To remind you that the government NOT schools are letting down parents.

[BelleSausage]

This really. We’ve all talked about it endlessly. Teachers on MN predicted this exact outcome (the education system in parts of the country falls over because of the number of staff and kids isolating and ill) but the government went ahead with no significant measure to mitigate disruption in schools.

Where is the plan to actually make it feasible to continue to educate kids and provide learning for vulnerable students? Where are the school laptops we were promised? Where is the back up childcare system to help working parents?

That’s right- no where. Any idiot with half a brain could have seen this coming. Why is the DfE doing nothing but repeating ‘schools are COIVD secure’ over and over like a broken bloody record?

Ah yes.... the great summer of catch up which was as much of a lie as the provision of laptops to disadvantaged kids.
Catchup costs money. We are broke.

I think the Government have behaved abysmally towards teachers and schools.
I am a school Governor and the communication has been shocking. Things like (regularly) releasing guidance last thing on a Friday or late on Sunday nights with last minute changes. Adding conditions on receipt of extra funding and providing no real extra financial support.

The majority of teachers in our schools (small, rural with low staff numbers) have worked through since March with a small amount of time off for summer where they worked extra to prepare risk assessments and get the site ready. Over the first lockdown they had to provide both online and face to face learning for keyworkers. They have done a brilliant job but they are on their knees now. One of our SLT has a very vulnerable relative with terminal illness that he hasn't seen since March because he hasn't been able to isolate.

Only last week the Government announced that schools could have the extra day off this Thursday as an inset day. However the actual announcement stated that they would have to make this teaching time up elsewhere and it was pre-faced with a demand that schools make themselves available for track and trace until 24th December. It was made out that they were somehow doing teachers a favour.

This could have been managed better with proper funding and support, and a decent testing system in place. Other keyworkers are being tested on a regular basis. Why are teachers deemed to be different.
Our schools have not been fully staffed since September due to staff isolating but unless the individual actually has Covid then insurance will not cover supply.

I have older children in Secondary. My Yr11 son has had to isolate twice for two weeks. The last time 5 people in his class bubble had tested positive. My friend who has literally not been out for months contracted Covid from her asymptomatic YR7 daughter who caught it from school. Don't tell me that schools are not a infection factory. We just don't know it half the time.

I froth just a little bit when the gvt says ‘We kept schools open.’ No you bloody didn’t. No extra money for even basics like soap. We have had to cut back in other areas of our budget at the school I’m in to pay for more soap and hand sanitiser. We applied for extra lap tops but haven’t got them because we weren’t deemed in enough need (we had enough to give out from the school’s supply, to children who needed them for online learning in lock down, but we now don’t have many left in school for use on site).
The gvt have done nothing other than shout random directives while our school head has done all the leg work and found the extra cash. Just don’t ask for a glue stick or a whiteboard pen over the next few years!

@caringcarer

I am furious with my sons secondary school. Despite living in area with less than 100 in every 100,000 his school has closed until after Xmas as so many teachers chose not to come in to work as don't want to spoil their Xmas. Over 50 % of teachers are at home. They do not have CEV shielding letters, do not have Covid 19 and have not been told to self isolate by track and trace. Just told Head they will be in after Xmas but will do online teaching. Son gets 1 1/2 hours teaching each morning and set independent work in afternoon. Nothing gets marked and no feedback for improvement. The Head is useless and is not disciplining. I have written to complain to school and was told nothing Head could do if teachers chose to stay home so they did not get ill over Xmas. This is not down to government but individual school. No known cases in school atm.

I think this is a load.of shite Absolutely no way are 50%.of teachers at any school just staying home for no reason ( or even 1% I'd guess) . I call bullshit on this

@Schehezarade

I was talking about after covid - surely there are going to be steps taken to ensure those fallen behind are helped to catch up.

Your optimism is second to none, I'll give you that.

I teach at a small village primary school. Staff have worn PPE in the corridors, children have stuck to bubbles, we have an absolutely brutal cleaning regime several times a day.
This week, four children and three members of staff have tested positive, including me. I’m currently lying in bed coughing and aching all over. One of our parents had a positive test and sent his kids into school anyway, so we think it stems from them. Other kids have talked about going to birthday parties and sleepovers. (Tier 3 area)
We teachers are doing our best to keep the children in our care safe and educated but it’s just not possible with so little support.