Herald - Issue 389

Page 18 • The HERALD • 4th June 2020 v FOR GOOD ADVICE - ASK YOUR LOCAL SPECIALISTS v SPORT IN THE HERALD • Bike Sales • Cycle Servicing for all makes and models • Spares, accessories and good honest advice! Open Tuesday-Saturday Blackfield Business Centre, Hampton Lane, Blackfield Please call 023 8089 0712 to arrange a service! THE LEARNING ZONE Mums are picking up almost all the home teaching burden during schools’ lockdown, with just 11.8% of fathers taking the lead on helping their children keep up to speed. at’s the shock nding from a survey of hundreds of parents of primary school- aged children carried out by a leading education resources and lesson plan Oli Ryan, a former primary school teacher, said: “We know that not all families are willing or able to help their children with home learning, but we were amazed to find that there was such a huge gender disparity in terms of who was taking up the teaching mantle. The vast majority of primary school workforce are women, but we still find it surprising that when it comes to home teaching Dads appear to be doing so little. If it’s a sign that teaching young children is considered to be “women’s work”, it’s pretty alarming.” And parents – the vast majority, women – are allocating signi cant parts of their day to home-schooling, with over a quarter (27.7%) spending more than four hours a day on it. It seems that an extremely limited number of subjects are being sent to pupils at home by their schools. Nearly all respondents said they had received work in maths (93.04%) and English (92.17%), with science in third place at just 38.26%. Fitting in home schooling with other work and other commitments was the top challenge for parents, with over a third (35.29%) citing it. Keeping their children engaged with learning was second biggest bugbear, at 31.09%. And only 11% said they were loving home-schooling their children, although some felt that home- schooling was an ambition too far and that the emotional state of their children was more important. Some need to realise the situation that some are in with just trying to maintain mental well-being without the constant barrage from schools for replicated school days. Although there was wide respect for the work of classroom teachers, not all parents believed that schools’ management of home learning was up to scratch, and there were complaints that here had been scant thought about the practicalities of the school work to be done at home. On parent said: “I’m actually pretty annoyed with the school - the work sent home is unrealistic, with no thought as to how this is supposed to work. We’ve been given the work with literally hours’ notice, so no prep time at all, and in spite of the fact we’re delivering it. Trying to explain two different topics [to two children] alternately is difficult at best - hence my giving up and abandoning the school work and doing our own thing so they were both working (at different levels obviously!) on the same topic.” Mum’s The Teacher Young people heading towards school leaving age and those due to move on to college or training in September are still able obtain information and advice from Hampshire County Council careers specialists – Hampshire Futures. Councillor Roz Chadd, Executive Member for Education and Skills at the County Council, said: “We appreciate that, at the moment, there is a great degree of uncertainty about when we will be out of lockdown and return to some sort of normality. However, it doesn’t mean young people should not be planning their futures and taking all reasonable steps to ensure they are making the right choices for them. I’d like to reassure them, and their families, that we are here and available to help.” Hampshire Futures has developed a wide range of new online careers information on its ‘Your Future’ website, including details of sixth form and college careers contacts and the arrangements being made for virtual interviews and open events. e website is being updated regularly with online resources, frequently asked questions and careers related videos and quizzes. e varied content is aimed at young people, parents/ carers and professionals and will support decision making and career planning; and help address any uncertainty young people may have about their next steps. Throughout the Covid-19 response, Hampshire Futures’ Careers and Participation Teams have continued to work with schools and maintain support for Year 11 students moving on to further education or training a er the summer, to ensure their transition from secondary education will be successful. is includes working with colleagues in social care and special educational needs teams to make sure that the most vulnerable students have the help they need, and arrangements for additional support are made to help them have the best start to their post-16 education. Students can also arrange a face to face careers guidance appointment with a member of Hampshire Futures, which can be conducted virtually. Any young person in Year 11 who would like to take up this opportunity should contact their school’s Careers Adviser or email careers.service@ hants.gov.uk Helping Young People Plan For Their Futures Post Covid-19 Poets Corner Times they are changing The end of the dream For years we have plotted All our own little schemes Until suddenly changes To the depths we descend Like the flick of a light switch All we know at an end One day a superbug Appears on the scene A virus that won’t respond Destroying the dream This virus spreads near and far Infects lives we hold dear And we can’t say there’s a sure way To combat our fears Our tranquillity lies shattered In all nations each race This virus it dominates And we cannot erase We humans are vulnerable So clean and pristine Our ability to fight lost Just actors on a screen Our cities are deserted The countryside bare Everything ceases There’s nobody there We fear for the future It’s unplanned in our dreams It was all in the book of life But left out of our schemes Standing still we participate In the race of our lives The runners that finish They’re the ones who’ll survive But way out in front Sits Covid Nineteen The invisible participant The destroyer of dreams Our doctors wage battles Our nurses wage wars Nations work together Like never before Each searching for answers In lab’s all alone And the queue’s in our food stores Run to realms quite unknown We show appreciation By handclaps Thursday nights For key workers everywhere Engaged in this fight For the staff in our care homes For dustmen on their rounds For pharmacist’s and the army Whilst the police tread unknown grounds Can the world ever return again? To where it once used to be Will life go back to normal? With patience we shall see Can things ever be the same? Scar tissue runs so deep It’s a learning curve we must observe A lesson hard and steep Could this be a reminder? This world it is not ours We use it and abuse it As we strive for the stars But we don’t understand All the rules put in place Thus destroying the trust Placed in our race We exist now in turmoil Where nothing’s the same We enter uncertainty We must all take some blame The main race now has ended And the winner is decreed And it’s Covid Nineteen A new brand a new breed Perhaps like the old plagues We were warned we were told But we ignored the advice Knowing best we were bold Did the Mighty One speak to us? Over year’s months or days Will Coronavirus strike again? Controlling all our ways! Times they are changing Is this the end of the dream? It is not as we’d planned it It is not as it seemed! Written on 18th March 2020 Covid Nineteen 1 - Not As It Seemed by David K Wilson