Inset days, school delays, gaaargh!

[Cherrytreepuddle]

Our school had an inset day planned for Monday 4th Jan. Now that schools are not opening they have changed this to a non inset day, and will rearrange for "a date in February". AIBU to feel like it's all a bit much?

If the children are not to be in school anyway why not keep the inset day, as planned? We'll now likely have an inset day sprung on us with fairly short notice.

DP and I have juggled work so much we both feel a bit stressed, and as though we can't keep changing our diaries without it having a negative impact on our reputations at work.

I know we're certainly not alone, but it's just getting a bit much now

It can’t be ‘ in service training’ if schools are shut.
Simple.

Staff go in on INSET days and they do actual training. If the school is shut or they are taking keyworker children only then there's no way to do the training.

In my experience INSET days are tagged onto half terms so I'd suspect the day before/after is the most likely time to expect one.

Perhaps you could email the school and let them know when it would be convenient for you and your husband to train their staff?

I'm sure they'd be happy to work around your diaries.

I thought it was only secondary schools this applied to? They won’t need looking after surely?

Here in the three tier system this means the middle school has half the school doing one thing, and half the school doing another. I also have children in high school so that a third way.... what fun!

Teachers can’t do the training they had planned and set up a testing centre simultaneously.

It’s incredible how talented people think teachers are - unfortunately we can’t do curriculum training, set up a test centre, learn how to administer a COVID test and teach online lessons all at the same time. Sorry.

We haven’t even been told about changes as yet. Both mine primary and secondary go back 5th Jan , secondary is remote learning on 4th. We are tier 3 London

Schools had less than 24 hours notice about having to do online learning AND somehow be expected to mass-test their pupils for COVID.

It is not their fault nor their choice. No-one wants to inconvenience parents and they're not doing it on purpose to annoy you. I get that it's frustrating, but please don't blame the school for this shitshow.

‘Perhaps you could email the school and let them know when it would be convenient for you and your husband to train their staff?

I'm sure they'd be happy to work around your diaries.’

^ this.

Schools are falling apart. Cut the staff a bit of slack. Struggling hugely. Bit of support instead of whingeing would be nice.

Oh and look after children of key workers - teachers are doing that too. If you’re a key worker, I think you can access provision for that.

@Flipflops85 They’ve confirmed this morning that teachers won’t be administering the tests.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

Thank heavens for that. It would have been quite frankly ludicrous.

Yes but they have confirmed who is. So I wouldn't hold my breath that support staff (also vital) will be deployed. It's a brilliant plan just ridiculous short notice. But as an NHS worker I've been living the dream since march. My thoughts are with my teacher friends and family

[quote GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]@Flipflops85 They’ve confirmed this morning that teachers won’t be administering the tests.[/quote]
They have... however they have also given us ONE working day (today) to find enough volunteers to test a whole school, and would you want adults near your child who are not DBS checked as obviously we can't do that today as well as find all these magic people that want to come into schools to help us test.

The guidance they have sent shows an example of testing 100 people and how you could work it and how it could be staffed etc

Great - we have 1900+ to test twice within the first week back.

Oh and don't remember that we found this out via bbc news yesterday - guidance was sent out last night at 8:30pm.

Inset days aren't just days off for teachers, within that time we need to do first aid training, safeguarding training, joint planning, moderation of exams, personal development and CPD on teaching and learning.

On the 4th Jan we will be expected to set up a mass testing centre, train all staff/ volunteers (that we found today and DBS checked over the holidays...) and staff, test all staff, plan to test all students (not forgetting to organise the transport there and home of the 1000 of our students that come by bus), remote teach online, provide for vulnerable and key workers. Oh and this has to be planned by Headteachers and SLT that (in my school at least) haven't had a day off in three or four weeks due to having to contact trace positive cases over the weekends.

How much looking after does a secondary age child even really need? Surely you can just leave them at home unless they have SEN or are vulnerable (in which you would be provided for in school anyways?)

Clearly IABU, accepted. It just seemed logical to me that if they don't have children in, aren't doing a hub and aren't offering online learning that the inset day would still stand.
We're in Wales BTW, the primaries are closed for an extra week here.

Have I missed something.... are schools not opening in jan?

We've got a training day scheduled for the first day back. I've already got the minute by minute plan for the day, all about the new plans to improve the quality of education the kids are getting. Now I've got no clue whether we'll be doing that or maybe putting a massive tent up as I'm not sure where we've got space to test 2000 students...

I thought they were doing online learning

@elfieishere not in Wales they aren't, there's a staggered return throughout January

They’ve confirmed this morning that teachers won’t be administering the tests.

Presumably this will fall to school support staff then or are they expecting parents to come in and do it? I cant see that happening. Our HT has worked out that as a larger than average secondary school we will be doing hundreds of tests per day.

We are confirmed with online for first week. And a sorry your child must isolate until Boxing Day letter too. Merry Christmas! We weren’t doing anything anyway but I’d imagine a lot of people will be fuming