Have state school teachers faced redundancy for not working during lockdown?

[notevenat20]

I recently read

I think those of us who work in the private sector understand we are going to have to work during periods of self isolation whilst juggling family. It was the same during lockdown. We want to keep our jobs so we will have to provide the service.

This got me wondering, is this a pressure state school teachers feel too?

Certainly at DC’s school no educational provision was given for almost all of lockdown (there were 6 key worker children in the school, out of 420).

In situations where a large proportion of children can not access online learning is it not still a good approach to provide learning for those who can access it?

We did. We provided online work packs for those who could access it and delivered hard packs to those who couldn’t.

What we didn’t have was teachers providing a live on line curriculum because that would have meant they had no time to produce work for the students who could not access it.

Every teacher I know worked throughout, as did every TA, school admin and school maintenance.

I worked longer hours than normal albeit from home. I worked same hours as private client solicitor Dh but added in weekends on top. Both of us worked full time from home.

As the person overseeing home learning I posted several hundred activities between March and September covering every subject area for the three infant primary year groups I teach.

At my school all but 1 teacher, 1 hlta and 2 TAs were working full time in school bubbles from Easter to July including half term. Our school was open throughout from the very start. We had full bubbles throughout with key worker's children and vulnerable children. On top of these staff were recording videos and creating lessons. The four of us at home are clinically vulnerable hence being at home but still working.

Everyone is back working full time now with no SDing and no masks etc regardless of vulnerability.

So no - none of us faced redundancy as none of us were redundant during school closures.

My two children and I shared an iPhone

So you presumably couldn't have accessed zoom lessons for each of them at the same time, which is what this discussion was about.

So you can take your comment about living in the real world back.

I was talking to Smile who will know exactly what I mean.

To confirm: I do.

And if any schools didn't ask their teachers to work throughout that should be an issue for management of schools rather than individual teachers surely??

And if any teachers were made redundant who will teach the children who are now in school full time?

Although it was completely shit that one child got nothing there is so much free good stuff out there. In the end it ended up being manageable.

And yes I am aware that of the class only 3 students did ok, most of the others were just left to it, and yes that includes really vulnerable kids .. because I checked.

Ofcourse there may be a multitude of reasons the school could not step up but it really opened my eyes.

Lots of people forget that in primary schools we were teaching bubbles full time.

We had the keyworker children initially then Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 returned. All of our available staff were in school teaching.

We weren't at home!

I am guessing it is a function of anonymous posting online and not a real reflection of the bulk in that profession

More likely a symptom of dealing with this kind of thread continuously since March. The teacher bashing on MN has been horrific at times over the past six months, even more than normal levels.

I think a lot of teachers and teaching/school staff are just feeling fed up with reading the constant digs and nastiness.

And yes I am aware that of the class only 3 students did ok, most of the others were just left to it, and yes that includes really vulnerable kids .. because I checked

Are you the teacher of this class? Or a member of staff at the school?

I find your post condescending Noble are you a teacher?

You don't need to assume I can't access technology Noble

If my children had both had Skype lessons I would have borrowed a phone from a neighbour or friend for that time. It would have been fine.

I think a lot of teachers and teaching/school staff are just feeling fed up with reading the constant digs and nastiness

Yes. I certainly am - especially when actually all lockdown has done is highlighted the inconsistency and massive underfunding in education. I’ve been shouting about that for years, so it’s been particularly unpleasant to have vitriol directed at “teachers” as a body, by posters who haven’t been trying to close the gaps for the past decade.

It is a small school, and it is not fully subscribed despite being a London school. Parents do not choose it as a first choice school.

So yes parents chat to each other, especially after covid. Also myself and a few other parents ended up sharing resources and worksheets or good links to information that we found. Like I say the school did not provide it - so likewise parents did.

Many children struggled. Is that ok with you smile ? I have to say I do feel you are trying to undermine me.

There is no way you could have done the lessons I set on a mobile. I assume your DCs are quite young.

Anyway I am going to bow out.

Have to say I don't have time for Noble and smile but as they say I, as a parent, have no idea..

Many children struggled. Is that ok with you smile ? I have to say I do feel you are trying to undermine me

Undermine you? Not at all.

I was just puzzled about how you knew the profile of an entire class.

Piggy my children are young.

I had my parenting and child's behaviour questioned on another thread because I said I could not support their learning and work from home in the long term.

It seemed as if I should be able to work as normal whilst 5 year old is in other room doing his lessons. Only occasionally checking on them. And if he was not able to do that then was is behavioural issues.

This was from a teacher.

I've got to say i was absolutely flabbergasted.

This is NOT a teacher problem it's a political problem. We've had 10 years of austerity and massive underfunding which the virus has only served to highlight. I have had 2 pupils out of a cohort of 160 arrive in S1 (Yr8) who are completely illiterate. These are pupils who were born here and speak English at home. There have been interventions, of course, but not enough in my opinion due to lack of staffing and funding.

Education is a right, not a privilege, yet we are ruled by the Etonian minority.

You absolutely can do lessons on a mobile.
Are you serious. Have you never zoomed your mobile to a tv screen?

You absolutely and totally can do lessons via mobile.

Skype and zoom work fine and the organisations that did provide free zoom lessons would also host them on Vimeo.

Like I say I am going to leave this chat.

Well, yes I sympathise. But people do seem to think teachers weren't also doing this.

This would be my whole reason for NOT having live lessons for 5 year olds.

If teachers weren't working at all during lockdown that will be because their SLT/management team didn't direct them to, or set up the means for them to be able to. It was never an individual teacher's choice.

Should they then have been offered 80% pay to be furloughed, like many other workers? No state teachers were offered this. You can't make someone redundant when the job is still there.

Direct your outrage and pull up your great big judgey pants towards those specific school leadership teams and the government, not individual teachers who had no choices and no say in what happened. And the vast majority of teachers, especially Primary, we're working through out.

If my children had both had Skype lessons I would have borrowed a phone from a neighbour or friend for that time. It would have been fine.

Hmmm. I can just imagine the threads. 'My DC's school told me to borrow a mobile from a neighbour so that they can do their zoom lesson'.

Maybe parents could also fashion a mobile phone out of paper cups, string and an etch-a-sketch.

Or maybe zoom lessons aren't always the best option for families.

No, I haven't namechang .

Now who's being patronising?

Have to say I don't have time for Noble and smile but as they say I, as a parent, have no idea..

About teaching at my school? I doubt you do have any idea.

[quote notevenat20]@BunsyGirl

I can’t be first to say it, but the level of angry self righteousness from teachers on mumsnet is astonishing. I am guessing it is a function of anonymous posting online and not a real reflection of the bulk in that profession.[/quote]
Don't you see the irony in that the person that in continually posting threads to goad teachers gets pissy when teachers react the way that the poster wants them to?

@Piggywaspushed

Well, yes I sympathise. But people do seem to think teachers weren't also doing this.

This would be my whole reason for NOT having live lessons for 5 year olds.

Of course teachers who are also parents have the exact same problems. The teachers at our school were brilliant.

We did a lot more than most last term and we would do it again as they are our DC. But it would be bad for our mental health.

But there is little empathy for working parents (and teachers are included in this) and the challenges that are faced.

Many will not have employers as willing to let them be at home this time.

Its a ticking time bomb. I get schools need to be made safer, I am appalled at this govt and their incompetence. But the damage that this is going to do to all our children is frightening.