Almost Christmas and the progress is poor - anyone else?

[BettyCrockaShit]

Hello everyone,

Probably stating the obvious, but I've found these last two terms a real challenge (Y6, very challenging class with some real 'characters'). Huge gaps in understanding, kids are knackered and their behaviour for learning is still not up to scratch.

I know we're all in the same boat, but suppose I'm just in need of a bit of reassurance - is everyone out there struggling, or am I just a bit of a crap teacher for not being able to manage the Herculian task of getting them up to age-related standards in record time?

Supportive words, stories and gin welcome!

Sending you lots of

I teach secondary but took on a challenging Y11 class in September. Their behaviour in half term 1 was poor and their work ethic also poor.

Thankfully, behaviour wise they have calmed down a bit since half term so that's made it easier in a way. Many aren't working hard enough though and they are not doing enough revision outside of lessons it's a constant worry for me as I know I need to get them to grades 4/5 by their exams.

Solidarity -it's hard at the moment.

Thanks for the support @PumpkinPie2016! I can only imagine how tough it must be for you to re-engage Y11 - the exam pressure doesn't help anyone, does it? It would be so much better if we knew whether the children will be sitting exams next year or not - at least we could then dedicate actual time to teaching them what they need to know, rather than cramming.

Year 3/4 mix here, challenging cohort - we've split them across four classes of 3/4 mix, to try and dilute the characters.

We started well in reading and maths - both of these had been done at home to some degree. Writing was bad.

Maths is my area of lowest concern.
Reading - they can decode, retrieve but can't infer or explain anything.
Writing - head in hands. We still can't write sentences that make sense, I'm not sure they understand what a sentence is, even though we're teaching that over and over again.

Behaviour for learning is shocking. I've dialed back the academic expectations a lot. We're doing spelling/handwriting, maths, reading and writing every day, two lots of PE... and maybe two other lessons a week. And that's without the time suckage of assemblies, and reduced lunch/morning break time.

By 2pm they aren't able to do anything really. Just exhausted.

I've been doing some catch up group work and noticed that even when I'm with a group of 2, they can't focus after lunch at all. Distracting behaviour toward each other even when I'm sitting there in front of just two children. It's spectacular, tedious and tiring.

Attention span of most children at the minute is about 10 minutes. Some of that is my class, but lots of teachers are suggesting similar. Might be anxiety? Uncertainty? Who knows.

I was with (via Zoom) twelve Y6 teachers from different schools on Friday. You are not alone.

Although each class is obviously unique, the general feeling was that reading had held up for those who had done anything through lockdown.

Fluency was slowly but visibly returning in arithmetic through daily work, and gaps had been identified and a plan was in place to try to get them back on track.

But writing! A lack of stamina, lots of basics (handwriting, punctuation, spelling, sentence construction) below where they were before lockdown.

So, firstly, you are not alone.

Secondly, this is not yet over. Two teachers were currently isolating as their bubbles have popped and everyone knows that could be just one positive test away for them too. So it is not a calm, smooth route to catch up.

HOWEVER Y6 teachers (or teachers of any yeargroups) can only ever take children from where they are now, as far as they can go. Just because there are end of KS2 national expectations, and expectations of the progress these children will have made KS1-KS2, this situation is unprecedented and we cannot expect the same outcomes.

The mental health of both children and their teachers needs guarding and it is critical that steps are not skipped in a race to targets. We need to rebuild step by step, ensuring we build or rebuild on firm foundations each time, or the learning is likely to fall away through short absences or when further new teaching is given.

Children and their teachers need to feel successful, and need to take time to recognise progress, and celebrate it. So if a child only managed to produce a paragraph today, tomorrow they need to write at least an extra line = progress. If they had forgotten how to spell 'said' yesterday, today they need to spell it correctly = progress. It isn't the progress we are used to in Y6, and it often isn't from the same starting points, but it gives us the start on which we can build.

Slow and steady. Be kind to yourself and to the children. No one expected to be teaching or learning in the time of coronavirus. The fact that you are doing it and the children are recovering their brains and attitudes for learning is progress. Keep up the good work.

@Scarby9 thank you for that post. I wish you were in our SLT team. My school seems to have completely lost sight of what is important and the pressure on staff and children is huge.

We’ve got a long list of children who have to make accelerated progress (one better than good progress) for us to pass performance management targets and it is easy to lose sight of the small, consistent day to day gains they are making.

I’m definitely taking away your message about being kind to ourselves and the children.

I teach y1.

Though the children have made good progress since the start of term, they’re definitely behind where I’d expect a y1 class to be at this point. Especially their phonics knowledge which then impacts on the reading & writing (I’m trying not to even think about the phonics screening!).

Also, we still have 3 weeks of term but they are absolutely exhausted. That’s the really interesting thing, that the stamina just still isn’t there.

Talking to other y1 teachers last week we’re all finding the same. This is like no other year.

Same here op. I teach secondary and am mum to a Yr 1 child. I hold my hands up that I haven't managed to get dd to much writing at all... (currently on her second 2 week isolation).

Y6 here. Reading is low, but not as bad as I initially thought, writing is actually ok but Maths... the gaps in understanding are manifesting themselves and how! Not the most able of cohorts anyway, but at least half are nowhere near where they should be. They are all exhausted - a lot of it due to I'm a Celebrity, I think (constant yawning and detailed discussions about each episode)) but they also lack resilience, stamina and the ability to link ideas/concepts together. They can't finish anything so a lot of tasks take twice as long as usual.
I wish that there could be a wake up call somewhere in government, so that we could just focus on what these children need this year. I can't imagine what it must be like to have Y11. To put any exam group through the task of revision , mocks and catch-up is bad enough, but we are all doing that, knowing that there is possibility that a u-turn will come from out of the blue at the eleventh hour. It is so unfair on everyone.
Mine are a young cohort and sensitive little souls. I am not piling SATS pressure on them, just methodically plugging gaps and doing what is needed, with the full agreement of the SLT (of whom I am a member). Even so, three children in the class are suffering from severe anxiety to the point where we have had to help them deal with panic attacks. They have had to deal with additional family trauma during lockdown.
I just wish that the pandemic could be a watershed moment where we begin to develop a different mentality to education in this country. Until then, I'm afraid that despair and gin seem to go hand in hand...
I'm sorry OP - I don't really have anything useful to say, other than the fact that you are definitely not alone. I am just marking arithmetic tests and wondering when is too early to open the bottle...

Yes yes to stamina. My year 4 children are writing around 6 lines in 25 minutes. The ones who write more, write absolute nonsense. It's not even enough to really assess properly.

Most of my Yr1 class would be better off repeating their year in EYFS.

Concentration levels are very poor and a quarter of them are still at the mark-making stage. For reading, the majority are where they should have been a year ago.

We still have several children who struggle with toileting and are having daily accidents, despite being allowed to go whenever they need to. It's also a good thing that they don't have to get changed at school for PE as many are still struggling with even putting their own coats on.

We're doing our very best to bring them on but it's an uphill battle at the moment. Only being allowed to socialise with children in their own bubble is having an effect on behaviour too. They're falling out with each other more and more, and they can't get away from each other in their small patch of playground or go off and make new friends with other children from different classes.

Parent here one secondary one primary - just wanted to say thank you! My kids are delighted to be back at school, they were bored and anxious without it. I can only imagine how hard getting everyone socially and academically back on track must be. We appreciate your hard work! That’s it really.

Can’t be just you as I’ve been employed as a TA specifically for year 6 intervention. I also have a year 6 who defo isn’t up watching I’m a celebrity! He would be exhausted.
What chance have they got starting school so tired

I'm secondary, but I just wanted to say my Y7 (among others) are struggling a lot.

I have Y7 tutor group, so see the behaviour issues across the board. They are not naughty, as such, but in some cases just seem to have forgotten how to sit still and focus.

Literacy, and writing especially, is a real issue for some.

Some kids are really struggling to cope with the expectations of secondary school- we have had LOTS of tears- more than is normal I think. Also lots of friendship issues and drama, which is normal to an extent, but it seems to be escalating very quickly- like some of the students have forgotten how to interact appropriately.

And then, at the other end, I have my Y11s who are trying super hard, but definitely have huge gaps. We have assessment week this week, and their scores will be super telling- I am worried about some of them.

Thank you so much to everyone for your support and for sharing your experiences - it was a great help when I was feeling completely frazzled over the weekend.

Some great tips and reality checks in here also. I'm going to make a conscious effort to be even more supportive than usual - especially as we are handing back some assessment papers this week and many of them will be disappointed.

Hope everyone is having a better week - only 3 to go!