Worried about your children's home learning? Don't be - thanks to tireless teachers, the youngsters will be fine

 Many parents are worried for their youngsters' education, but thanks to tireless efforts by teachers, they needn't be.

When schools up and down the country closed their doors on January 5 to all except children of critical workers and vulnerable children, parents gave a collective shudder.

After all, having children is challenging enough at the best of times, but when they're at home all day, every day, and you have to supervise their education, it's almost impossible.

Learning in a different setting: Lily Evans, a pupil at Cornerstone Academy, Devon, studies at home

Learning in a different setting: Lily Evans, a pupil at Cornerstone Academy, Devon, studies at home

As father-of-two Errol Murray, from Leeds, says: 'There's a reason that teaching is a paid profession.

'The idea of taking care of children and getting an idea into their heads at the same time as working a full-time job is very difficult, and to achieve this with no training is basically a non-starter.'

No wonder many parents were worried about the impact of the closure on their child's education and academic progress.

Errol Murray admits that home schooling his two children alongside working full time is hard

Errol Murray admits that home schooling his two children alongside working full time is hard 

However, since the March 2020 lockdown, schools have hugely improved the remote learning opportunities they provide for students.

First time around – like everyone else – they were caught by surprise, and had to rapidly develop strategies to help educate children at home. By this January, they were better prepared.

Janey Cooksley, headteacher of Briar Hill Primary School in Northampton

Janey Cooksley, headteacher of Briar Hill Primary School in Northampton

Janey Cooksley, headteacher of Briar Hill Primary School in Northampton, and her team had spent months creating a full academic year's worth of booklets covering all the academic subjects for years one to six.

'By September 1, they were all preloaded onto Google Classroom. For those children who had online access, everything was ready, and for those who didn't, hard copies of the booklets could be posted out,' says Janey.

So when schools closed in January, all Janey's pupils, and those in the 22 other primaries in her trust, could immediately benefit.

'As well as the booklets, we have teacher videos or voiceovers, which help explain the lessons and tasks, and our teachers and teaching assistants have weekly calls with each family to check in and see how everyone is coping. It's our moral duty.'

Each school is doing things slightly differently with some providing four or five hours of live lessons a day for pupils, while others encourage more independent learning.

Most record the lessons that are later available to pupils, while teachers are on hand to answer any questions or help with any difficulties.

And schools are now being supported by the EdTech demonstrator school and college network, which involves experts helping them get the best out of the technology available.

Around half of Emma Marshall, head of Havelock Academy secondary school

Around half of Emma Marshall, head of Havelock Academy secondary school 

But not every child has access to a computer or wi-fi – something schools and the Government are keenly aware of. Schools can support their disadvantaged pupils through the Government's £400 million scheme to provide access to technology.

Around half of Emma Marshall's pupils are classed as disadvantaged. The head of Havelock Academy secondary school in Grimsby carried out an audit to assess what tech each student had, and provided a device to those in need.

Teachers then produced 'how to' guides to help pupils use their tech and, for ease, made sure a click-through to their remote learning website was clearly available on the school home page.

'We've also provided paper packs of work for those who are really struggling to access everything online,' says Emma.

Now children have live-streamed lessons to complement their set work. 'Other times we've got our 'cheer-up' videos that the staff filmed to say, 'We're still here, we're still missing you, we want you to see our faces and our smiles because we are here for you'.'

Ben Evans, whose daughters Lily, nine, and Poppy, four, go to the Cornerstone Academy in Devon says he is grateful for the efforts the school is making to help pupils feel connected

Ben Evans, whose daughters Lily, nine, and Poppy, four, go to the Cornerstone Academy in Devon says he is grateful for the efforts the school is making to help pupils feel connected 

Increasingly, parents are recognising the huge efforts schools have made to teach their children remotely.

Ben Evans, whose daughters Lily, nine, and Poppy, four, go to the Cornerstone Academy in Devon, says: 'I feel incredibly grateful to the school for the kids being able to still be in touch with their teachers every day and see their friends on screen. It keeps their routine – I really feel like it maintains a sense of normality.'

WANT TO HELP YOUR CHILD BUT FEEL OUT OF YOUR DEPTH? TOP EXPERTS TELL YOU HOW

Andrew suggests creating a designated space for children to work

Andrew suggests creating a designated space for children to work

Andrew Truby, executive head of three primary schools around Sheffield

'Having a defined space for children to work in is important – somewhere to sit with the things they need around them.

'Don't judge your efforts against other people's. Sometimes on social media people portray this perfect world – remind yourself that's not real life.

'Keep the structure of the school day and give them lots of breaks so children aren't sitting for five hours solid.'

Amy Wood, principal of Mossbourne Riverside Academy in East London

Amy Wood, principal of Mossbourne Riverside Academy in East London

Amy Wood, principal of Mossbourne Riverside Academy in East London

'Keep it as simple as possible – don't use lots of flashy or clever add-ons or overcomplicate the day. Keep to the key concepts you want to teach. Allow your children to be as independent as possible – that's really important to build their resilience and teach them that mistakes are part of learning.

'If your child is struggling to engage remotely, encourage them to watch for ten minutes and try to build that up over the week, rewarding them for the time they have managed. All lessons are posted afterwards, so they can catch up.

'Provide children with lots of physical activities such as long walks or cycle rides – it helps keep them mentally healthy. They'll be able to focus much better if they've had those physical breaks'.

Janey Cooksley, headteacher of Briar Hill Primary School in Northamptonshire

'Remember this is a short-term situation, and in the end the children will catch up evenif they temporarily fall behind. Just do what you physically can.

'Reading is important – building fluency and a love of reading unlocks doors to everything else.

'Let children socialise. They thrive through interaction, so book FaceTime sessions, plan online family games or virtual play dates so they get to see their friends.'

Emma Marshall, headteacher of Havelock Academy in Grimsby

Emma suggests thinking of ways to complement the work set by your child's school

Emma suggests thinking of ways to complement the work set by your child's school

'Reward your children – praise goes a long way. It doesn't have to be physical rewards, it can just be a 'well done'.

'Don't try to do everything at once or complete everything that the school is setting. Nobody is going to tell you you're doing a terrible job.

'If you want to complement their learning, ask your teachers where best to find things that are helpful. BBC Bitesize is really good. And there's so much they can learn on YouTube.'

Dr Kate Mason, child psychologist, says staying calm is essential

Dr Kate Mason, child psychologist, says staying calm is essential 

Dr Kate Mason, child psychologist

'Come from a place of calm – younger children especially take their lead from us, and if they're calm, they're more able to learn. 'Remember, kids will push your buttons, so take a break. There's no point to home-learning if you're both feeling frustrated.'

Stevie Goulding, helpline co-manager for child mental health charity YoungMinds

'Remote learning can be incredibly challenging for parents, so it's really important to be kind to yourself and make space for alone time.

'Break up the work – set small amounts throughout the day to help them feel less overwhelmed. And personalise it – use their toys to help them add and subtract.'

PARENTS SHOULDN'T BE SO HARD ON THEMSELVES – THEY'RE DOING THEIR BEST

Dr Gavin Morgan is an educational psychologist at University College London

Dr Gavin Morgan is an educational psychologist at University College London

Dr Gavin Morgan is an educational psychologist at University College London. He says:

'This is a really tough time for parents. They feel pressurised to be teachers, but they're not and it's difficult, if not impossible, to replicate school in the home. They're doing their best and need to lower their expectations and take some of the pressure off.

'Wellbeing should be their focus rather than facts. Children can catch up and learn stuff at another time, but if their wellbeing and mental health is affected, that's a lot harder.

'So, be child-led. If your child isn't happy, there's no point. Teachers know this – it's one of the first things they learn in training college and they have methods to deal with it. Parents don't. Teachers will distract the child and try to refocus them. Parents should take the child away from the situation – have a walk in the park or a kickabout in the garden – rather than try to hammer home what a verb is. Otherwise, they'll end up in confrontation and the worst thing you can do is damage your relationship with your child – it's very difficult to come back and rebuild.

'Remember, your children are feeling emotions and uncertainties that are totally normal – this situation has been thrust upon us and there's no manual. It's natural to feel daunted. So, be open and honest with your child but also hopeful – tell them vaccines are on their way and there's light at the end of the tunnel.

'Try to focus on being together and celebrating that – this can be a magical time for children to be with their parents, and I think we'll look back in a few years and say, 'Wasn't that a good time?'

'But remember: you're not alone and don't be afraid to seek support from other parents – everyone is feeling this.'

EXTRA SUPPORT FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN

As not every pupil has access to technology, the UK Government has:

■ Invested more than £400 million to support youngsters with access to technology, including providing 1.3 million laptops and tablets.

■ Teamed up with leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families until July 2021.

■ Provided 54,000 4G wireless routers, with free data for the academic year, to help children access remote education and vital social care services.

For more guidance on remote learning and support for mental health and wellbeing, visit gov.uk/coronavirus-remote-learning

1 comment:

  1. What a truly horrible article. I am a teacher right now and I can saw for certain this is full of lies.

    No child benefits from being on a computer all day. We are seeing numerous problems with students having issues of depression, anxiety and lack of motivation as they are working online. The online teaching needs to go. Parents were right to worry and be upset and only a liar would just advise anyone to sit back and trust that it is being worked out.

    Teachers are working overtime only in the hopes that next year, we can have students back in class and start rebuilding. We are holding the line so that the schools do not collapse, but the entire situation is unsustainable and everyone knows it. Parents need to be much more vocal towards their legislators in demanding schools fully re-open.

    No matter what, we are going to have a generation of kids that is not college ready in a few short years. It will not be the students who were in high school in 2020; they already know the basics of how to study even if they will miss some instruction. But younger students will not know how to study. You can talk to any teacher and they will tell you that they have to accept lower quality of work from students because there is not the time to give in person feedback to these students. The article cites all of the lessons being pre-loaded onto google this year as its main evidence that schools now have this down. It is absurd to think parents can relax because of that.

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