Has anyone else come across this and / or could those in secondary schools shed any light on how they deal with it.

My Yr 9 son has been given a Tech project to do on Adobe Photoshop.
We do not have this software at home.
He has made various attempts to do it during lunchtimes / after school but met with obstacles like no free computers, no free computers with Photoshop on (not all PCs have 'specialist' software on), no Prefect in the computer room therefore not able to work on a computer.

I'm not saying he's a angel and always does every piece of homework on time but he loves Tech and really enjoys it so I dont believe these are empty excuses.

To my mind, homework projects are to be done at home and the school's assumption that everyone has access to the software is one that really bugs me, my PC still runs Windows 98 for goodness sake coz I can't afford a new one !

I'm sure there's lots of research etc that says how much benefit a break from study has to afternoon lessons, so why should he be expected to do it at lunchtime ?

He is now in detention for not doing it, but instead of being given access to a computer he is copying things out of a text book. The teacher also has him 'doing jobs' at lunchtime, so exactly when should he do this work ?

The teacher had threatened to speak to next yrs Tech teacher to say that should the numbers be close, he should discount my son from being able to take GCSE Tech.

I've spoken to my son about what he should have done, i.e. tell the teacher he couldn't get on a computer and he accepts he's not made the situation any better by letting it get this far.

So now my question is, has anyone else come across a similar situation and how did you deal with it ?

Thanks

mgi photosuite is similar to photoshop, if happen to have that at all.

I would not be happy, schools are making lots of assumptions these days about who has access to what. Could you make an appointment to talk to the teacher / tutor about this? If they insist on a specific programme then they should provide access.

Good luck.

is there a free software you can use instead, if not then i wouild write to the school to clarify the situation

I would write a letter of complaint to the head of year. Homework should be able to be done at home and assuming you have the resources to do this is unreasonable. Occasionly I would say it is ok to expect pupils to use school computers at lunch times to do their work but then there needs to be enough computers, a booking system or a member of staff or prefect to ensure fair useage. In the future if it happens again you should write and explain the situation before the homework is due if possible.

In my school we LSAs staff the SEN room at lunch times. It has about 15 computers in it pupils can use them for the "Success Maker" program or for homework with or without our help. If there are free computers then they can play games or check emails etc but they know they will be kicked off if someone needs it for work. Sounds like your sons school needs something like this in place.

Definitely write to the school outlining the problems your son is having. It will be good to have this in his file in case there are any future queeries about his projects not being completed on time.

You might also want to have a look here

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

Adobe has a scheme for students, school staff to buy discounted programmes. It's quite easy to do and the savings are huge. I've bought from them a number of times. These are always the latest issues of programmes and if you consider buying anything you might need to check if the software will run on your computer. You could also check if the school has a licence that will cover your son putting the school software on your machine.

Thanks for your support and ideas, specially the link.
I've got an appointment with the teacher tomorrow so hopefully we can get something sorted.
I did write a letter last night but retrieved it from my son this morning before he went, I think it may have caused more problems than it solved for him to have handed it in.
I've re-written it now in a much calmer frame of mind and will take it with me tomorrow.

Have a look at GIMP(GNU Image Manipulation Program) which is free and runs on Windows.

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

Hi Helen,

DON'T write in and complain! Ask for an meeting with the head of department and the class teacher. For one thing once you do you have lodged a formal complaint and things take a very different route.

You only have one side of the story, and while I don't wish to dismiss what your son is saying children can often misunderstand what is said and you will be in a stronger position once you know both sides of the story.

1) You need to be clear what has actually happened. When was the homework given, when was it due in? If given a week or more and your son has left it to the last minute so to speak to do the homework then to be honest it is down to poor time management on your sons part. While it may not seem a major thing at this point it is never the less something he needs to learn, especially if he is to do well at his GCSEs. If, as in some of the circumstances with my daughter, he has only been given a couple of days to do it then it may well be unreasonable.

2) Also while Abode has been mentioned are they allowed to use other graphic programs, if so how well is this understood by students? I can give you a link to download a free program that has previously been sold but is now outdated by more recent updates. It is released by the publisher.

3) What mechanisms are in place for the students to book computer time? I have noticed this varies in some schools. For instance in one of our local schools computer time would now be prioritised for those sitting GCSE's this year. In another it is first come first serve. Some give time limits some don't.

4) While it would make sense for detention to be used to catch up with missed work this is rarely how it is used in secondary schools.

5) There are many reasons why students may choose to do homework and projects at school rather then at home. These can range from having no where peaceful to do the work at home, better facilities, collaboration with classmates, easier access to help. Some students prefer to do their work at school, so when they get home they can relax and forget about school.

6) Not every student has a computer at home. I do think, and I don't mean to be dismissive towards you, that parents need to be a bit more realistic about expectations. For instance if your child doesn't have a computer at home and does a course which may be computer intensive then the child has no option but to do a lot of their work at school. This may equally apply to some other subjects.

Another reason for asking to speak to the head of department is the school may be able to loan your son a computer with a more up to date operating system. Schools don't generally advertise this and parents and students are unlikely to be aware of this. If you jump in with a complaint you are unlikely to find this out if they are able - not all schools are. My daughters school due to replacing some of their schools were able to do this for her, but it was also made clear to us to keep it quiet since they would not bother with many of the students and there are a limited number.

7) Your son has been given detention and is expected to help out in the classroom during dinner?? My daughter does this, but by choice as break times are very difficult for her. If he is being made to do both I would want to know if this is the norm in school discipline as it seems over the top.

8) The teachers comment concerning talking to next years teacher is another reason for a meeting rather then jumping in with a complaint. I recently attended a meeting with a friend whose son came home and told her that the teacher had threatened him with expulsion and had given him a 90 minute detention straight off. It turned out that his behaviour had warrented an instant two day suspension but had chosen to give him the 90 minute detention due to how hard he had been working to improve and didn't want the suspension going on his record.

The point being that he may have misunderstood what was said. The other being that there may be something going on which you are not aware off.

By clarifying these points first you should have a good idea if you have grounds to make a complaint in the first place.

The chances are you will do more good by speaking to the school first, if the school know they have the parents support they are more likely to try and compromise with you. It could also be that after speaking to them you feel that the teacher is bullying your child, and it does happen, or you feel your child is being treated unfairly and not accordance with the schools disciplinary procedures - make sure you know what they are or ask for a copy - in which case you have a much a firmer ground on which to lodge a complaint.

What ever you choose to do good luck.

What did the school say today Helen?

Thanks for you reply George, food for thought and it makes a lot of sense.

I have had a meeting with the head of the upper school (Mr W) as the teacher and head of lower school were not available.

We discussed various points, like what my son knows he should have done, the reasons why he didn't etc. I have to say I was very impressed with the man, he was very honest with my son but didn't treat him like he was making up excuses for not doing the work. He went as far as saying that no, teacher's did not usually believe students who said they had tried to homeowrk but not handed it in, coz that's just what teachers are like !

With regard to it being adobe, yes they did have to use that package because they also have to work on the pictures they created in class so it couldn't be done on anything else.

Computer time is 1st come 1st served lunchtimes and after school, and not all of them have photoshop on. A local school allows pupils to log into school from home to access programmes and their work space which I think is a good idea, but again, not every one has broadband.

My son explained to Mr W that his teacher is now keeping him in at lunchtimes but not allowing him to use a computer to complete the work, this has happened over the last week & a half. Mr W said he would look into this, I said yes please as I dont think this is acceptable.

I understand detention is not for doing homework in, its because you haven't done your homework but surely there has to be a point where if you can't do the work at home and you cant do the work in school, something has to give ?

The one avenue my son did not investigate was staying after school. The main reason for this is because to stay later than the bus then means a 3 bus (+1hr) journey to get home. I am aware that this is something he may have to do more next year for GSCE coursework.

He does have his own computer, I asked his dad to buy one for him at the start of year 9 that would see him through his GCSEs, because the only one I could give him was one that was came from my school when they updated the IT suite. He did but being the person he is, it was a reconditioned one with minimum spec [his dad is well able to afford much more than that, but everything has to be done on the minimum budget possible, one of the many reasons he's my ex-husband!]
School don't do a purchase system on hardware or software, I asked last year.

I do feel a lot better having spoken to Mr W, I hope he will follow up on the things he said he would, time will tell.

Thanks again everyone for you support and ideas.

Glad to hear things went fairly well for you, and Mr W is looking into things for you.

package on it's way Helen

Lets hope it gets sorted now

Thanks for letting us know Helen. It's nice to have a follow up.

Though this problem was a personal one for you, the information this thread has accrued will be helpful to all of us in the long term.

A special thank you to George as well. You always helps us focus in on the problem and give us the benefit of your knowledge.