All this "Tiny crammed school room" stuff

[palacegirl77]

Just wondering why we havent had the teachers unions on this in a big scale before. On nearly every thread I see on here we hear about teachers being in "Tiny, crammed rooms" no windows - sometimes no daylight - so many kids they cant walk without knocking into each other. Not enough cleaners, it not being sanitary, germs spreading like wildfire (wasnt this an issue before covid with other illnesses such as norovirus etc?) Why are so many teachers happy to work in such horrible conditions? Why arent parents told about how awful it is and why arent we all signing petitions and asking for schools to be rebuilt? Did it take this pandemic to wake us all up? Is it really that bad?

When they do try and speak out it gets twisted to look like they are lazy and greedy! They want more pay and don’t want to work the hours , you just have to read a few threads to see that.

Schools and funding have been an issue for years.

Unions are on it.

You must have noticed as a parent all the cuts in support staff the last few years as schools have restructured just to keep deficit as low as possible? That teachers have been mentioning buying their own supplies etc? There's been thread after thread here.

Schools requesting monthly payments from parents - voluntary monthly payments etc. There's been threads in here.

That TAs cover lessons now and supply teachers aren't even really a thing anymore. There's been thread here again.

But Covid is obviously different. The reason it's become more serious is a) because if the seriousness of Covid everything has changed in public due to risks and b) despite the already poor conditions schools aren't having those same protections.

Don't get me wrong the secondary schools I know have amazing plans to do all they can. Kids remaining in class, different toilets for year groups who are in bubbles, staggered lunches, arrive in pe kit on or days so changing rooms aren't used etc etc.

But we now have an already poor education system having more pressure put on it, more pressure put on teachers and a virus that means in every other place the conditions that are accepted in schools are considered unsafe elsewhere.

I think every single person who is a teacher in 2020 is amazing and I hope their MH survives it.

(Ps I think teachers are amazing anyway but this has to be the hardest year to be one)

Yes this is not new and parents aren't informed because there is nothing they will do about it. I am pretty sure most teenagers go home complaining about how hot the classrooms are as they peel off their blazer. Do you pay attention?

Today I invigilated an exam in a room so hot I felt l was dripping with sweat. they awas one tiny window that opened 6 inches. How that student sat through her exam I don't know.

@palacegirl77 but it’s like schools going back in September, teachers will post their concerns on here and on teacher forums, but will plaster on a happy smile for the pupils and their parents on the first day back.

You may not also realise that many schools don’t have the budgets for books, won’t have spare budget to pay for cover teachers if any teachers go off sick with COVID, no budget for extra cleaning.

The additional money for tutoring expects schools to pay an element from their existing budget, which they don’t have. Teachers also pay a lot out of their own pocket to ensure students have sufficient supplies. It is not good.

I work in a relatively new build school. You can tell it was "cheapest contractor wins". Classrooms are tiny. I teach science and you have to be really careful in practicals as there's just not enough room to move around. I have to move tables to get Bunsens out. We've had to "lockdown" the building before in high winds as bits of metal came flying off the roof. We literally couldn't let kids leave the buildings

We’ve been campaigning on school funding and working conditions for years (as have lots of parents, bless them) but no one cares because “teachers get loads of holiday”

I’m not sure how we could have shouted and protested more. You know that fewer than half of all trained teachers stay more than 4 years, don’t you.

I was born in 1972. I taught for 10 years in a classroom still damaged from the blitz. It was been rebuilt now, around 12 years ago. But that gives you an indication of the level of urgency improving school conditions is viewed with

Whatever teachers say there's the press, government (and mumsnetters) who are ready with the lazy teacher claims.

Yep, this is the depressing truth of the situation. We've been complaining about over crowding and under funding for years, and the response is always the same, ignore the issue and blame the staff.

If teachers lived in the real world they'd just get on with it, you can tell they've never had a proper job. Always making excuses, they're all lazy, workshy and then something about holidays and knocking off at 3.30 because the car park is empty...

Quite simply OP you are part of the problem.

You haven't listened to what teachers have been saying for years and been called also sorts of names for it.

There has been plenty about this on TV, Social media, radio, unions, and even in parliament.

Yet some how this is a surprise to you.

Why have you only just realised this?
It is because it has only just started to affect you and have an impact on your life?

schoolcuts.org.uk/

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/education/2019/sep/30/funding-80-percent-schools-england-worse-next-year

neu.org.uk/campaigns/funding

A few links for you OP

How many times are there threads on here (pre COVID) with parents complaining about having to pay voluntary contributions for swimming lessons and school trips. Little do they realise that any shortfall has to come out of the school budget which is already stretched.

I’m not sure how we could have shouted and protested more. You know that fewer than half of all trained teachers stay more than 4 years, don’t you

Unfortunately I think it gets shouted the into the echo chamber, sorry.

Locally we get almost no information about schools that isn't good news.

@FrippEnos

Quite simply OP you are part of the problem.

You haven't listened to what teachers have been saying for years and been called also sorts of names for it.

There has been plenty about this on TV, Social media, radio, unions, and even in parliament.

Yet some how this is a surprise to you.

Why have you only just realised this?
It is because it has only just started to affect you and have an impact on your life?

I do know all this.but what difference does knowing it make? There is no targeted/detailed campaigning from any party on this and letters to an MP achieve little.

Let's not even go on to the embarrassing levels of support/provision for SEN pupils.

I am pretty sure most teenagers go home complaining about how hot the classrooms are as they peel off their blazer. Do you pay attention

Parent here, yes I do pay attention. Even the school has relaxed uniform rules for Mai - September... but what we really need is a new fit for purpose scho not some old 1950' grammar school building.

Most of the good ne3s that comes out of schools is down to the goodwill of folks - staff, PTAs, local business. The system runs on goodwill.

Ylvamoon

but what we really need is a new fit for purpose scho not some old 1950' grammar school building.

You may get a new build but it won't be fit for purpose, because gove reduced the size of the classrooms whilst increasing the number of the pupils that could be in them.

latticechaos

what do you do?

You join the campaigns.
You continue writing to your mp
You make noise about it in the press
And don't stop after your children leave schools like so many do.

My experience as a public sector worker is the newer the build the worse it tends to be, I'm guessing schools aren't much different

Many areas, especially London, have had rising birth rates with no real investment in additional school places. This generally means that the primary schools are forced to expand by building on their playgrounds and cramming the pupils in.

If you go to the school cuts website someone posted up thread, you can put in your local school/your kids school and see how much of a deficit in funding they are in, in total and per pupil. Here’s my school (I’ve hidden identifying information).

I have to say the older schools round me have much more space than the new builds One infants, you literally cannot get from one side of the room to the other during carpet time as the tables have to be moved and stacked. I can only believe it got through fire regs due to doors straight out

My DS school way over capacity. I wanted to cry when he started school and saw the tiny room he and 24 others were crammed into (although there was a window). Education funding has been squeezed for years. My DS school could do with being knocked down and rebuilt as a two storey but there is no money for this sort of stuff.

I’ve seen campaigns on it. Especially during the last two elections. The press rarely cover it though and the gov usually makes a fake promise with fudging of figures and it’s buried again. I’ve seen it via local social media campaigns so if they’re not on your radar you won’t have seen them.

I think you’ve highlighted an important problem here. While campaigns and awareness do exist, if the media isn’t publicising it, and the nature of social media only shows you things on your radar, then how do we get the message out much further and wider?

And our school is hugely over capacity. Kids are crammed in. They’ll be in rows less than half a metre apart in September.