Is there a lockdown at all?

[Protheroe]

It's a month or two to get things under control. Not ever. Really from a common-sense point of view a short term choice between saving lives and getting the economy on its feet I can't see the other side of the argument.

Most kids (including mine) have gone almost nine months without formal education. By the end of this it will probably be a year.

Common sense suggests that's a major issue.

[baggy1]

It's a month or two to get things under control. Not ever. Really from a common-sense point of view a short term choice between saving lives and getting the economy on its feet I can't see the other side of the argument.

Most kids (including mine) have gone almost nine months without formal education. By the end of this it will probably be a year.

Common sense suggests that's a major issue.

So why don't you think redoing the year would be a good idea? You seem to think they need it otherwise they will be disadvantaged, so why not?

And to counter that we obviously have the logistics of adding a whole year of students to the 'school age' groups without being able to physically expand schools or increase required teachers to keep classroom sizes down, but surely there should be some approach that gives your kids the education that they have missed.

[baggiebuckster]

It's a month or two to get things under control. Not ever. Really from a common-sense point of view a short term choice between saving lives and getting the economy on its feet I can't see the other side of the argument.

Most kids (including mine) have gone almost nine months without formal education. By the end of this it will probably be a year.

Common sense suggests that's a major issue.

So why don't you think redoing the year would be a good idea? You seem to think they need it otherwise they will be disadvantaged, so why not?

And to counter that we obviously have the logistics of adding a whole year of students to the 'school age' groups without being able to physically expand schools or increase required teachers to keep classroom sizes down, but surely there should be some approach that gives your kids the education that they have missed.

So what about kids in the last year of Primary? Do they carry on to Secondary school or redo their final Primary year? It is a big jump at the best of times.

[baggy1]

It's a month or two to get things under control. Not ever. Really from a common-sense point of view a short term choice between saving lives and getting the economy on its feet I can't see the other side of the argument.

Most kids (including mine) have gone almost nine months without formal education. By the end of this it will probably be a year.

Common sense suggests that's a major issue.

So why don't you think redoing the year would be a good idea? You seem to think they need it otherwise they will be disadvantaged, so why not?

And to counter that we obviously have the logistics of adding a whole year of students to the 'school age' groups without being able to physically expand schools or increase required teachers to keep classroom sizes down, but surely there should be some approach that gives your kids the education that they have missed.

So what about kids in the last year of Primary? Do they carry on to Secondary school or redo their final Primary year? It is a big jump at the best of times.

This would mean all kids to redo the year that have missed so if they were the last year of primary then they stay there for a year. This is an acorn of an idea not a fully fledged policy but something that should have been thought about months ago when we knew this was going to be a problem with plans / contingencies drawn up.

[Protheroe]

So why don't you think redoing the year would be a good idea? You seem to think they need it otherwise they will be disadvantaged, so why not?

I'm not saying I don't.

The logistical challenge would be nightmare. Getting engagement from those most in need of formal education would be horrendous.

[baggiebuckster]

It's a month or two to get things under control. Not ever. Really from a common-sense point of view a short term choice between saving lives and getting the economy on its feet I can't see the other side of the argument.

Most kids (including mine) have gone almost nine months without formal education. By the end of this it will probably be a year.

Common sense suggests that's a major issue.

So why don't you think redoing the year would be a good idea? You seem to think they need it otherwise they will be disadvantaged, so why not?

And to counter that we obviously have the logistics of adding a whole year of students to the 'school age' groups without being able to physically expand schools or increase required teachers to keep classroom sizes down, but surely there should be some approach that gives your kids the education that they have missed.

So what about kids in the last year of Primary? Do they carry on to Secondary school or redo their final Primary year? It is a big jump at the best of times.

This would mean all kids to redo the year that have missed so if they were the last year of primary then they stay there for a year. This is an acorn of an idea not a fully fledged policy but something that should have been thought about months ago when we knew this was going to be a problem with plans / contingencies drawn up.

I can see the sense to some extent but we are now in a position where we are not one thing or another. The schools (at least the secondary my lad goes to) are doing their very best to provide online education and I can't be critical of them. My lad whilst clearly missing school has fully embraced this and I am very proud of him for this attitude. The problem is he finds it all a bit too easy as the lessons are trying to cater for every class member so some people are flying ahead and others are lagging behind. This has all been triggered by the measures introduced when they were in school but had to remain within form groups to prevent mixing etc. If the year was then needed to be repeated it may benefit some but it would bore others to tears. No easy solution to this I know and I don't have an answer - just reporting it from the side of the coin as I see it with my own kids.

[baggy1]

So why don't you think redoing the year would be a good idea? You seem to think they need it otherwise they will be disadvantaged, so why not?

I'm not saying I don't.

The logistical challenge would be nightmare. Getting engagement from those most in need of formal education would be horrendous.

Agreed on both counts but if there hadn't been a 'we'll be ok if we ignore it' approach then we would have looked into viability, potential enablers and logistics. The reactionary approach to everything in this pandemic has been the reason why we are so far ahead of other similar countries in all the measurements we don't want to be and vice versa.

---

I can see the sense to some extent but we are now in a position where we are not one thing or another. The schools (at least the secondary my lad goes to) are doing their very best to provide online education and I can't be critical of them. My lad whilst clearly missing school has fully embraced this and I am very proud of him for this attitude. The problem is he finds it all a bit too easy as the lessons are trying to cater for every class member so some people are flying ahead and others are lagging behind. This has all been triggered by the measures introduced when they were in school but had to remain within form groups to prevent mixing etc. If the year was then needed to be repeated it may benefit some but it would bore others to tears. No easy solution to this I know and I don't have an answer - just reporting it from the side of the coin as I see it with my own kids.

I can see all of that BB and you're right, from where we are it would be impossible. And here is another frustration of mine throughout this - the lack of foresight, this nation has managed to overcome major problems in the past, our armed forces are seen as a leading light in logistics, we always had a plan to work through something. We seem to have lost that ability and look constantly at the next headline or short term answer. 

Rant over.

[Spandaubaggie]

It's a month or two to get things under control. Not ever. Really from a common-sense point of view a short term choice between saving lives and getting the economy on its feet I can't see the other side of the argument.

Most kids (including mine) have gone almost nine months without formal education. By the end of this it will probably be a year.

Common sense suggests that's a major issue.

Being a year behind education wise or deaths galore of their grandparents?

FWIW my daughter had severe anxiety problems which meant she barely attended school in year 8 and 9. We got private help and she ended up with, despite missing probably 18 months off school, very good GCSEs. She is now flying at her first year A'levels and her teachers expect she will get grades good enough to ensure she does a recognised degree at a Russell Group Uni.

That was without 18 months education.

OK, she's from a stable family, with both of us fairly decently educated, (both doing it ourselves in adulthood) but it shows we all develop at our own levels and the constant over-emphasis on testing and pushy parents squealing about league tables does my bonce in.

The education argument is, my common-sense would suggest, ridiculously flimsy compared to possibly 50,000 more deaths.

[Fido]

It's a month or two to get things under control. Not ever. Really from a common-sense point of view a short term choice between saving lives and getting the economy on its feet I can't see the other side of the argument.

Most kids (including mine) have gone almost nine months without formal education. By the end of this it will probably be a year.

Common sense suggests that's a major issue.

So why don't you think redoing the year would be a good idea? You seem to think they need it otherwise they will be disadvantaged, so why not?

And to counter that we obviously have the logistics of adding a whole year of students to the 'school age' groups without being able to physically expand schools or increase required teachers to keep classroom sizes down, but surely there should be some approach that gives your kids the education that they have missed.

Struggling universities would also miss a year of revenue from UK-based kids, I guess, and if you did include uni students you'd have a year of people not in the job market. Keep as is, use public and private resources to help get kids on-line and make allowances for the difference in education provided.

[Birdman1811]

Problem with redoing a year.

My son is already a year ahead of his peers, all lockdown did was let his peers catch up somewhat, and in Maths (like his Dad) He was several years ahead, and still is. Hold him back a year, he'll end up disconnected from education as I was being made to work at the pace of people less capable as me.

This is why age based grouping is stupid by the way.