Why can't they change the school term?

[onedayinthefuture]

No one is willing to make a case for a pretty obvious solution. Schools close, bring down infections significantly and get the vaccinations ramped up. The winter was always going to be bad, keep the schools closed throughout January and February. That's 7 weeks that then needs to be made up later in the year. There are MORE than enough weeks in the spring and summer to do this. Cancel exams, the current cohort have had too much disruption this year and last but ensure a fair and proper accountability for exam grades awarded by teachers / exam boards.

I work in a school and don't want to lose my summer holidays but surely this makes sense? Have the kids in school in the warmer months where the virus will be less of a threat. No teachers will need to teach throughout this shutdown. ALL learning will be resumed in the classroom. The online provision causes even more of a gap between rich and poor.

Teachers working to supervise key worker children to be paid extra. Working parents (especially mothers are stuffed I admit, but aren't we anyway).

Socialisation I would argue is more important than education (which can be made up) that's the main issue for kids of all ages. That's my sticking point but in the main most kids are with loving families.

Can anyone tell me what I am missing?

@InTheMiddle23

Some parents in hospitality are lucky if the can get 1 week April -September. The whole school year needs shaking up so that each region/county has different holidays.

That's why I didn't choose a job in that sector. There would always be that issue, it's not linked to Covid.

*I’ll remember the inflexibility of the government to fund schools and keep them safe.

I’ll remember the inflexibility of the government when it came to providing enough devices for children to work remotely.

I’ll remember the government choosing not to feed hungry children, and due to their cuts schools having to take on more and more pastoral roles - safeguarding, welfare, feeding hungry families during closure.

I’ll remember the faceless bitches on mumsnet who made a hobby out of teacher bashing, despite all of the above being the government’s decisions not teachers’ decisions.

I’ll remember all the lovely emails we got from parents thanking us for making our school as safe as possible and as “normal” as possible.*

---

This!

Fortunately the parents at my school and those I have worked with are nothing like some of those who exist on Mumsnet.

*@A*braxan
"Throughout this I have worked continuously and throughout my holidays, assisting parents and children with their learning, whether in school or remotely."

You have worked throughout your holidays? Really?! Doing what?! Children clearly weren't learning then. There's been 10 weeks school holiday since the pandemic hit.

Not the entire holidays to be fair, but throughout Easter and May - remote learning and supporting colleagues in school as we had full bubbles throughout those.

Part of summer - ensuring the new systems were in place, setting up the new 90 children starting so they'd be ready to go from day 1. Removing and down,loading remote learning from the 90mwho were leaving and getting it sent, in the right formats, to their new school. Ensuring my own planning was up to date and ready. Catching up and updating my subject leadership plans and reviews. A lot of the summer was stuff I would do normally but which contributes towards teaching and learning. Answering questions via learning platform and emails from parents, new and old.

October - (whilst technically off sick) setting up and ensuring remote learning was in place fully as many of our classes were self isolating before, during and after. Responding to parents and pupils via email and learning platform. Granted I could have just ignored them til after the holidays but then it makes that first day back manic and some parents queries get missed,important information doesn't get passed on if you're not careful.

Christmas - first few days and last couple of days SIMILAR situations.

But then working through holidays is the norm for most teaching staff. Just this year has meant more.

My specific role meals that my work load has increased a lot due the pandemic due to the increased need for tech and it systems.

@HancocksSexTears

Martyrdom is a very time consuming role

No martyrdom here. I often work in holidays as it makes my own life easier in term time. In real life I don't discuss this with people. Only in here when some posters like to make out that school staff are doing nothing this year.

And there's no getting away from the fact that many schools did not close over Easter and May 2020. And schools like mine, due to the make up of our school and it's proximity to large teaching hospitals, have a very large number of key worker and vulnerable pupils eligible for places.

But as I say - this is for MN. The only real place I see such negativity towards school and teachers, so the only place where explanations of what a lot of school staff have really been doing appears to be necessary.

And, as normal pre covid, I have of course taken time off for myself and my family.

You have worked throughout your holidays? Really?! Doing what?! Children clearly weren't learning then. There's been 10 weeks school holiday since the pandemic hit.

I’d explain but then some other fucker would just claim I am being a martyr.

Rock.
Hard Place.

....... I see such negativity towards school and teachers,

I'm not negative towards what teachers do - in terms of teaching and preparing to teach. It's the constant narrative of being hard done by that I don't view positively. Particularly when other public servants have worked as hard, or harder, with 25 days holiday a year, not 90.

@herethereandeverywhere

....... I see such negativity towards school and teachers,

I'm not negative towards what teachers do - in terms of teaching and preparing to teach. It's the constant narrative of being hard done by that I don't view positively. Particularly when other public servants have worked as hard, or harder, with 25 days holiday a year, not 90.

Where are these 90 days coming from? I feel I must be working for the wrong council if teachers elsewhere are having 90 days of holidays. Teachers will continue to state what and how they work until this myth that the job is ‘9-3 and you just need to open last year’s big book of plans’ is dispelled. Yup lots of people work long hours. Most of them don’t face the complete lack of forward planning and change at the drop of a hat currently being faced by teachers in England. I’m so glad that I teach elsewhere in the UK.

There's been 10 weeks school holiday since the pandemic hit.

Interesting that this point is finally acknowledged, albeit to have a pop at a teacher. Makes a change from the usual 'six months' lost learning' hyperbole. While we're at it, perhaps we could acknowledge that young people's entire futures aren't actually laid waste.

I assume you'd also be on board with the 33% pay increase if teachers moved to a standard 25 day AL allocation? And of course AL taken at the worker's discretion.

Teaching is not the hardest job in the world, but neither is it 9-3 printing generic worksheets off. Teachers understandably get defensive when the small minority of people either wilfully or ignorantly disregard the preparation that goes on when the children aren't around. I love my job, but I leave the house at 5.50am and I get home about 5pm, then I work from 7-9pm most evenings. It's fine and I am not complaining, but I don't think it's easy. I also take home about £26k gross.

As I have said upthread, I wouldn't be that bothered by a shortened summer break, but it couldn't just be decided without consideration, and if exams go ahead, which I hope they do, the marking and administration of those qualifications will need to be accounted for to ensure that students end up on the correct courses in September.

Even if schools were to shut in Jan and Feb. It doesn’t take away the possibility that people will continue to mix even more because of lack of childcare ( I don’t blame them). Once the kids finally return to school the same risk poses as now.

Parents who have faced difficulties juggling schoolwork, childcare & jobs are not neglectful parents

Yet if MN is to be believed, teachers who have juggled their children’s schoolwork, childcare and their jobs are shite teachers. Teachers are not immune to everything else that is going on at the moment. I think frequently people think we are wheeled out of and back into our classroom cupboards everyday.

So because some people think that about teachers it automatically means that parents who struggled to juggle everything are neglectful? Ok...

I was replying to this point below
* If you read these two posts side by side, maybe being a parent isn’t for everyone if they rely so heavily on schools and childcare facilities being open all year round...*

It's a stupid argument no matter how you feel about teachers.

@herethereandeverywhere

It's the constant narrative of being hard done by that I don't view positively.

And yet no teacher on here has ever said this.

It is the arseholes having a pop at teachers that say that teachers say this.

But of course pointing this out is being a martyr.

I don't think teachers have had an easy time of it at all & I don't subscribe to the 3 months of holiday notion. I would say the teacher bashing is on par with teachers martyrdom on here, Ive seen both. Plus any slight criticism is perceived as a bashing.

There have been so many threads about schools, teachers & such emotive language used but I don't think I've seen anything like the volume in threads about care workers, bus drivers, cleaners, doctors or nurses. I may be wrong.

What have teachers been doing over the Xmas break?

Well, just from the communications I've had from my children's schools...

Organising track and trace communications all of the first week - we received either a letter through the post, email or text at least once a day.

Responding to the govt's usual 11th hour notifications re: school openings. Received a text message and email from one school last night, yes NYE.

Other school have emailed to say that they're meeting with other local schools today and tomorrow, yes bank holiday and Saturday, re school openings.

Isolating as half the school came down with covid in the last week of term.

And that's not even thinking about the prep they're doing for online learning and god knows what else from Monday.

So yes jack shit. Sitting around in their jammies drinking Baileys.

The governments handling of schools & the last minute release of guidance is appalling.

Look at you all, turning against each other, hating and teacher bashing.
If the government did their job properly, we wouldn’t be hating each other this much. Everyone wants to go back to old normal again and everyone is fed up and worried about money, health, and the future. Chill out.

I've done fuck all over the holidays and never will again, due to the vitriol I've been on the receiving end of this year. I'm experienced enough to get by so that's what I'll do. I'm not being paid to work and I make no apologies. Yes I'm bitter.

I actually don't know why supermarket workers aren't more vocally outraged at what they're being expected to do. Care workers have PPE, limited numbers, regular tests and now vaccinations. School staff, supermarket workers,cleaners and drivers have none of the above. I will fight my own corner but I would happily lend my weight to a campaign to improve mitigations in any of those roles. That's actually why I don't leave teaching - I would end up in an equally unsafe job with worse pay and conditions. Doesn't make any of this OK.

Salty I'm completely supportive of teachers and pupils wearing masks in school. I have lots of friends abroad whose kids (as young as 7) have been doing it for months without issue.

The OP wasn't about PPE or safer schools though was it? It was about teachers being asked to do something different and something more.

It was about teachers being asked to do something different and something more.

Which so many teachers have already been doing. So do RTFT.

It obviously means nothing to posters like you so I can see why many are starting to not bother and just do the job they are paid to do and directed by their managers to do.

@herethereandeverywhere I was responding to @bringle's comment:

There have been so many threads about schools, teachers & such emotive language used but I don't think I've seen anything like the volume in threads about care workers, bus drivers, cleaners, doctors or nurses. I may be wrong.