Local secondary has switched to home learning...

[Emerald76360]

A local secondary has switched to home learning because not enough teacher because of covid. My friends children go there and she has them home now. We have high levels of covid here but never did through the lockdowns. Is it happening to schools where you are?

At the school i teach in we are on our knees. Staff absence is huge. Not just covid. One member of staff is currently hospitalised due to covid though. We have lots of supply in. Cannot get even one subject specialist one for our dept to cover the longterm non-covid illnesses of staff. We are merging gcse classes in the hall for lecture style learning as theyve gone so long without proper teaching. And the more staff off with illness so then stress levels of the ones left fire-fighting are through the roof and so i expect more stress absence soon too.

Dd’s school moved to online learning in November due to an increase in cases. After hardly having any cases throughout the pandemic they suddenly had 10% of the school off, pupils and teachers..

All is fine now and back to normal.

Over half of the staff are off in my DC's primary school

Our rural primary has just reopened after being closed by Public Health for 10 days as so many positive cases.

DS had a couple of weeks remote learning a few weeks ago, other year groups were also impacted. School was still open for remaining year groups

There weren't any supply staff here before half term and then again last week. The last week of half term we had two TAs in a class for the as no teacher available, and a couple of occasions were year groups of children were transferred into hall for inpromtu art glass or listening to/writing about music lesson. This is a primary school.

School now closing for over three weeks at xmas in hope it breaks the local transmission and keeps families safe.

DH's school has staffing problems due to Covid-related and general end of Autumn term run-down absence plus a couple of staff on long-term sickness. Y7, 8 and 9 on 3 day week with two days home-learning until January. Y10-13 in school full-time at the minute.

The large primary that I work in was badly hit during autumn 1, with many children and staff testing positive. Since returning from half term, we have 3 isolated cases. They were children and not staff.

There are hardly any teaching jobs being advertised though? Not even that many HLTA/ cover type jobs. I don't want to sign up a supply agencies but would consider a few months in the same school.

Yes struggling in my school to staff with covid. Staff off with it or off with their own children with it.
Local high school gone to online learning for two year groups.
Dd 6th form had a week at home as their teacher had covid and was off.
Supply didn’t even turn up in our school today.
Dragging ourselves to Christmas.

@littleowls83

There are hardly any teaching jobs being advertised though? Not even that many HLTA/ cover type jobs. I don't want to sign up a supply agencies but would consider a few months in the same school.

I was emailed at least 3 times just today from staff at eteach looking to fill a long list of vacancies from January! Unfortunately, none were what I'm looking for nor am I available for January anyway 😐

@littleowls83

There are hardly any teaching jobs being advertised though? Not even that many HLTA/ cover type jobs. I don't want to sign up a supply agencies but would consider a few months in the same school.

Wow. Where I am it's the complete opposite. There's plenty of jobs being advertised, and supplies have so many offers of work they can pick and choose, including long term cover.

We were hit badly before half term and touch wood not too terrible this side of half term.

Hopefully Christmas holidays will calm things down

We’ve had 17% of staff off and 7% of children today. Children’s rates rising fast but loads are not testing. Single form primary school. Had to close 1 class for 3 days as couldn’t staff it. Just about managing but really stretched.

Teaching has not been consistent and children’s progress is slow, I’d even go as far as saying home learning last year provided more consistency and better learning than this last term.

My DC are at primary school and we had letter from the head today to say they're covering all classes as best they can but it's proving difficult due to the number of staff off. It seems to me they're pre-empting closing at least some classes if not the whole school.

Teaching has not been consistent and children’s progress is slow, I’d even go as far as saying home learning last year provided more consistency and better learning than this last term.

I'd agree. At least with home learning most of our children had consistency and a regular member of staff who was monitoring progress. Our children have had weeks where they had a different supply teacher each day.

I teach in a primary and also do supply. In my primary we've had a week or two of more cases in EYFS/KS1 (assuming pupils), I found out more cases today. No closures yet, though.

Last week I supplied in a primary with the teacher off with Covid. Lots of kids off the previous week (KS2).

So much supply work out there right now, I could have been booked two or three times over each day. I have my pick of the schools.

All OK in my bit of SE london. My kids' school and dh's (teacher) had waves earlier this academic year. They didn't have to close though and it seems calm now by comparison.

Another supply teacher coming in to say all my recent work has been covering classes where staff are off with covid. I work part time and I've honestly never in all my years of supply been in such high demand at this point in the year.

It's the same across all the schools in my city, they are desperate for qualified staff to cover and I've lost count of how often I've been asked if I will do extra days. If anyone thinks the situation in schools is fine they firmly have their heads in the sand.

Work in a London secondary school. 4 staff and 7 kids off with covid. Nowhere near as bad as it was this time last year.

@Pootle40

One at primary and one at high school in Scotland - not aware of a single issue tbh.

It will sadly. For all the covid times, very very little covid in my child's class. Very little in my class. Just a few kids. In the last few weeks, over half the class off with testing positive. Member of staff off because its ripped through her child's school. Same with my child. Loads of kids off in school and it is ripping through the class. We are in Scotland.

[quote Waxonwaxoff0]@FlopsterFlops as long as DS is in school, then it's fine in my eyes.[/quote]
This is the difference between having a primary aged child and a child in ks4 or ks5 though isn't it.

If your child was sitting GCSEs or A Levels it's not enough that they are simply able to go to school - it's whether they are being taught by subject specialists that's the issue.

Also read that in Paisly, local primary school has had to close because of an omicron case. Here we go again....

*Paisley

Both Primary and Secondary are open but sixth form have had lots of disruption due to teacher absence. TBH decent virtual lessons with well teachers would be a better option for sixth form instead of being told x teacher isn't in so do this piece of rock with no teacher input.