Public Forums

As DS does not find homework easy wondering how doing work provided at home will work. Thinking around ideas in preparation.

Sounds a nightmare to me - glad my children are older - though I do fancy self isolating for myself as I’m feeling a bit frazzled at the moment! CLR1 - nice to see you back and hear an update xx

I am at the other end of the spectrum. One of my daughters is really struggling with anxiety and stress right now and weeks off school would be incredibly helpful for her.

Clr1 I feel for you.

AD very upset and angry today - at home with a cold (not Covid 19 symptoms), but not allowed back to school this week (understandable in the circumstances) and school has now decided to close from Friday. Rudeness worse than has been for a long time, reflecting her difficulties in managing change, uncertainty and lack of control over circumstances. Have said that structure for the day is needed, or at least a list of things to be done including one outdoor activity, and I have devised a list of chores in the house to choose from in case of boredom (plan and cook a meal, defrost the freezer etc etc). Hasn't gone down well, but I think it will help as the weeks pass. Have also been together to HobbyCraft and spent a great deal of money on things to do.... and renewed our subscription to Listening Books (an online audio library for people with reading difficulties eg dyslexia). Mood has lifted a bit and signs of acceptance.

Would really like to hear that others are doing, what works etc as the restrictions start to affect your families.

https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/135609/list-of-education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions/

I found this on twitter yesterday. Haven’t gone through it yet!

I have one in uni 3 hours away whose face to face lectures have ended and whose exams are cancelled. They’ll be replaced by assessments but it’s all a bit woolly atm. He doesn’t seem to know whether he’s coming or going.

Middly is y11 so it’s gcse year for him. School have sent home a load of past papers for science and I’ve stocked up on revision books. He’s doing art so has his final piece to prep for and present. Not sure how any of this will work yet.

DD is y9 - school have sent home a pack of work to be done should schools close - I’m sure they will soon. She’ll hate it. She’s PDA so very demand avoidant so will need careful management. She’s quite the expert now on hair tossing, eye rolling and muttering at me through her teeth!

Having both (ASD) kids home, along with hubby who’s now working from home doesn’t exactly fill me with joy ... but I’ve warned the kids that they’re not on holiday and they will be working. Having hubby around 24/7 will drive me potty!

I’ll be the one stocking up on gin in the supermarket!! And fingers crossed no shortage of methylphenidate for middly and his adhd!

I may not be able help but at least we can sympathise and support each other during this time. It is helpful to hear of similar problems to here, not sure if due to the unrest or other circumstances which have arisen recently. Think we have PDA here-hopefully ASD assessment on Friday if they do not close in meantime. Also the ADHD medication which is only used on school days made me think we will need to use this when has to work from home.

Thanks for the link too Donatella, anything on technology stands a greater chance of working.

https://www.senecalearning.com

Teachers have recommended this as well.

For anyone doing Macbeth ... it’s available on Amazon Prime.

Hi everyone, just checking in on this thread as until a year ago I was a single adopter and am also home educating my children. We have popped a few education resources that people have suggested to us on a page on our website here: https://www.adoptionuk.org/education-learning-resources and we will be adding to this list. Obviously this is a fast-moving situation and our entire staff is suddenly working from home, so please bear with us, but we are working to get some ideas, resources and help up there. In the meantime, if you don't already, perhaps follow the Twitter account I run - @AUK_Schools - and I'll also try to be more of a presence on the forums in the next few weeks.

For fellow Welshies - schools closed from Friday at the latest! Wish me luck ??

I think English schools will close this week. I'm now working at home for the foreseeable future

Monday felt very grim - I had lots of emails cancelling events for which I had tickets, holiday to Wales at Easter cancelled. My parents are quite vulnerable but not local, I'm glad I sent Simba up to see them at half term

Will check that Macbeth link out thanks Donatella

Simba is OKish, devastated at the probable loss of his great post GCSE summer.

I have just been up to my local shops, there is a lot of community effort going on to support vulnerable people, I think we will emerge from this into a changed world but hopefully this re-emergence of community will be a positive outcome

I have been away from the forums for lots of reasons but up for a daily check in.

Stay safe everyone

Yes, a great deal of community effort here too, but the supermarket was still bare when I went early evening.... no carrots but managed to snaffle one of the last remaining bottles of gin. Going into work tomorrow morning, probably the last time for a long time, and leaving AD at home. Have been discussing today the potential dangers of combining cooking with the distractions of a mobile phone (and not helped by stopping ADHD medication). It's not long since that combination nearly set her hair on fire - fortunately I was at home then.

Really haven't enjoyed working at home this week - I miss the company. The school is trying to sort out arrangements for remote working next week, but think will take a while before in hand. Have relaxed my usual rules on electronic devices, which are going to be really important for AD who doesn't have any friends living nearby (her lovely specialist school is some 30 miles away).

I heard that schools were going to be open for vulnerable children as including those with EHCPs so that might help for some of the time (if it really is the case and not “fake news”)

Yes schools will be open for children with EHCPs, might not be your school though

Simba's school called this morning to ask if he would be in next week but as he is the only year 11 with an EHCP he won't go.

He is absolutely devastated about his exams, he has worked so hard and come such a long way in the last 8 years it seems particularly unfair.

Its also dawned on him that he will be stuck with me for a very long time. If none of his planned summer activities go ahead I'm looking at the best part of 6 months with an unmotivated, peed off teenager with nothing to do and no focus.

Schools closed across the board here so I’ll have two home for the foreseeable future - along with hubby. Eldest not sure yet whether he’ll be here or with his gf. As they come as a pair, if he’s here so will she!

My lad is planning to go back to do his As. We know he’ll be fine with Art as he’s predicted at least an A and he already has his maths but was aiming for a higher grade so resitting. He has the grade to be able to do A level maths. Physics might be more of an issue ... he’ll miss his first ever prom, he’ll miss his awards evening - he’d be getting an award. In all likelihood our summer holiday won’t be happening. My mum is in her 80s and resisting total self isolating - getting her hair cut tomorrow regardless!

It’s going to be a trying time

Well, various school teachers decided to email large amounts of PDF documents to AD - supposedly a work pack. But no structure, timetable or expected deadlines.... AD has serious problems with organisation (or executive functioning as the professionals like to call it) and has spent a happy day alone horizontal on the sofa, TV on, junk food in one hand and mobile phone in the other. OK, I wouldn't mind the odd day doing that myself, but the reality for AD is that she needs much, much more structure from the school if anything is going to happen during term time while remote schooling. Had a long chat with her tutor about this on return home, who agreed to pass this on, and has subsequently arranged a tutor group session at 8.45am much to my daughter's horror...! Also pointed out that I don't actually have a printer a home.

On the plus side, AD was really relaxed and happy when I returned home, and even helped clear up after dinner without the usual complaints.

Well teachers seem to have been given the most hated profession award judging by our local social media posts, even to the point of being told the NHS should be closed to them! The reality is that despite being a TA on £9 an hour (glad to have paid work), leaving my 15 year old at home (she refuses to go in, I'm a single parent), I have been frantically helping to write interactive self study packs (teachers have had to create these at short notice for nearly 800 students at my school just to get them started) and will be giving very small group support to those SEND children who stay in school next week (beyond my contracted hours). And over the Easter holidays when I'm not paid because many staff are self isolating. And I will be contacting our SEND students regularly to make sure they are as OK as they can be. Oh and I have two classes I teach that I will be sending more learning packs to when I have created them. And monitoring and marking the work they email me.

Why didn't we prepare all this earlier? Because last week we had an Ofsted visit.

So sorry clr1 if the work pack falls below expected standards. Perhaps when teachers have the chance they will be able to put more structure, timetables and deadlines in place as I will be doing long after my paid hours have finished this weekend. I may even get chance to help my own daughter organise her work, but not during school hours...

Yes, we are all under strain at the moment, including teaching staff... I've discussed with AD's excellent tutor, and he is going to divide up the various work packs into some form of structure for next week, which is really helpful not least as I now have to go into work (part of the COVID19 response). Am hoping that AD will be able to go to her school after Easter - aside from her EHCP and my likely designation as a key worker - I am worried about letting the world in via the internet for a bored 15 year old as the months go on.

Take care everyone - this is a difficult time for us all.

Hello, long time, no post. How is everyone coping with lockdown life? It’s felt a bit like enforced funnelling in our house, with no meaningful contact with anyone in our support network.

The bizarre thing is, though, that, without the pressures of school, nursery, extra-curricular activities and the general keeping-up-with-the-Joneses busyness of life, we’re all much happier in the Libertas household!

I’m writing this not to be smug but to reflect on the fact that only a few short weeks ago, I posted in distress and at the end of my rope about my belief that my relationship with my elder daughter had broken down to such an extent, that I feared a Section 20 would be the only outcome. I was utterly broken.

Now, I’m not claiming that life is currently as saccharine sweet as an episode of The Walton’s, but there is more than a glimmer of hope and we are slowly repairing some of the fault-lines that has become gaping chasms and fractured our little family.

I’m curious to know if anyone else is experiencing a similarly positive effect on family relationships during this national lockdown?

I’d love to hear from you. Stay safe and keep well.

I think for many of our children will find the decreased demands on them during lockdown really beneficial , I'm glad you are seeing some positive changes Furcifer, onwards and upwards.

Its very up and down for us. Very down this week for us. I'm about to start week 6 of working from home and finding it hard, I have been seconded to a COVID related job, so its relentless at the moment, though of course nothing like the pressure health workers are under.

Simba is bored and fed up. We have had a few nice moments, including a very welcome delivery of fish n chips on Friday. The allotment is keeping me sane so I spend a few afternoons a week down there. It was our 8th anniversary two weeks ago and we had an afternoon tea delivered by the local tea shop, we took it to the allotment and had a lovely afternoon talking about all our adventures. I'm enjoying all the streamed theatre. Simba is working out in the manshed minigym and is playing an on line game with Scouts a few times a week and has various whats app chats going so he has some social contact.

We are healthy which is the main thing of course, but I will be back out there as soon as things open up