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).

Doesn't sound too healthy

Are you happy with your child’s school provision now? This is the key thing. Nobody can change what happened in lockdown. Lots of people had a difficult time for many different reasons. Schools are now back full time. The current DfE guidance has set out expectations for remote learning so this will help going forward should individuals, year groups or schools need to switch to remote learning.

Still blaming the teachers and schools, OP?

We see you, we know what you are.

Address your complaint to the people responsible for the mess. Johnson and Gav.

Teachers at DCs' secondary were working.

But you've been willing, on this thread and many others, to take out your anger on the dozens of teachers who frequent these boards, which has had a serious detrimental effect on their mood and possible mental health?

I haven't taken out any anger on anyone here. I have received some pretty snarky and on one occasion straight up rude personal comments though. It would be ridiculous to suggest that talking about terrible educational provision from a school is a risk to the mental health of teachers in general.

Are you happy with your child’s school provision now?

Yes thank you. It is great. I particular love that they effectively apologised for the poor educational provision they gave over lockdown (when DC weren't there) and explained how they were spending the Summer planning to make sure it would be better next time.

So, what you actually want is personal vengeance?

That's just nonsense, sorry. I want those who are left at the school (I moved DC) to have some support and education if there is another lockdown. I can't see it happening with the current head/SLT/chair of governors.

Still blaming the teachers and schools, OP? We see you, we know what you are. Address your complaint to the people responsible for the mess. Johnson and Gav.

Your second sentence is vaguely threatening. I assume you didn't meant it that way.

Did you report the rude comment. Best way forward , I think?

It would be ridiculous to suggest that talking about terrible educational provision from a school is a risk to the mental health of teachers in general.
How about you let the teachers reading your endless "carping" (to coin a phrase from one of our esteemed leaders) be the judges of how damaging they are finding it.

How about you let the teachers reading your endless "carping" (to coin a phrase from one of our esteemed leaders) be the judges of how damaging they are finding it.

I obviously don't want to upset anyone. But I do think that the voice of those who have suffered for months trying to home school their children and hold down a job while getting no support from their school needs to be heard too.

Did you report the rude comment. Best way forward , I think?

If there are any English teachers here, I would love a textual exegesis of this sort of MN post.

Your are right that maybe most of the blame should be aimed at heads and SLTs (who in our primary at least are all teachers).

Maybe this is what is skewing your views then. I work in some very small primaries and even there, not all the teachers are SLT. The vast majority of teachers work in schools where there is a Head, an SLT, governors and then a body of teachers, who do not make policy decisions and have to abide by the policies set by the Head, governors and SLT. It is patently unreasonable of you to just decide that teachers across the country were individually deciding that they couldn't be arsed to provide decent distance learning. That's not how schools work.

@notevenat20 the lack of provision has been mentioned many times now on MN, and many explanations provided (and mainly ignored!)

Surely we need to be looking at what is happening in schools now and discussing how it can be improved, if it needs improving. What would also be great if posters could post positives about their schools. Make a difference from all the teacher bashing (especially when most of the decisions made in schools have absolutely nothing to do with teachers)

I think that word of mouth locally for schools' approaches during lockdown will have a bearing on their popularity and on parent's general satisfaction and perception of the school. The disparity between schools highlights those with a can do attitude from those with a coasting attitude.

@notevenat20

Still blaming the teachers and schools, OP? We see you, we know what you are. Address your complaint to the people responsible for the mess. Johnson and Gav.

Your second sentence is vaguely threatening. I assume you didn't meant it that way.

Threatening? How so? This is the internet. I can't reach through the screen to slap you.

It means you have been recognised for what I believe you to be - someone with an agenda whose desire is to cause upset.

Surely we need to be looking at what is happening in schools now and discussing how it can be improved, if it needs improving. What would also be great if posters could post positives about their schools. Make a difference from all the teacher bashing (especially when most of the decisions made in schools have absolutely nothing to do with teachers

Sadly the main question is what will prevent those schools who provided nothing from doing it again. My guess is that only something from central govt has any hope of working.

I work in some very small primaries and even there, not all the teachers are SLT.

The logic got flipped somehow. I said all the SLT were teachers and you switched it to all the teachers are SLT.

Government have given more advice for this term, although no extra funding for Plan B for schools. So the curriculum has to be taught if the school has to 'close', not suspending the curriculum. Oak Academy is continuing and that is mentioned in the Government guidance, so if your school sends links to that, do not criticise the school that is what has been advised, especially if schools are having to juggle some pupils at home and some pupils in school.

There is a Government scheme for giving laptops to school if they have to go into Tier 2, supposedly schools can get them in 2 days for vulnerable pupils, but I am not pinning too much hope on that claim, as their other laptop scheme was woeful. But that will be down to the Government not the school/teachers, unless parents are expecting teachers to dip into their pockets and buy laptops for pupils like they have to for other school resources.

OP, it sounds like you had a shitty experience, and I doubt you are alone. You have also highlighted the disparity between schools - with some having excellent provision and some offering nothing. I genuinely don't understand- and I'm not being goody - I just really cannot understand how what you've written translates into all teachers are crap/teacher bashing.
I'm sure many teachers worked their socks off, whilst some will have had a very easy ride. If an individual teacher created a post stating how hard they had worked, would a bunch of parents say they were parent bashing as their experience of the provision at their school was different?

• goady not goody

If an individual teacher created a post stating how hard they had worked, would a bunch of parents say they were parent bashing as their experience of the provision at their school was different?

That is a very well put question.

@notevenat20

Did you report the rude comment. Best way forward , I think?

If there are any English teachers here, I would love a textual exegesis of this sort of MN post.

Really? Is that the best you can do? Make some snippy comment about a busy and stressed teacher's post on here, when she is currently in school where there are undoubtedly confirmed cases and little to no protection? As are the rest of the profession? I say again, well done to you.

unless parents are expecting teachers to dip into their pockets and buy laptops for pupils like they have to for other school resources.

I have a friend whose DC are at a school where they said they couldn't provide anything online because some families didn't have laptops. They wrote to the head and said they would buy/hire cheap laptops for those families if they could be told how many it was.

Really? Is that the best you can do?

I have noticed the snark is only detected incoming on this thread.

Sadly the main question is what will prevent those schools who provided nothing from doing it again.

Ofsted. There are now guidelines for remote teaching which were lacking during lockdown, schools to be ready by end of September.

www.tes.com/news/schools-need-remote-teaching-plans-end-september

You could have just bloody asked at the start, yes?