To be really angry on behalf of teachers

[Jessicabrassica]

I know mumsnet loves a bit of teacher bashing.
I'm really angry that once again the Department for Education has put out guidance for schools in a Friday night before a long weekend with some schools having already started and others back next week.
I cannot imagine how many iterations of risk assessments have already been completed to make schools as safe as possible given the constraints of staff numbers, building size and requirements to get every child back in school.
They are getting enough PPE to tick the box that it's been issued to all schools but not enough to be useful.
Teachers mostly haven't stopped working since the pandemic began. They have continued to teach, to support vulnerable learners, provided meals and good parcels out of school funds in lieu of FSM, they remained open through school holidays for key worker provision.
I really feel that they have been well and truly fucked over, left massively vulnerable and will be left to carry the can for community outbreaks.

I'm a parent and work for the NHS if it's if any consequence.

And whoever voted for Gavin Williamson should hang their head in shame

@CayrolBaaaskin

The “teacher bashing” claims and poor teachers post make me think it’s unlikely you’re not a teacher op. Sorry but teachers need to play their part in society same as everyone else

We have been playing our part in society.

But I would like to have the same safety precautions as everyone else in society as well.

Is that so hard to understand?

@Notfeelinggreattoday

What schools in england are back ? None round here have students back until about 7th sept onwards

In West Miss. Inset the 1st, pupils return the 2nd.

*West Mids

Yes the Tier system has been introduced late in the day, but it is talking about a situation which may arise in the coming weeks, not days. They have plenty of time to implement strategies

We've had 6 weeks out of school, plenty of thinking time, particularly given that many of us haven't been able to have holidays. That you think there is 'plenty of time to implement strategies' that haven't yet been thought of, let alone made into some kind of written policy and consulted upon and re-worked, once school is underway shows, yet again, a fundamental lack of understanding of how schools work. Once we're in the classroom, that's it! It's full steam ahead till July*

*Although not likely this year, granted.

Also expect guidelines to change constantly as this evolves and local lockdowns happen etc , the virus is here and not going anywhere just yet unfortunately . I always thought schools had been told to have a plan b for home learning and even if the dfe hadn't said surely you would plan anyway , lots of business have just incase plans based on possible scenrios

@Notfeelinggreattoday

Yes and schools have already had to do this too? The guidance has changed over 50 times since March and we've had to adapt and change each time, usually with less than a day's notice.

Look at the exams debacle. The DfE are incompetent and nobody should be making excuses for them.

Sorry? I won't be complaining at all. I've withdrawn my children. Various conversations since lockdown have shown that teachers are seriously under resourced and not supported.

But why the fuck shouldn't parents keep a close eye on the quality of education their child receieves? Should they just shrug and crack on when they as adults can provide something better?

@SlipperSwan and it has changed for lots of buisnesses not just schools
No ones making excuses but lets not also pretend that this isn't new and challenging , unexpected circumstances

‘Teachers are playing our part. We've been in school working full time and trying not to react when people with extremely low levels of intelligence claim we haven't been. ‘

You may have been, our local primary here have not been. Though The kids have been interested in the occasionally video they’ve posted showcasing their new running, paddle boarding ( 3 separate teachers - were near the sea, they’re all quite young) gardening, painting etc hobbies.
And no, I’m not even making that up. An poorly judged attempt at making the kids feel connected in some way.

@tornadoalley

Yes the Tier system has been introduced late in the day, but it is talking about a situation which may arise in the coming weeks, not days. They have plenty of time to implement strategies.

You do know that there are at least two areas in England that are in or just released from local lockdown?

So some of these guidance points need implementing straight away?

To all the people saying couldn't schools have had a backup plan. When you're dealing with hundreds of members of staff and hundreds of families there are too many possible scenarios to plan for.

It isn't just quickly drawing up a table and a schedule on Microsoft we're talking about. It's hours of meetings and consultations with staff and families and the local authority and governors.

There is no understanding of how complex schools are

But schools did adapt immediately when they were told to 'close'. In England they were told on Thursday evening that they were to close to all but vulnerable and key worker children on Friday afternoon , and that all other pupils had to be at home. Any definition what a key worker was, no of course not! They had to wait for that for a couple of days, so literally had the Sunday to find out which children that would mean, find out which families wanted their children to come in. Then contact the parents to confirm their places. Sort out staff rotas, ensuring had sufficient first aid qualified personnel in and requisite safeguarding leads. Sort out food for the pupils in school, sort out food for FSM children not in school. Then try and work out how to provide remote provision of lessons for those at home.

Now I know provision from schools was not good. But actually the Government didn't help there because they advised the curriculum was suspended so in fact schools didn't have to provide new work. Some schools went against this and continued teaching new information to children, this has caused a much wider gap for pupils across the country, which was in fact what the Government wanted to avoid.

Also teachers were required to replan their lessons. In most industries it would be management working out the changes and telling their staff what to do, but teachers would be responsible for their teaching plans.

Jimtimjimtim

I realise that it may be hard for you to understand but some primaries were told to do this as it was part of trying to make everything seem normal and protect the children's mental health.

I realise of course that some teachers did as little as possible, but that is the same for any job.

@Jimtimjimtim

It's a shame you didn't feel supported but with half a million teachers in the UK you can't say we were all sitting around and paddle boarding

Just like I can't say that all parents hate and abuse their children, even though I've seen far too many that do

'Openly having hobbies and not having the decency to feel ashamed' (I'm paraphrasing), 'teachers need to play their part in society' Moaning', 'crack on', 'snowflakes', 'whining', 'get a grip', 'paid with our money', 'don't live in the real world', 'teachers just love to sodding moan',

I know I said I was going, but this is great stuff.

Just to add to ineedaholidaynow's post.

The description of what constituted a keyworker and which keyworker children could be allowed in schools changed at least twice is as many days.

We went from planning to have 250 pupils in, to having 50 pupils in.

Remember as well it was the government that stopped some keyworker children from being able to attend.

Should they just shrug and crack on when they as adults can provide something better?

Good luck to all the new homeschoolers! I envy you, as a teacher. It would be wonderful! Thankfully, I am a jack of all trades and could successfully school my children up to and including year 7, I reckon. After that, there are some subjects - core ones at that - that I would fail at. Given I got a degree in the days that less than 10% of us went to university, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that I would be towards the top of the home-education game in terms of what I could realistically provide my children. That means there are a heck of a lot of people out there who would fall short. That is no reflection on them - we all have different strengths and weakenesses - but to believe that every adult could do better than the average teacher downgrades the profession to nothing other than childcare.

You need to stop being careful what you wish for as parents. Education in this country has suffered massive under-investment for a decade now. You really need to wake up and look at what is happening around you. Teachers are not to blame for this. Not by a long shot.

‘It's a shame you didn't feel supported but with half a million teachers in the UK you can't say we were all sitting around and paddle boarding’

I didn’t. I said ours were. Literally.
And I’m now concerned that my kids are going to miss more school because our teAchers will close the school again at the drop of a hat.

Now I know provision from schools was not good.
No, provision from SOME schools was perhaps not good, but presumably they were following the guidance from Government at the time, which was to close (apart from to KW and vulnerable kids) and suspend the National Curriculum.
The vast majority of schools got on with things themselves, as they knew it was futile hanging around for anything useful from the DfE.

The government closes schools (and in the new guidelines, perhaps the LA/local public health) NOT teachers.

That is in no way helpful for those who realise their child's school isnt able to cope that the "vast" majority were fine. There are not exactly many schools you can just decide to send your child to instead

And I’m now concerned that my kids are going to miss more school because our teAchers will close the school again at the drop of a hat

Teachers don't get a say in when schools close. Whatever gave you that idea? Teachers - as a group - have been shouting for months about what needs to be done to keep schools open only no one has been listening. Consequently, schools will close because they not particularly safe.

As my teacher friend openly admits he has been doing 1 day a week since March (his rota day for babysitting keyworker kids during which he emailed his students their work for the week) I have little sympathy when he moaned on Facebook last night he had to go into work over this weekend to redo stuff. I have worked throughout and am also a keyworker, no furlough, no help to buy stuff for home working.

Schools went back last week here, around half the parents sent in notes (aka excuses) as to why their perfectly healthy 11-16 year olds couldn't wear masks he told us, apparently ptsd is rife in our city, goodness knows what kids have been up to , they know parents are lying but can do nothing about it.

Jimtimjimtim

And I’m now concerned that my kids are going to miss more school because our teAchers will close the school again at the drop of a hat.

Look at the guidance it says when schools will close.
It will be down to the government, LEAs and councils.

But its going to be difficult running schools if/when teachers get ill and have to SI as required by the guidance.