There is no army of volunteers waiting to be called to keep schools open

[noblegiraffe]

FYI.

So if you see anyone putting this forward as a serious suggestion, they're an idiot and anything they say about schools should be disregarded.

We can't even pay people to do it right now.

@shouldistop

I don't think it's worth keeping schools open if kids would be being taught by retired ofsted inspectors anyway.

Really? What about the children who's parents have to work so they don't starve? Children who will be beaten and not fed at home? Children who will become depressed an anxious. It's worth keeping the schools open at almost any cost IMO.

FYI my Gran was an retired school inspector and advisor on education. Prior to that she was a primary school teacher then head teacher and taught all over the world. What would be wrong with kids being taught by someone like her?

Nothing wrong with that at all.

When is she signing up? And all the other retirees?

What would be wrong with kids being taught by someone like her?

I think people like this would be ideal-I hope every retired and serving Ofsted inspector will be signing up.

Yes, ask your elderly relative to go into a school with high staff absence as they’ve all got covid. I can’t see any reason why not.

My response was to the person who thought it was pointless having retired school inspectors teaching. As if none of them would have any experience or know what they were talking about.

It's bizarre. Just switch to online learning for a while, it's better than this constant in and out with testing and Covid outbreaks.

Get elderly people into schools to catch covid and die horribly, it would surely be churlish for any retired teacher to refuse?

Maybe they are thinking of all the pension money they could save?

I'd bloody love to see a few Ofsted inspectors back in the classroom! Our 'Academy Trust' directors/staff all cancel visits to schools when there's even just 1 case. They are not going to risk themselves when they can keep themselves to an office.

A few army chaps/chapesses would help to keep our spirits up though.

Parliament has just gone into recess. How about our Tory MPs volunteer? They LOVE second jobs.......

@lazyvegan

Parliament has just gone into recess. How about our Tory MPs volunteer? They LOVE second jobs.......

Great idea they could teach them the finer point of corruption and sleaze and when a party is not a party, honest guv.

@lazyvegan

Parliament has just gone into recess. How about our Tory MPs volunteer? They LOVE second jobs.......

Schools can’t afford them

And they won’t volunteer

Schools should nurture their contacts, though and, too often, don’t.

If someone leaves to take time out to have children, care for a relative, have burned out, pursued professional development opportunities etc. (but are still good
at teaching) then Heads should leave the door open, just in case.

There isn’t a culture in many schools of keeping experienced teachers on the books. The alternative—supply agencies—are expensive, hit and miss and unappealing to many.

The army of volunteers stuff is unrealistic, but the army of expensively trained and experienced teaching staff who aren’t in school right now, but could help you out in a fix, is a woefully unexplored possibility.

Well, I wonder whether they would be able to get retired or CEV people to do some teaching on line?

That might be a more viable option.

@NeverDropYourMoonCup

Can we not have current ofsted inspectors doing it?

It might give them a lovely dose of reality.

Oh yes please! I would so love to see them manage my poppets 😁 I'm being facetious - I think my classes are great, by and large, but they're a holy handful!

but the army of expensively trained and experienced teaching staff who aren’t in school right now, but could help you out in a fix, is a woefully unexplored possibility

Perhaps the government could send out a survey asking ex-teachers why they left and what, if anything, would persuade them to return to the classroom. It could be a very simple form with eg a link which could easily be shared by social media/TV etc. I think the results would give the DfE a really good starting point for their ongoing policy and practice.

My school has a record number of staff either retiring or leaving teaching completely this term, based on the utter $$ that education has become in the face of Covid...and years of underfunding.

I doubt a single one of them will be raising their hands to return to the classroom.

@shouldistop Still waiting for your gran to sign up!

@lazyvegan

Parliament has just gone into recess. How about our Tory MPs volunteer? They LOVE second jobs.......

Best suggestion so far, and would give the kids a laugh.

@motherrunner you completely missed my point. My post was a direct reply to someone who was making out that school inspectors would be no good at teaching.
My gran is dead so clearly won't be teaching.