School Staff. How do you feel about summer schools?

[Witchcraftandhokum]

Just watched an ex-Ofsted inspector on BBC Breakfast talk about how important summer schools will be and how they should be staffed by the same teachers students have normally.

This hasn't been mentioned in our school yet but I really don't know how it will be managed. I can't imagine a lot of staff will be happy to give up their holidays. In our school a good number of the middle leaders and TA's salaries are pro-rata'd to term time only. I've worked full-time from home so it's not like I've been on holiday since March.

How would you feel about being asked to work?

It makes me unpopular but I'm afraid I do believe schools should open over the summer.. BUT I believe they should be paid for doing so and also given money for additional classrooms, staff, hygiene etc etc. Sorry

The Welsh idea seems like a good one. Shut the school's now for the summer so everyone gets 6 weeks off and reopen in August.
This is interesting on whether teacher's are paid for holidays

@Appuskidu

I don’t think an ex Ofsted inspector should be trying to dictate what a whole profession should be doing over their holiday.

The government would never agree to pay for it.
No teachers will want to do it unpaid and if they were forced, can you imagine what the workforce would look like come October, not having and a holiday since February half term?
Most children would not want to go to it.

Mitzi I see your OFSTED inspectors and raise you an Education Minister The other day on the radio there was a foRomero Secretary of State for Education, David Blunkett, whose bright idea was to use church halls for overspill schools. I cut him some slack because being blind he must find visualisation tricky, but does he think children are the size of Lego figures ? The nearest schools to me are a 1200 pupil secondary ,a four form entry primary with a double unit nursery and a three form entry primary. You would have to stack the kids three deep just to fit them inside the doors. Though our two nearest churches don't have a hall between them so this is academic. He clearly thinks the average church hall is built on the same scale as Westminster Hall.

Actually now I think of it, if you collected up all the Education ministers who have had their grubby little fingers searching for plums in the Education pie for the last forty years (I am including the dead ones, there isn't much to choose between the living and the dead when it comes to Education ministers) you would probably have enough people to staff a small secondary school. I would choose one with a leaking roof, windows that either don't open or don't close, grim plumbing and sold off playing fields.

It’s not about the money for me, not that I don’t need it . It’s the complete lack of understanding of what our job entails that is so frustrating. I am not saying we work harder than other profession, just that it appears to be grossly misunderstood by so many in other roles. Yesterday (Sunday) I worked for 8 hours preparing holiday work for my year group; it still isn’t finished because I want it to be accessible to all the students. Today I have taught live lessons, attended meetings, identified key errors to feed back to students, compiled feedback for a new course we have been teaching our post GCSE students, continued to prepare resources for this course, started re doing schemes of work for next year etc. plus much more.
I am sure, as in all walks of life, a small minority of teachers aren’t doing as much as usual, but that certainly does not apply to my school.
I genuinely don’t understand why there appears to be so much anger and hatred towards teachers.

@coronafiona if makes me unpopular but I'm afraid I do believe schools should open over the summer.. BUT I believe they should be paid for doing so and also given money for additional classrooms, staff, hygiene etc

You think staff who have now worked without a break since mid-February should not continue to work until mid-October? And it may well end up being Xmas before we get a break 'cos at the moment, it is not clear if things will look any different at all this year. How is that reasonable? For many, then, it could go as long as 10 months with no break.

It's utterly beyond my comprehension that people think we should just continue this way. Both children and teachers need an extended break.

I don't think it will happen and I also have reservations about how effective it will be.

What I can see happening is a situation where those who really need it won't be there and those who don't need it will be there, plus there will be the pointy elbow pushy types who will want a bespoke service to cater around their holiday plans and work and those types will be straight on Mumsnet whining.

coronafiona Can I just clarify if you mean staff should be made to work the holidays or whether you think schools who have enough volunteers should open?

To be fair Craiglang The majority of the posts on this thread have been supportive of teachers and their workload.

BareGrylls The problem there would be teachers who have booked holidays (which they may or may not be able to go on) during August or whose partners have booked their holidays to coincide. Also don't Scottish schools have their holidays earlier anyway+

Maybe childcare could open and parents decide whether to send their kids in.
Most wouldn't anyay as no social distancing.
It's not going to happen with school staff unless I suppose they are paid overtime rates, like time and a half, maybe.
I'd think most school staff would be ready for a holiday by then.

A lot of private sectors workers have had forced on them 20% pay cuts with a 20% increase in work load too. not sure why teachers should be insulated from this kind of thing.

The schools can't even open in term time yet although I'm assuming that perhaps they mean carry on with online learning.
Anyway regardless it's a stupid idea. Teachers are tired, the kids are tired. They need a break.
I'd rather see teachers back refreshed after a summer break. I always noticed at primary school that by this stage the teachers were hanging and that was with half term and Easter holidays so they will definitely need a break now (and presumably secondary school teachers feel the same).
I really can't see it happening anyway.

Lostmyshit knew I'd be unpopular I DO think everyone needs a break in the summer, not just teachers - but everyone, I know I certainly do. Does everyone need 6 weeks? No. Sorry but it's too long even in a normal year. Children forget too much. I believe it can historically from when children had to help get harvests in, so 6 weeks is outdated and it's really difficult to get cover. Personally I'd prefer 2 weeks for May and October half terms and 4 weeks in the summer- see I'm not that bad
The schools in our area have done their absolute best with zero help or money from the government. I am not a teacher basher, I'm a Boris basher

*came historically

I believe it can historically from when children had to help get harvests in

This is an urban ( or rather rural!) myth.

coronafioma you think teachers should have wholesale changes to their contracts enforced with no discussion?

No chance.

OP, can I just repeat that I think this should be in staffroom?

Xenia Do you mean staff on furlough have been made to work? Because I have a ton of friends in the private sector and that hasn't happened to anyone. In fact it's illegal.

You can absolutely repeat it piggy, but really there hasn't been a bun fight... Yet.

But it is also not an AIBU.

If MNHQ move it to coronavirus there will be!

And it was addressed to school staff.

It's your thread, though.

I believe it can historically from when children had to help get harvests in, so 6 weeks is outdated and it's really difficult to get cover.

No, it’s not.

HTH

Is Raab lying or leaking on the Briefing??

@Piggywaspushed

Is Raab lying or leaking on the Briefing??

What’s he said?

What is he saying, @Piggywaspushed ?