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.

fripp should add that we did access the hub when things cooled a little and it wasn’t too bad - though the TA there who we had contact with said she never did receive any files from the children’s proper schools

It will never be safe for children with pre existing health issues. I'm not prepared to risk my child's life. I almost lost him to one virus and I'm not taking any chances with this one.

@HelloMissus

fly she did help. But we decided together not to take it up (lucky that we were in a position not to have to really). All we needed was a bit of help. But we got ignored.

I see. You were offered a placement but turned it down? The school's responsibility ends there. The next step would be to talk to the LEA about home support.

That’s not going to get them much sympathy in a world where people are struggling to work while educating kids at home, with the threat of job loss ( if it has t happened already) looming over them

So, let's be clear. School budgets have been cut to the bone over the last 10 years. Schools are now faced with the extra costs of covid. Teachers who worked on intervention, HLTAs and TAs have not been replaced upon leaving. HLTAs and TAs employed on different hours annually have not had their contracts renewed. PPA specialists have had their hours cut or contracts have not been renewed. Maternity covers are being completed using TAs rather than finding suitable supply - so your child could be in a class being taught by a TA for up to a year at a time rather than an a qualified teacher.

Do you assume that no teacher in this country had their own children to educate during lockdown? Or do you think that our children don't matter to us? Or better said, you believe that your children are our prioity 100% of the time and that our own children should take a back seat? Do you think that teachers doing zoom lessons to normal timetable did so without their babies screaming, their toddlers demanding or their teens spending hour after hour on the Xbox?

So, like you, all the teachers I know worked at home during lockdown with their children to educate as well whilst knowing full well that some jobs in their environment (potentially including their own) were at risk. Yet you expect to be deemed a hero whilst we are all supervillains? Nah, you know exactly what you can do with that, don't you?

4 friends have lost their jobs due to covid. 2 were the main breadwinner I feel more concerned and sorry for them tbh

fly that’s not correct.
Certain children were offered places in hubs. Looked after children, children of key workers etc
If their parents did not take up the offer, the enrolled schools were not legally freed of any responsibility for them. For one thing, the enrolled schools keep all the data on these children.

Imagine a scenario where a teacher receives an email about one of their pupils (who they know is vulnerable) informing them that the child had been removed from parents and is now in a foster placement. And they don’t reply.
An then they don’t reply to endless more. For weeks.

HelloMissus, I'm a bit confused. So your children were expected to attend a new school. You wanted info about the reading levels of children. Did your children's former school refused to give you info? Or you wanted them from new school that those children never attended before?

@HelloMissus

fly that’s not correct. Certain children were offered places in hubs. Looked after children, children of key workers etc If their parents did not take up the offer, the enrolled schools were not legally freed of any responsibility for them. For one thing, the enrolled schools keep all the data on these children.

Imagine a scenario where a teacher receives an email about one of their pupils (who they know is vulnerable) informing them that the child had been removed from parents and is now in a foster placement. And they don’t reply.
An then they don’t reply to endless more. For weeks.

I'm surprised to read that. My understanding was always that responsibility reverted to the parent/guardian when a place was turned down.

Did the teacher ever reply? Maybe they weren't reading their emails/were ill/had ill children.

I'm surprised you didn't hear from the head teacher, did you contact her/him?

It seems very odd altogether. And not fair on the children.

Guardian article here.

'Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that school leaders felt a “weary, resigned sense of inevitability” at the timing of the new guidelines.
Asked how teachers would feel about the situation, he said: “Here we are again, right at the last minute with something that we have been accused of expressing treachery in asking for – where’s the plan B in case of local lockdown – at last it has arrived.”

@walker1891 sorry, but I just don’t believe you and even if it is true I doubt that’s the norm. Our head is just back in this week and teachers will be in next week which are all inset days.

@gottakeeponmovin

It's ridiculous to pretend teachers were doing a fulll days work from March. Anyone who is a parent knows this isn't true. Many of us are back at work have to get public transport, work with the public etc. Stop moaning you have to go back to work like the rest of us

You are a liar.

Well, I've had 27 emails to respond to today, so some of us are working!

Afternoon, everyone. We just wanted to appeal for a bit of peace and love here. This thread has got quite combative in places and will end up simply being taken down if it turns into a bunfight. We don't think everyone has to agree but we do think it's possible to present an opposing view while remaining polite and calm.

Thanks.

Isthisadaggerisee You don't have to believe me, I know the truth.
I know what effort I have put in. We have no SLT, we all step up when necessary and this is that time. I have 3 classrooms to organise and it doesn't just happen on its own.

@Hebe Maybe if you deleted the obvious untruths and troll posts people wouldn't be getting so upset.

waltz sorry I probably wasn’t clear.
The children’s usual schools where they’re enrolled closed.
They were offered a place at a hub in a third school (which we didn’t initially take up as they’d never attended and didn’t know any of the teachers and the hub had no information on them).

So what we needed was the schools where they were enrolled to contact us and provide help to home school them (nothing fancy or time consuming - just basic information).

fly me, my husband and social services sent emails to HT and class teachers.
We were all ignored for a long time.

Eventually we received a response alluding to unusual circumstances.
FWIW the court is unimpressed and has already requested a full explanation.

@HelloMissus have you had contact from their regular school yet for this term?

ineed we have thank you.
I think they’re taking things seriously now as they know they’re being closely monitored.

HelloMissus

I’m really sorry you had that experience and I’m glad to hear it’s getting better now - I think we may have had a conversation about it early on in lockdown?

I hope it hasn’t coloured your view of all teachers. FWIW the LAC cohort at my school were well supported. One child in particular I emailed every week - I don’t have responsibility for LaCs, I don’t even teach her currently - but she’d decided I was her person, so we checked in each week.

I think she was single handedly responsible for the flour shortages, the amount of baking she did with her lovely foster carer!

Support through lockdown has been inconsistent- schools are inconsistent in terms of quality. As a society we need to decided that’s a priority, and have a government who is invested in closing those massive gaps.

@StaffAssociationRepresentative

Nottingham I think is back on the 2 Sept

I am North London primary- back on 2nd too and DD back on 4th (secondary).

‘What was this thread about again?’

OP feels sorry for teachers having more guidance to work around at short notice, some people agree, some people don’t and think teachers should just get on with it.

OP feels sorry for teachers having more guidance to work around at short notice

I don’t feel sorry for myself. I feel really angry that the DfE sent out the wrong guidelines at no notice (again), then altered them 2 hours later. It’s utter incompetence.

Non of that means I’m not “getting on with it”.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch

Thanks Staff and noble.

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', ‘Thank goodness nurses and doctors carries on without the same fuss.’, ‘our teAchers will close the school again at the drop of a hat.’ ‘If only teachers put as much energy into re-opening schools as they seem to complaining about how unfair it all is on them.’ ‘There has been no particular spreading of COVID in schools and no reason to be concerned ‘ ‘Shit at their jobs (and parents can do it better but we still want teachers to do it even though they’re shit).’ ‘gas lighting.’ ‘Some people just seem to want lockdown to last forever.’ ‘suffering major delusions’, ‘constantly whining about how they have it uniquely difficult.’ ‘refusal to even acknowledge that this has been going on’,
‘dereliction of duty to their pupils’, ‘actively mocking foster parents and vulnerable children’,

Also lots around the theme of ‘I’ve been treated really badly at work, so why shouldn’t teachers be?’

I’ve seen at least three more examples of the last one.

You could actually play a proper game of bingo with those! The whole 6 card Jobby!

I think I may be crucified by my HT!

I had to change emails password on last day of term.

Thought I better check today and see what we've had re all new guidance.

And I can't remember it well - more like it isn't what I thought it was.

I'm gonna have A LOT of reading first I set back whilst trying to train 25 staff - including the HT!