain about that

PumpkinPie2016 · 21/04/2020 08:26

It is difficult and at times frustrating. I am setting work for a full year group (secondary). In the first two weeks, I used a couple of online platforms that we use in school. Out if around 250 pupils, about 7 logged on and of those seven, probably 2 spent more than 30 minutes Sad

So, last week, I created something else that didn't use the online platforms but then there is no way of tracking who has done what because the students don't upload their work.

I don't know what the answer is. We have to provide work but there isn't much else we can do except prepare for the fact that they may well have done nothing when they get back to school.