Wish I wasn't a teacher because of Covid

[NebularNerd]

In my family/friends circle, I am the only one who will be face to face with 150+ people per day with no PPE, no social distancing, nothing.

I have one relative who is not expecting to return to the office this year.
Another who now only works in the office two days per week, in a building where numbers are severely restricted, one way systems, spaced out desks etc.
Another friend who is also able to wfh for the foreseeable future.

I can't help but think that had I made a different career choice I would not now be faced with contracting a potentially life threatening virus and passing it on to my clinically extremely vulnerable husband or elderly parents.

I will go to work and try to ignore what's going on in the world and do my best. But I wish I could be made to feel safer - screens, masks, fewer pupils, something.

I hope I'm worrying for nothing, but it is getting difficult to sleep at night.

...I work in a large school so our purchasing dept is responsible for ordering supplies, including hand soap and sanitiser. Orders will be raised by the Premises manager or school manager in this case

Who is their boss within the school?

Yes flax. That’s why no teachers were blaming the cleaners, they were “blaming” the lack of funding.

Schools already order cleaning supplies, with funding from LA's /Gov't. Schools run by teachers

So close! Schools do order cleaning supplies with funding from LA/Govt. But schools aren’t run by teachers. They are staffed by teachers. Who don’t generally tend to the ones making the decisions about funding and financing thousands of pounds worth of cleaning supplies.

But if you think teachers should just “stop moaning” and buy hundreds/thousands of pounds worth of soap and sanitiser out of their own pockets just say so! No need to drill me on who buys what in my school.

Flax no idea what you’re trying to get at (Also if you have worked in a school, you’d know.)

You can now happily throw your questions into the void as I’ve given you more than enough info to answer your question. And if you feel I haven’t, Google is always available.

Here is a school >>>>>

But if you think teachers should just “stop moaning”...

PS
Can you please not put quotation mark's around things I have not said. I've had enough of that from a previous poster

they were “blaming” the lack of funding.

What soap is the head teacher ordering, Sisley?

How much money does an average school get a year to spend?

I don't know if you are talking about me or another poster who doesn't have soap but I have colleagues as witnesses that there is no soap in the staff loo, also photos of other things related to lack of cleaning/COVID preparation as well. Perhaps it has all been installed since I left yesterday evening...

@Flaxmeadow

I think you will find @Flaxmeadow that they are ganging up on the Government for spending so little on schools that the cleaning budget is shit and a proper job can't be done and enough soap etc can't be provided

Don't make me laugh. A bar of soap costs pennies, it isn't the Gov't who put the soap in the wash basin. It's the cleaners. Have you asked them where the soap is? Or are they too busy running around scrupulously cleaning everything, because teachers are complaining that none of it is good wnough.

I couldn't see any yesterday. I did raise it with their line managers though. I am not blaming them by any stretch...

I think it’s shocking that teachers in the extremely clinically vulnerable category are expected to return to work with no PPE.

@Egghead68

I think it’s shocking that teachers in the extremely clinically vulnerable category are expected to return to work with no PPE.

Yup. Don't want to be too outing but yup.

No soap in our staff loo or kitchen either. I'm taking some in today, plus batteries for my clock. This is normal.

@Flaxmeadow of all the bollocks you’ve posted about teachers, this is the most ridiculous.

No one has mentioned cleaners. You’re really not helping yourself. Cleaners don’t buy soap for schools - it has absolutely nothing to do with them. The fact that you think the blame lies with cleaners to supply schools with soap is actually laughable.

It’s so clearly and deliberately antagonistic to say that because some posters have complained about there being no soap for them, that they are blaming cleaners.

Cleaners don’t order the soap. 🤦‍♀️

Onto soap now, is there any beginning to Flax's talents?

Let's hear about the supermarket workers and nurses who had to work throughout the pandemic with no soap and didn't complain but made some themselves by getting instructions from Fight Club.

Don’t forget she is an expert on school budgets too

Wow! Admittedly I haven't RTFT only a few pages either end but the amount of bitching and nastiness on here is unreal

I don’t think the no PPE part is shocking. I kind of expected that. I don’t think clinically vulnerable teachers should have to return at all though. The part that shocks me is the lack of soap. Clearly budgets are tight, but surely soap and hand sanitiser is a priority.

When do budgets get paid? Is it by academic year (ie in September) or calendar year (ie January)? If the latter I can see why a school would have got its budget wrong for soap but if the former, surely soap has to be pretty high up the list in the circumstances...

I’ll reiterate though, for those teachers who don’t have soap, what goes on in schools had a community wide impact - schools being the only legal mass gatherings at the moment - so please drum up some interest from parents etc so that there is a drive to improve the situation. Parents won’t know about it if you don’t tell them and lots will care.

Our local schools had to set budgets as if COVID didn’t exist! So no extra supply teacher budgets, in fact we had to halve the amount this year for supply to try and make ends meet. So that will be good when teachers go off ill or have to self isolate. No extra cleaning budget. Photocopying budget slashed even though photocopying workbooks for parents who don’t have technology is part of our remote teaching provision.

Our school budget is financial year. April but some academies do January or September.
School funding is very perculiar but the main thing to note is staffing is normally about 80% but sometimes 90% of a school budget and that 75% of schools were set to post a deficit budget in their next financial year.

@Egghead68

I think it’s shocking that teachers in the extremely clinically vulnerable category are expected to return to work with no PPE.

It's appalling.

Well, having seen the behaviour of parents at the school drop off this morning, I'd be demanding full PPE to face their children each day.

They completely ignored the staggered times, the queuing and one way systems, the request not to allow younger children to play in the playground. They hung about gossiping on the path outside the school, clustered around the gate, even on the road. No social distancing, despite cones set out for them, not a mask in sight. We had to push through them to get to the gate.

They so obviously couldn't care less, and I doubt they've been socially distancing or wearing masks in the holidays, either.
They'll be the first to complain if the school has to close - because it'll inconvenience them.

Soap is a difficult one- clearly it is in high demand and it is expensive now, which means schools will not always be able to source or afford supply for every sink all the time.

I think a degree of personal responsibility is required- all DC should have hand sanitiser on their person and teachers should be bringing soap in for their departments and staff bathrooms.

@Tanith people don’t seem to understand the effects of their actions. Perhaps it will take a few schools closing before some parents realise the impact of their actions.

I’m still cross that I’ll get fined if I keep my child off school and Im expected to send him into school to sit next to kids whose families have been breaking the rules all summer (no fines and no enforcement).

I've agonised over sending them back and was strong armed in to it. Really regret it now after seeing the behaviour of some of the parents this morning. Total chaos, no distancing, no masks, standing around blocking pavements etc. You wouldn't know anything was different. Feel like it's only a matter of time until there is an outbreak and the school have already had to send an email about it. Nightmare.

Those of you who had a poor experience at school gates since returning, are these primary schools?

I think it’s shocking that teachers in the extremely clinically vulnerable category are expected to return to work with no PPE
Yes it is crazy. All teachers here are wearing PPE like pp's on the thread many of the parents haven't learned.
We've staggered start times some of the 9am parents were still chatting when I arrived at 9.30.