In reply to Stuart (aka brt):
We have a reception age child now out of school.
On Tuesday I worked to my own plan not having one from the school - we did filling in the missing vowel (from a list of them) in words to make animal names and then non-animal words, and we did additions, missing number additions, and multiplications using grids of dots - turns out they'd not been taught multiplication yet but a visual dot grid with decreasing amounts filled out on each example and we got there in no time. Attempts at showing prime and non prime numbers using dot grids and different colours did not get much interest beyond counting them and drawing butterflies and spiders around the dots.
My partner did Wednesday's online learning and I did today's.
We are using an app called "See Saw" which gives us a short video of the teacher, and a couple of tasks each with a link to a YouTube video, a list of things to do, and a place to submit photo, audio or video evidence of the work which the teacher will then hopefully comment on.
To no great surprise, Jr engaged far better with the maths than with the phonics or writing. The battle is keeping their focus on the subject, and I hope I get a damned site better at this very quickly. I am rather more used to teaching young adults, who are there by choice and are generally easy to engage fully.
I'm totally lost at sea as Jr has been taught all sorts of terms, such as "special friends" in phonics, that mean nothing to me. Jr delights in explaining it however so that helps engage them. I tried watching some YouTube videos aimed at kids but I found myself becoming exceptionally annoyed at the faux-enthusiastic attitude of the "Blippi" like people making them. Perhaps there are some good ones I've not found.
I'm starting to suspect Jr shares my total impatience for people drip feeding information out as they've learnt to fast forwards videos on YouTube on the tablet within a day.
What this doesn't replicate is the social interaction with the other children which I can't provide, the absence of which I think is at least as important for their development. We're going to try and set up some video calls with other parents although we've not connected with many in the one term she's been at the school.
Of course this is done with a 3-year old running in and out and whilst juggling remote operation of a laboratory and contemplating the mountain of washing up.
We've been given key worker status but there is no way on this earth we are using it to claim a school place, either in terms of the direct risk to our health with likely reduced access to healthcare in a few weeks time, the risk to the teachers' health with the same healthcare issues or the wider morals of adding to societal transmission right now. Further, it sounds like school is basically running as childcare with a skeleton staff over-seeing the children in mixed age classes using the same "See Saw" app.
I am very grateful that the school have put together a coherent plan and the technology for this term, despite the amount of chain yanking and u-turns from government.