Are the unions going to kick off about back to school in September?

[Flippetydip]

Is there going to be a big hoo ha from the unions about the "everyone back to school at full capacity" announcement from the PM today?

Any teachers on here care to give a view?

we were planing to buy a new mini bus, update the school library, buy musical instruments, redecorate the main entrance hall

And if you were working at an actual school looking at making support staff redundant, reducing sixth form provision, stopping subscriptions to online learning platforms, cutting photocopying budgets....what then?

Outside eating won't work in inclement weather.

Even if it did we don't have enough separate outdoor spaces.

Teachers as a group aren't refusing to go back. The odd one might but they'll not be paid / asked to resign. Our head has made this clear.

I don't see how it's unreasonable to be concerned about safety when every other workplace is having precautions put in place.

If we're told to go back without any precautions then you may find quite a lot of vacancies in Jan. Yes I know the economy is bolloxed but there are enough teachers close to retirement or with partners in jobs unlikely to be affected to cause a problem if safety concerns plus additional workload due to 'catchup' cause morale to nosedive.

teachers with partners in jobs unlikely to be affected

I’ve already had this conversation with my DH.

And I understand there will be lots of tutoring work going.

Fortunately my school seems to be keen to not endanger staff and students as much as the unions.

cutting photocopying budgets....what then?

Photocopying budgets have probably been underused over the past three months in many schools.

looking at making support staff redundant

Many are 'redundant' now - at home.

Outside eating won't work in inclement weather.

Obviously not, but hopefully we won't have many inclement days in September and October.

Photocopying budgets have probably been underused over the past three months

But replaced by orders for tissues and hand sanitiser, floor markings for social distancing, signs around the school, extra cleaning products etc etc.

Schools haven’t been closed, remember.

Photocopying budgets have NOT been underused, if anything they have been overused.

Sending resources to students without IT costs a fortune. In copying and posting

Just saw the best comment on twitter ‘all this time we had our DT departments making face visors when they should have been building classrooms’

I thought schools were going back early September?

Yep, and by November CV will be gone. Magic. No need for continued outdoor packed lunches.

@Clavinova

cutting photocopying budgets....what then?

Photocopying budgets have probably been underused over the past three months in many schools.

looking at making support staff redundant

Many are 'redundant' now - at home.

Outside eating won't work in inclement weather.

Obviously not, but hopefully we won't have many inclement days in September and October.

In my last school, if we'd have cut the photocopying budget, we'd have needed to buy more than one textbook per subject. And yes, it was known that this broke copyright laws. but it was that or no resources at all, as even the single textbooks/set texts were bought by the teachers. But, as has been said, at least the Year 7 exam papers weren't printed out - they'll need to be done for when they go back in Year 8 (best way to get an idea of how much they learned/retained is to give them the tests they were about to take, after all). 8, 9 & 10's papers had already been printed, though. So no saving there. And they'll be used anyhow.

Redundant? I'm working fulltime.

Good weather for sitting on the playground concrete and eating sandwiches? Umm - we could theoretically be lucky and we just stay in drought conditions/water shortages for another year, but this is England, you know.

Photocopying budgets have probably been underused over the past three months in many schools.

I spent all my budget buying workbooks to send home, then recorded videos to match those workbooks. My photocopying budget was used to copy work for SEND children, specific to their needs, which again I recorded videos to match.

Schools, if you could just cancel your yearly redecoration projects to buy a few tents....

The only thing that gets painted in my school is the bits of wall that have penises on them before Y6 open evening.

Schools haven’t been closed, remember

Er closed the the vast majority of children they have

@noblegiraffe

Schools, if you could just cancel your yearly redecoration projects to buy a few tents....

The only thing that gets painted in my school is the bits of wall that have penises on them before Y6 open evening.

Clavinova

Why do you insist on suggesting absolute nonsense about something you know nothing about.

You’ve invented a spectacularly unrealistic (Mini bus, library) situation and then made some assertions (photocopying) that are total bs.

Just stop it.

Er closed the the vast majority of children they have

Omg what an amazing point. Except you can’t say you’re not going to do floor markings and signs because only 3 year groups plus keyworkers plus vulnerable kids will see them.

Yep, and by November CV will be gone.

Meanwhile, the private schools will be open...

Shaun Fenton (Alvin Stardust's son!!) was a head of a large secondary in Harpenden for ages : he should know what issues arise in a comp.

In fact I have visited Mr Fenton's current school several times (I have visited at least 40 independent schools for various competitions and sports matches) - the school's sports fields are located several miles away and the main site looked quite cramped - an old grammar school with a playground that doubled up as a car park - I couldn't see any other outside space - he obviously has a 'can-do' attitude.

Clavinova- do you have children in state school at the moment? Your experience of schools seems quite different to ours.

Work at our school has been copied for any parent w/o a printer or struggling with additional costs of printing. Work packs delivered by teachers or collected from school.

Support staff being utilised to teach key worker/split classes - definitely not redundant. I'm more worried my SEN child won't get her 1-2-1 support back when she returns to school.

Funds in our school severely depleted by need of a new boiler and fixing roof. "Library" is a corridor between school office and dining hall. Laughing at the idea of them being able to fund a minibus and redecoration.

We are a couple of miles from Harpenden.

@Clavinova

Yep, and by November CV will be gone.

Meanwhile, the private schools will be open...

Shaun Fenton (Alvin Stardust's son!!) was a head of a large secondary in Harpenden for ages : he should know what issues arise in a comp.

In fact I have visited Mr Fenton's current school several times (I have visited at least 40 independent schools for various competitions and sports matches) - the school's sports fields are located several miles away and the main site looked quite cramped - an old grammar school with a playground that doubled up as a car park - I couldn't see any other outside space - he obviously has a 'can-do' attitude.

I'm guessing the can-do attitude is helped a little by the £6,380 per term he charges.

That's more in a term than a state school gets for the whole year.

An extra 12 grand a year buys a helluva lot more 'can-do'.

Yeah it’s not can-do attitude it’s can-do money.

"Library" is a corridor between school office and dining hall.
We are a couple of miles from Harpenden.

Some schools in your area have better resources!

Feb 2019 -
"A primary school in Harpenden welcomed local author Camilla Chester and other special guests at the opening of its new library."

enjoyharpendenmore.co.uk/news/new-library-opened-at-high-beeches-school-in-harpenden-1-5893808

Some schools, Clav, get hefty donations from parents for things like school libraries.

Others not so lucky.

Meanwhile, the private schools will be open...

My prep school is still not committing to 100% guarantee that they will be in full time.

@noblegiraffe

Schools, if you could just cancel your yearly redecoration projects to buy a few tents....

The only thing that gets painted in my school is the bits of wall that have penises on them before Y6 open evening.

Oooh, fancy.

In my last school, Open Evening preparation consisted of printing out a few nice posters to cover the penises - and the huge cracks in the walls where the foundations were collapsing - along with locking doors where the penis count was too high, the constant leak through the ceiling tiles had resulted in a partial ceiling collapse and mushrooms/green mould or the vandalised furniture and equipment that had to be hidden.

No money for cleaning sprays that could get permanent marker off. Or roof fixing, apparently.

WTF? They need a can do attitude.

I was referring to the prep school not committing to full time.