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.

Like the wider public thinks we're all work shy, then, @formerbabe? Shit, isn't it?

Learning in schools isn't going to look much like it usually does, and it's going to be harder for teachers because so many of the resources we use are related to personal relationships. I don't know many teachers who aren't pleased to be going back - but we're also worried about it because we care about the kids we teach, and about ourselves. That's not a crime, is it?

@formerbabe

INSET days are also NOT part of the children's school year and never have been

If this is correct then why on earth are parents told that first day of term is (insert date) but will be an inset day.

Because the local authority sets the term dates but individual schools decide when to hold their training days within that. Each school's inset days will be different but the term dates published on the LA website are for all the schools. I imagine you'd be pissed off if you looked on the LA website for the term dates but then your children's school hadn't bothered to tell you which dates were the inset days.

‘If I find something outside teaching’

Good luck, you’ll need it. Heard of Covid 19? Decimated jobs, and outside of the public sector bubble I think you’ll find the world a tough place.

I should probably have looked before quoting, because the question has been answered several times over

I want my kids back at school, but I also can understand the worries and concerns of schools and teachers, who are utterly unsupported in making the environment covid safe for either teachers and adult workers or students, in any way, shape or form. Particularly financially.

I want to minimise the chances of our community having to undergo another lockdown, schools closing again, rising rates of infection, more deaths, more shielding. As does everybody. INCLUDING teachers.

Schools and teachers are being set up to fail, and to be scapegoats.

Good luck, you’ll need it. Heard of Covid 19? Decimated jobs, and outside of the public sector bubble I think you’ll find the world a tough place.

Depends where you are and where you look though. Dh's private law firm are about to take on 5 or 6 new members of admin, hr and office staff as they've actually done pretty well over lockdown. There also taking in a couple of trainee solicitors next month too.

So whilst there are many issues and job losses, there are also some jobs out there. Not all businesses lost out throughout lockdown. So whilst job opportunities might be less the poster may also find that there are jobs out there that are suitable and available.

I wish them luck.

@Isthisadaggerisee

‘If I find something outside teaching’

Good luck, you’ll need it. Heard of Covid 19? Decimated jobs, and outside of the public sector bubble I think you’ll find the world a tough place.

Yes dagger, which is why I qualified my statement with 'I don't fancy my chances'. It's posters like you who make me relish the thought of my 12 weeks a year unpaid holiday and my public sector pension, because there are fuck all other perks. Oh and I'll be saving the money I'd usually spend on classroom resources because actually, so many parents seem determined to believe that we're selfish, workshy shits. Might as well revert to type.

@formerbabe, The first day of your child's term is NOT an Inset day. The last day of the holidays is, and will therefore make zero difference to them.

think you’ll find the world a tough place

You do know we live in the world, right?

Jupp this is dangerously close to “teachers don’t understand the real world” - one for the list.

@formerbabe

It's all very odd. Prior to covid, parents were endlessly threatened over attendance. My dd has sn and medical problems. Her attendance dipped due to endless appointments..she actually had no sick days and I'd never taken her out for any other reason. But, I still received nasty threatening letters describing the cataclysmic impact her attendance would have on her future life. We are now told that to expect any time in school is entitled and we're just after free childcare. I believe we are being groomed to see free, full time education as an exception rather than a rule...but perhaps I'm allowing my conspiracy theorist side to come out!

You are right. Education is being destroyed bit by bit.

That's why it would be such a good idea for you to listen to the teachers in this thread and join them in the fight against the government destroying it even further.

After all.

They introduced the fines for absences
They introduced the guidance in March I've lock down

Basically they decide all these things.

So in stead of blaming the teachers - stand with them

@mbosnz

I want my kids back at school, but I also can understand the worries and concerns of schools and teachers, who are utterly unsupported in making the environment covid safe for either teachers and adult workers or students, in any way, shape or form. Particularly financially.

I want to minimise the chances of our community having to undergo another lockdown, schools closing again, rising rates of infection, more deaths, more shielding. As does everybody. INCLUDING teachers.

Schools and teachers are being set up to fail, and to be scapegoats.

Yes you're right. Anything else is just myopic twaddle.

Angelina!!

By the way @formerbabe, I find, as a responsible parent who values education and also happens to be a governor at my DC's school and a teacher myself, that the best place for (passive aggressive, traffic-lighted in our case) letters about attendance is the recycling bin. Schools have to push this stuff. Parents don't need to get offended by it.

@formerbabe

Just so it doesn't come as a shock, the government have already said that parents will be fined if their children don't go to school.

I for one think that given the current circumstances its a fucking stupid idea. Kids are scared, anxious, are vulnerable and have been shielding and some will need extra time and care to be able to transition back in to school.

But thanks to the government and us4them and other lobbying groups that want it all to be back to normal you and your child will suffer more letters and general BS.

I hope that you will point your angst where it should be and not at the teachers or schools.

I think people desperately want their children back in school because they desperately want to feel convinced it's all over and everything is back to normal. It's sadly going to have the opposite effect.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch

I don't think we have
"I'm glad you're not my child's teacher" in the list.

Yanbu. This government’s approach is ‘divide and rule’. They wanted us all anti-immigrant so that people would elect them to do brexit ie more power for them. Now they want us to send kids back to schools which are clearly unsafe, so they have to undermine the teachers and unions or otherwise parents might listen to facts instead of whatever Boris wants us to believe today.

The department of education has always been shit but this year under Williamson it’s really found new lows. Schools have to follow its guidance but my son’s head said that there was one week they had literally dozens of changes to the ‘guidance’ - I think she said 40 different sets of updated instructions came through that week. It’s like they’re actually trying to drive teachers mad (or more likely, make it impossible for schools to comply with the guidance so that when the second wave peaks the government can blame schools for ‘not following the guidance’ instead of 😱😱 actually accepting some responsibility for the excessive deaths in uk that are crazy high compared to basically everywhere else.

This government is insane and very broken.

Skysblue

It is difficult to believe that it could get any worse that it was under gove. but our gav MP of the year has certainly proved that incompetence can be taken to new levels.

The TBs have had a super time tonight

Hope @MilesJuppIsMyBitch keeps adding to the TB bingo list

The upshot is that Gavin Williamson still has his job in spite of his unbelievably high levels of incompetence; leading on the mutant algorithm, delaying results for BTEC, u turn on grades, creating chaos on university admissions, being away on holiday during results day and finally issuing plan B on bank holiday weekend - tosser

Don’t forget taking time out from dealing with the A-level fiasco to pose with a whip, Staff! Or maybe that’s why he does still have a job.

I’m drunk, I love you all.

Not the fuckwits though.

Every day I thank a higher power that I left teaching when I did. The profession and the pupils lost a very capable highly experienced and well thought of teacher. I lost my fear that the next spit or fight might be the one that seriously injured me, fear that the next pupil I helped in my lunch break might be the one that falsely accused me and ended my career and destroyed me .... I gained my mh, my weekends and evenings, the joy of not spending around £700 a year from my salary on essential classroom equipment like paper, glue, reading books etc (My partner worked it out one year and we were both shocked), a much less demanding job that welcomes my experience and qualifications, a very much higher salary, promotion prospects and shorter holidays that I can enjoy from the first day I have off without the wind down, wind up and work that has to be done before returning to the office and no expectations of being contacted, having to read emails just time to be on holiday .... Do I miss it?

@Riv, what do you do now? And do you miss it? I worked in the NHS for a bit, but felt way undervalued my HCP colleagues (I was band 3) and couldn't get any training. I feel stuck.

No not really related to the op. Unless you accept that all of the negatives were almost directly related to the lack of funding and poor media portrayals of teaching. And this strange belief that teachers have time in a standard school day to read and plan the implementation of these changing government guidelines. Or even to meet with management to be told of the new guidelines and how to implement them in the classroom then implement them as well as to plan, prepare teach and assess, write reports. They have to do it all before or after the students are in the building.