22 Foxhole East

Porridgecat

Not moving students between sets is a school decision. I'm cursing because they've moved lots of ours and now their books are all in the wrong sets and places.
I also had the youg@v survey with questions about school day length. The people who are asking that don't understand much about education. It is not the act off sitting in a desk that helps students acquire learning and skills so simply increasing the time they do that does not help them catch up. If they really want students to catch up they need to fund extra curricular classes and activities, education professionals and smaller class sizes. But they won't because they don't really care about children or young people or education, if they did it would already be properly funded. (okay I'll get off my soapbox now)

badmemory

f0xh0les said:

Just checked the bank balance, and I have a C-19 support payment of £500 from the Tax Credit people.  I quite like this not being eligible - when I was in receipt  I got £7.08 a week. Now I am not, I have received £500 a week. Ok, it has only been a week, but still. I just got 18 months worth in one go.  

Isn't the qualifying date 2nd March so at least they shouldn't come asking for it back!

ChasingtheWelshdream

I feel for your DS being frustrated and I hope the school do assign sets appropriately. You've done amazingly with them over lockdown and it shows. I'm really rather envious.

This may sound like a rant, but it isn't intended at anyone on here.  I'm just really raw from a 'friend' boasting about all the amazing homeschool opportunities they had and how amazing they found the whole experience - and that she felt sorry for the kids whose parents couldn't be bothered, and how it really shows now they are back.

Please spare a thought for the parents who have given tooth and nail to homeschool but despite everything, their children are way behind.

We spent a fortune on technology & resources, working crazy hours - 4am starts, midnight finishes to fit around school, going without so they didn't, but despite that, all our DS did very little work and are now probably holding their classes back. DS1 has gone from the top of his year to the bottom of his class. We look like the family that didn't bother. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the result is the same.

Bad parenting? Bad children-ing? Bad schooling? All three? Or just that whilst trying to hold down full-time jobs, and an 8 year old who would regularly have day-long tantrums over writing a single sentence - with us sitting for literally hours at a time trying to encourage/cajole/bribe/glue to the chair. A 10 year old who is challenging at the best of times and under assessment for ADHD, who would submit the bare minimum - 5 minutes, days work done, couldn't care less, full-on meltdown at any further attempts. And a 13 year old who was emotionally on the floor, not speaking or seeing anyone his own age for 3 months and unable to find the motivation to even get dressed most days. In the end it was an impossible task. And we beat our selves up every single day - often in tears (me and DH) with sheer frustration and lack of support available. Whilst also digesting the regular emails from primary school about possible doorstep visits from Social Services and the POLICE no less, should children not be engaging appropriately. That messed with my head.

The shocking thing was, come parents evening, we discovered that DS1 had not submitted a single piece of work. Not one, despite us thinking he had. Even worse, it took until March for the school to mention it. He had been tipped for the Gifted and Talented programme, yet they didn't once think to see how he was. Yesterday DS2 came home with a certificate of completion for completing his THRIVE intervention - er no, he had 3 sessions at school, then an email each week of homeschool with suggested tasks, none of which he would engage with. That is not completing a course, that is not offering support, not at all. But as far as the school/LA are concerned, the box has been ticked, big pat on the back.

Sorry, that really is a rant isn't it. But definitely aimed at our LA, not here.

f0xh0les

Wow @ChasingtheWelshdream.   I know that, relatively, I had it easy over lockdown.  

I don't have a job or income to worry about losing,  DH was home and safe (he still barely leaves the house even once a fortnight now!) and he had his work to keep him vaguely distracted, and he was going to have a job to go back to.  Never even entered the equation that it wouldn't.   So I was there to take over the role as The Teacher - if I were trying to hold down a job as well, there would probably have been brandy in the kids cocoa at night! 

Having 4 kids close in age, they always have someone to play computer games with, and mostly they rubbed along together quite nicely - they take it in turn to be a toad, and it is very rare that there are 2 toads at once,  so they really weren't particularly bothered about the whole lockdown thing -it was like being in Ireland visiting the old people (but without the old people).  Nothing to do, nowhere to go, just something to get through.  They were utterly unfazed by the whole thing - not one tear or tantrum out of them about covid.  No fears, no anxiety, they just rolled with it after we watched zombie films.  But then again they are chilled out laid back kids -good in a pandemic, not so good when you want them motivated !  DH on the other hand is still pretty much a complete basket case.

But when the school work started, and one got every second of the school day planned out,  and three got 20 minutes a week and a list of 20 minute 'documentaries' on UT00b (or horrible histories)  that might help them in future, well the arguments in this house were huge!    Combined with puberty that for some reason DS3 and 4 are starting at the same time (20 months between them).

It was only very late on that DS1 and DS2 had any kind of proper formal teaching. Their exam results are going to be a work of fiction.

I just thought the school might have had a bit of experience with kids who have had to have some time off school due to illness, or bereavement, or something, that they would have some magic plan for catching kids up a bit.  But there is nothing and a huge gap between the kids that is not based on ability, and I really fear it is going to get wider if it is not addressed.

They seem to be more concerned with the mental health of the kids - even the ones who are fine - poor DS2 gets in the car most days and the first words to fall from his lips (after Hello! - he is a toad, not a monster) are,' Don't ask me how I am or how I am feeling or I will scream'.  He is being PSHE'd to death on a daily basis.   Bludgeoned with Mindfulness.   Stressed out with visualisations.

So today off I went and took the kids to school, got a text asking me to come in to volunteer for a couple of hours at lunchtime, and then I trawled the c/shops for clothes for DS1 and DS2, the amazing growing boys.   DS1 has a  lovely soft blue  hoody, nothing else fit him,  DS2 has 2 pairs of jeans that fit really well, 3 T shirts, and a black sweatshirt for PE so he now has a black tracksuit and black T Shirt. Sadly I have 2 pairs of jeans and a hoody that need to go back - hope they accept them - the sizing is utterly wrong on them.

I bought me a couple of things, and I am looking forward to trying them on later tonight.  DH is gaming with his mates online, so I have the living room to myself, and I can go and try stuff on in the bedroom.  I mostly (95%) wear black by choice. I love black, but I have gone a little bit wild with 2 things that are kind of floaty trouser/dresses in COLOUR.  I mean colour that is not sludgy green or black.  Anyway, my evening is planned out with football and  fashion on Friday.

Also got a pair of brand new running leggings the next size down from the ones I have, as I know if I lose the weight I lost before - then I needed a smaller pair as I kept having to pull them up (not a good look).

DS3 announced he needs new school shoes and new trainers as his feet have grown. So this weekend will involve shoe shopping with a 13 year old boy.  I think that was the 9th circle of hell.

Step-Gran rang me, she has had the 2nd jab yesterday, and was fishing for information.. but then just decided to be nasty.  As far as she is concerned, if her hairdresser can come to the house, then so can I .   Thanks! 

What makes them think that ringing up and being nasty makes someone want to come and visit them????  Mad old bat.

kerri_gt

@ChasingtheWelshdream we don't have children and I wfh before the world went crazy, OH is site based so his working day hasn't changed as such so by all accounts on paper we've had it easy but omg, have I struggled at times through this lockdown. Proper days where I've gone to bed not caring whether I woke up the next day or not, mornings where it was a struggle to get out of bed let alone log on for work, days where I had no idea how I'd get to the next one. 

Put into perspective parents who were trying to manage homeschooling,  and job (or not jobs) and i take my hat off to every single one who has just made it through without selling one or more members of their family to the travelling circus,  or run off to join it themselves. 

Parents are not teachers (well some are but ykwim), and if us as adults struggle with all this,  why is there some expectation that the kids wouldn't. One of my friends said so long as one of hers did a bit of work in the morning,  or attempted to, or didn't, and they did some constructive play in the afternoon, that in her opinion was fine. Better that than mummy become a raging alcoholic. 

I have a notion so called 'friend' may be looking back with some rose tinted specs and glossing over some huffs and tantrums, but if not, well great for them, bravo...but it's not a competition and pride comes before a fall as they say.

You did your best and that's all you should measure yourself against. Some of the top people in their chosen fields were not top of their classes and everyone has sort of been in the same boat this past year. Think of all those kids during war years who missed out on schooling,  we didn't then crumble as a nation of the uneducated when they grew up.

Sometimes kids actually need a shock to get the boot up the bum they need, going from top to bottom for a period may do that...a life lesson in itself. 

Don't beat yourself up, lockdown isn't a competition to make #memories X

f0xh0les

and no matter what, we survived it thus far....some were not so lucky.

Why would your friend even say what a lovely pandemic she had while folks were finding out their family members were no more?

Are you certain she wasn't hit on the head by a  falling coconut?

ChasingtheWelshdream

f0xh0les said:

and no matter what, we survived it thus far....some were not so lucky.

Why would your friend even say what a lovely pandemic she had while folks were finding out their family members were no more?

Are you certain she wasn't hit on the head by a  falling coconut?

Lol, that last comment literally made my day!!! Thanks for making me feel better. 😆😆😆

Looby_Lou

I get so fed up of the "bright ideas" that come out for getting the kids to catch up!  Longer school days would be a nightmare in my school, most of our kids spend up to an hour in a taxi just to get to school.  They already leave before 7.30 and don't get home until 4.30, they struggle with finding hte time for homework, during the last lockdown we had about 75% attendence so for most of ours the lockdown didn't affect their schooling!  Why should they be made to work during the holidays?

badmemory

The only answer is smaller classes not longer school days.  My father (he'd be over 100 now) always used to say the larger the class the greater number of times you had to teach something.  That is the advantage fee paying schools have, they have much smaller classes, the kids aren't any more clever, just their parents have more money.  This gov certainly isn't going to pay for smaller classes so they have to try to come up with a fudge.

ETA  -  I don't know if things have changed but teachers did not used to be paid for the holidays, just term time added up & divided by 12 to make a monthly payment.  So more costs for the LA because I really can't see this gov coughing up for the extra.

VintageHistorian

It would help if so many local libraries hadn't been forced to close or drastically cut their opening hours. For so many families they are a vital source of both PC and internet time, and children's non-fiction books for homework purposes. And yet when council budgets are slashed they're one of the first things to go because "you can buy books cheaply on Amazon". They also used to be the home of cheap or even free holiday events and reading challenges. If you need to play catch up with children's education then giving them access to resources they can take home and peruse at their leisure is essential, backed up by trained library staff that know how to get the right book for the situation.

I'd also love to see better provision for adult learning, as this is going to be essential in the next decade. I've read Mass Observation Archive collections from WW2 and the immediate post-war era, and several of the writers are involved in groups and charities that organise lectures and classes for adults. I feel like the same opportunities aren't available nowadays, particularly in rural areas, unless you join the Women's Institute (and in my local one I'm the youngest member by a good decade or so) or a U3A group (also generally full of oldies) you'd have to pay a couple of hundred pounds for a class at a local college, which again is beyond the financial scope of many of the people that these classes could help.

But sadly we have a government who thinks that if you can't make money out of something then it isn't worth keeping. They know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, and it's going to affect an entire generation of young people.