Home schooling in lockdown - views needed
#1
Folks, haven't put this in the politics forum as I don't want it to be a debate on whether schools should still be open, etc.  Just after some insight in to what is being provided by your kids' schools during lockdown, so this is specifically for parents of school-age kids.

So, are your schools providing work?  If so, what format does it take?  Photocopied sheets? Links to Bitesize etc?  Online teaching with teachers via Teams?

Is it good, bad, okay, too little or too much?

Just trying to get a handle on the different provision that's being provided.  No need to say which schools they go to, in fact I'd prefer you didn't, but if you could mention whether its primary or secondary, it'd help.

Thanks in advance.
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#2
Ive got primary, secondary and can give you an insight into A levels

Primary - Maths, English, basic art and sport daily. Some thematic stuff. About 2-3 hours a day. About right by and large.

Secondary - much more utilising already popular online resources like Hegarty maths. Well structured and challengi g. About 4 hours a day.

FE - lessons taugh online twice a week, otherwise a large amount of directed study
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#3
Two different primary schools, one special needs the other ‘outstanding’.

Outstanding one has been piss poor - shit apps, can’t be arsed, rare phone calls, no support.

Special needs one has been much better, setting regular work, speech and language therapists working remotely via video chat, teacher reading stories on line etc.

Very variable picture and it’s magnified by people expected to work from home (and therefore doing next to no home schooling) vs those who are furloughed with much more available time.

Still, I wouldn’t send my kids back if schools opened next week.
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#4
I'm a primary school teacher (in the South East - most kids have barely heard of the Albion).

Each week I send home 4 English lessons and 4 maths lessons, as well as an activity for Topic (Ancient Greece this term), science, art and 'wellbeing' as well as expecting PE, spellings, times tables. There are also occasionally extra challenges, tasks and activities. We try to have a good variety of stuff that's based on a computer and activities that they don't need a computer, as different people have different home situations.

We use an app to communicate with parents and be accessible if they have any concerns or questions at any point (within working hours). I have to go into school once a week to look after kids of key workers.

To be honest I'm working almost as hard as I usually do, just without marking and having the radio on whilst I do it.

The kids do less than they would in school, and obviously different parents get their parents to do different amounts of what I set, but I think that's understandable. Some kids and parents are working so hard and really trying. but then there are parents  who are lazy. And of course some parents have 5 kids at home and it's difficult to find that balance, which I can only sympathise.
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#5
My daughter's year 4 class has work posted on their padlet page each day. They have time to message the teacher and the class as a forum (dont think they have discussed the finer points of Dexys or who they hate more Villa or Wolves yet). Each day they are given a range of activities across most subjects to complete in their own time but usually by the end of the week. Think most students in the class are engaging with the work which isnt surprising as nearly half of the class has at least one parent who is either a teacher, head teacher, university lecturer or teaching assistant.
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#6
Hi all
I am a secondary school teacher of Geography in the West Midlands and its has been anything but a holiday. I have to set all kS3 the one lesson a week they have as well as the two a week for year 10. In turn there has been a steady flow of work send back to me via email or other platforms that I log and usually send a comment back to parents. There has also been explanation done by the head of department on a camera which is recorded so kids can better understand what we are trying to teach them in our absence. Kids have also got revision guides they can be getting on with for KS4 as well as homework set for all groups on Seneca which is a learning platform. A steady reply of work usually from the same kids, some kids as already has been stated cannot access it due to lack of laptop or internet so the have to have paper copies ect sent. 
I know the creator of this thread did not want another debate on the rights and wrongs of schools being closed, but I can assure anyone who thinks this is a holiday for us they can think again. On top of the setting of work and occasional visits to the school to look after the kids who have to attend. I have attended stacks of online courses in a variety of different topics to further my knowledge, as we get little time to do this when at school, as well as attend stacks of virtual meetings with my team and others on teams. And of course I have already planned most of my lessons for next half term, should we go back as these have to be made or modified to be improved with the ever changing aspect of teaching, such as the push on explanation, as these do not appear in a room that we  just go into and get. Anyone used to planning lessons will know that a solid lesson to fully stretch and challenge all abilities can take several hours to plan.
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#7
I'm a network manager in a secondary school. We use Google classroom and have given the students around 4hrs a day with some lighter days. They're being contacted if they're not submitting work and their parents receive a summary via email. My son is in year 10 and his school have used Office365 with a custom front end. He's had a similar amount of work. They've asked the kids to maintain the timetable as far as possible - he even has his break and lunch at the normal time. Fridays are much quieter.
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#8
Aye Fridays have definitely become more a part of a 3 day weekend for ours.
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#9
Think our school email stuff through. Mrs CIM has been dealing with it all while I'm locked upstairs working. They seem to spend a couple of hours per day on it. Speaking to others and their kids (primary school) aren't doing any school work. The teachers have called once to check how our 2 kids are. I did help out my eldest today with his football quiz for his weekly Zoom get together with his local team. Priorities  Big Grin
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#10
My daughter in law is a teacher. She said wryly, " a lot of parents are finding out it wasn't the teacher after all...."
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