Save our schools!

[motherrunner]

So, the Government has had ample opportunities to invest in schools to reduce the spread of Covid ie air filter systems but instead we were given a few CO2 monitors (one per 3 classrooms) and told to ignore the red flashing light and open a window.

Do we really think ex-teachers will ‘answer the call’ to save our schools?

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-retired-teachers-urged-to-return-to-classrooms-to-cover-staff-absence-as-omicron-takes-hold-12500466?fbclid=IwAR1-MPdPC7cU0AJB1pbgDY_oUYh-wOrQFoEUhhMdpaLXFMSrau22j2TeTJQ

There is not one retired teacher I know who would be willing to sign up for this. They've looked on in sympathy with us during the pandemic. Before covid some of our retired staff did come in on a voluntary basis to help out with art, music and hydrotherapy but that had to stop and no way would they agree to supply teaching.

I am an ex teacher who now works freelance in a related industry.

A million pounds would not make me want to go on supply teaching right now. Teachers are treated abysmally. Supply teachers are treated even worse, by agencies and by the schools they teach in.

I stopped doing supply teaching alongside my freelance work when the first lockdown happened and it was clear that schools were unsafe and nothing was being done to rectify this.

Why on earth would I go into school (into a classroom where the teacher is probably off having caught COVID from the students) for less than I was paid as a contracted teacher and risk getting Covid, only to then be off work (completely unpaid) for the time it took me to get better? I would also probably have to take unpaid time off my freelance work if I was ill.

The government are completely out of touch with the reality in schools and genuinely do not care about the safety of staff.

@rosesinmygarden

I am an ex teacher who now works freelance in a related industry.

A million pounds would not make me want to go on supply teaching right now. Teachers are treated abysmally. Supply teachers are treated even worse, by agencies and by the schools they teach in.

I stopped doing supply teaching alongside my freelance work when the first lockdown happened and it was clear that schools were unsafe and nothing was being done to rectify this.

Why on earth would I go into school (into a classroom where the teacher is probably off having caught COVID from the students) for less than I was paid as a contracted teacher and risk getting Covid, only to then be off work (completely unpaid) for the time it took me to get better? I would also probably have to take unpaid time off my freelance work if I was ill.

The government are completely out of touch with the reality in schools and genuinely do not care about the safety of staff.

You have summed up the issues perfectly.

Each week hoping I hadn't caught covid as I would lose a week of pay.

Each day arriving to cover covid cases and just accepting I am at risk again.

Each day tolerating the fact the agency and schools don't really care about the fact I have been put at risk, so long as the class is covered.

Just seen this response to Zahawi's plea.

The original reports did imply that the work would be unpaid, but that might just have been shoddy reporting.
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/call-for-volunteer-army-of-former-teachers-to-help-keep-schools-open-mq7mdtbwx
www.thesun.co.uk/news/11834285/volunteer-retired-teachers-help-kids-catch-up/

Never mind, I believe there are organisations such as UsForThem devoted to keeping schools open and running smoothly, and I’m sure they will step up. Schools will be so pleased to have people with their interest and expertise on the premises delivering outstanding lessons and supervising lunch queues with aplomb.

@noblegiraffe

Just seen this response to Zahawi's plea.

Don’t know whether to laugh or cry!

@noblegiraffe

Just seen this response to Zahawi's plea.

🤣🤭👏

Of course they won’t. In past years we’ve always used our retired staff as supply teachers, they were usually happy to come back for a couple of days a week. But not since Covid, they’re not even tempted to come back, after the initial “No’s” last year, they’ve stopped answering emails from the school. We’ve had a number of staff retire early at the end of every term since Covid, everyone who can is leaving. I concur that goes for admin staff too, we can’t get anyone, teacher or not, to work for us. It’s not surprising really, and I can’t think that this is anything other than a stunt for headlines from the government. They can’t seriously be expecting anyone to take them up on it.

And this from the government website.

Nothing says 'We've struck the balance between managing transmission risk and reducing disruption to education' better than HELP US! WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY'VE ALL GOT COVID!

Brilliant idea @borntobequiet. I'm sure they are rounding up the troops as we speak!

@noblegiraffe

And this from the government website.

Nothing says 'We've struck the balance between managing transmission risk and reducing disruption to education' better than HELP US! WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY'VE ALL GOT COVID!

‘Range’ and ‘for example’. Nope, that is all we have.

Spot the difference.

@noblegiraffe

And this from the government website.

Nothing says 'We've struck the balance between managing transmission risk and reducing disruption to education' better than HELP US! WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY'VE ALL GOT COVID!

Ha ha ha!!!

Ventilation = windows that open a crack.

Hygiene measures = hand sanitiser on display... which is generally ignored and is definitely not being used as much as it was.

And CO2 monitors that go red constantly and then get turned off because no one knows what to do next 🤦‍♀️

Also in that video he harangues teachers about boosters . Teachers begged to be prioritised for vaccinations and were told no. Every teacher I know had has exactly the right number of jabs they are meant to have had. Primary school colleague's ,however, are working with a totally unvaccinated population and secondary colleagues with teenagers who are majority unvaccinated , or on one jab (thanks to various other messes). I think the 'subtle' message being sent out to the public here is that teachers are resisting vaccination. It is simply not true.

The only retired colleague who used to work for us helping out with understaffing left completely when covid struck to protect her own health. Funny that.

Btw , it's not just omicron : staffing was at crisis levels all last term. DfE's own figures consistently showed this.

And how will schools afford this extra supply?

Ex teacher here. I left because it broke me. Why would I go back for more of the same? The covid isn't really the main thing that would put me off!

Good point @Piggyinblankets. The minister is using Omicron as the reason for this ridiculous move but the damage to schools was done from September onwards long before Omicron!

Schools have been critically short of teachers for a long, long time. Try to hire a maths, physics or computing teacher.

Why are there not videos pleading with ex STEM teachers to return and fill those gaps?

Another thing they're not saying is that supply teachers very often only have contracts for covering lessons. They come in, hand out the work that has been set, support the kids to do it, then go home. Which is what they're paid for.
No PPA means they're not planning or marking.
So someone has to plan and mark. Or the marking doesn't get done.

The DBS agency is ready for a 'spike' in applications schoolsweek.co.uk/dbs-ready-for-supply-teacher-drive-as-dfe-pledges-to-release-own-staff/

In worse news, the DfE is looking at releasing some of its civil servants to work in schools.

I'm sure they'll be popular in the staffroom.

I have a flexible freelancing job and I would consider doing day-to-day supply but not for the awful pay offered by agencies. If the government want people to do this, they need a centralised, non-profit system where teachers are paid to scale. They also need to arrange some sort of sick pay for those that go down with Covid on supply. They won't, but it's the only way they could possibly hope to attract ex-teachers in high enough numbers.

Even then, this doesn't address the reasons that teachers are leaving the profession in their droves. I left because of all the reasons mentioned by PPs and the constantly changing directives. It's not the same job as it was when I qualified. This staffing crisis ought to highlight to government that they need to take a serious look at why retention is such an issue, but again I doubt it.

There are no mitigating factors in place, we got our shiny new CO2 indicators a few weeks ago. If they started beeping the risk assessment was to open the door! Doors and windows (that open a crack and bang shut in a light breeze) are already open, it’s a joke.

We’ve got staff who caught covid in September who still aren’t back in school, one who is in and out of hospital with complications. We can’t get supply teachers, our part time staff are working full time, it still isn’t enough.

I think having some teaching organised on line would be a very good thing and older or CEV teachers could do that, perhaps.

@noblegiraffe

The DBS agency is ready for a 'spike' in applications schoolsweek.co.uk/dbs-ready-for-supply-teacher-drive-as-dfe-pledges-to-release-own-staff/

In worse news, the DfE is looking at releasing some of its civil servants to work in schools.

I'm sure they'll be popular in the staffroom.

omg really?

they need to take a serious look

Unfortunately taking a serious look at anything isn’t their normal way of working…

It’ll be ok if none of the retired teachers want to come back - the Us4Them parents and army I’m sure will step in…