Safe space for school staff to talk about how they are feeling for next term…

[OnceuponaRainbow18]

I’m quite anxious about going back, although luckily managed to get the booster jab before Christmas. Lots of our families live hand to mouth so won’t regular test and can’t miss a week of work, which I do understand.

I’m also worried about exam classes having to sit exams as if nothing has happened.

I’m worried about lack of staff, week before Christmas hols our whole learning support team were off, with no cover.

I’m worried about getting ill and the hospitals are full.

I worry about having to send my kids into nursery where there’s a huge outbreak, but don’t have the option to keep them home.

I worry about bad behaviour as the SLT aren’t ‘policing’ the corridors at lesson change around sl behaviour is going to pot.

I also worry about school closures and kids mental health.

I’m really not looking forward to it. I had Covid this time last year, it was awful and knocked me out for weeks. I only coped with work because we were teaching online and I didn’t need to be moving around and standing up. I’m now double jabbed and boosted so hopefully any further Covid won’t be as bad.

It does not fill me with hope that less than 15% of our pupils are coming in on Tuesday for LFTs and so the chance of preventing any cases entering classrooms on Wednesday is minimal. Last term was awful, delta hit us and we had multiple cases in every year group. Towards the end of term, staff started to go down with Covid and bad cold/flu type bugs. We couldn’t get supply in. We had days where supply called in sick because they’d tested positive after doing supply in another school. We couldn’t staff the isolation room for some lessons, which put the consequence system into disarray.

My Y11 have had so much disruption and I worry that because they were the year group most affected by Covid at the end of last academic year, they’ll be the most susceptible to Omicron now.

@Medra

Is 15% the total take up of kids who will do a LFT?

@Sherrystrull

I find it helpful to see the progress my class have already made this year, in spite of disruptions. Yes they aren't where they should be but progress is being made.

I agree. But our HIP/SIP/whatever they're called came recently (and fucked up the bin collection by parking in front of the bin shed doors so they went away and refused to return!) and basically freaked out our (otherwise sensible) Head by saying Ofsted will not tolerate "excuses." If attainment/progress is poor, then don't even think about blaming it on covid. What are we doing about it and if it's not working then we're for it.

@CallmeHendricks

That's the message about sats results as well. It's horrific isn't it?

So GCSE and A-level results are being fiddled so it looks like the kids have done well, but SATs results won't be?

Head by saying Ofsted will not tolerate "excuses." If attainment/progress is poor, then don't even think about blaming it on covid. What are we doing about it and if it's not working then we're for it

It is ludicrous that Ofsted are powering forwards as though schools are “normal”

They need to be redeployed as supply until March.

With regard to air filters - when the CO2 monitors finally arrived, it was very interesting to see how quickly they went into the red as soon as they were turned on - and then how quickly they went back into the green as soon as the outer door was opened. (This was primary where it was easy to open the door - I appreciate many secondaries don't have any windows that open). That suggests to me, that if you can't have natural ventilation, it is probably worth getting air filters - as long as they work properly of course!

I think working in a school has made me a bit blasé about it. I have suggested to a few friends we meet up this holiday and many of them have said they want to avoid covid. I think for me, sitting in a coffee shop with three other people is just nothing since every day I’ve been in a classroom with thirty!

This.

As a member of support staff I was involved in co-ordinating the mass testing in school before and will be again when we go back after January. As a result I was exposed to several asymptomatic children until we could get them collected by parents.

I hope that everyone can enjoy the rest of their break and not worry too much.

@noblegiraffe

So GCSE and A-level results are being fiddled so it looks like the kids have done well, but SATs results won't be?

They told us at the briefing in October that children were expected to get the same grades as a 'normal' year. They also said that any child who was teacher assessed to be a different grade to what they achieved on the actual sat paper, would trigger a conversation between the class teacher, the head and the LA.

@Tillsforthrills

Are supply staff really paid £95 per day?!!!!!

Yup. I get £110 gross.

I’m another that doesn’t fret the things I can’t change, we’re all triple jabbed and careful here. I’ve taught primary throughout and if I’ve had Covid, I haven’t noticed.
All the schools I’ve been in have staff working their socks off to give the children the best they can whilst maintaining mental health and well-being.
don’t think I’d cope anything like as well as a full-time class teacher. OFSTED, assessments, progress reports. Supply has different stresses that I can manage,

My school had run out of hand soap in the last week of term and I’ll bet that there is none at the start of the new term.

I'm shit scared... this holiday has been the first one where I have actively looked for another job and am considering trying to get signed off.

I can't do this anymore

They told us at the briefing in October that children were expected to get the same grades as a 'normal' year.

Which can only happen if the govt fiddle the results to give a normal year distribution

But the writing is teacher assessed and only 25% of schools are moderated. I share an office with someone who is a lead moderator for the LA and they were told that they must maintain pre-pandemic standards.

@newbietoanxiety

What’s causing you the most anxiety?

@blameitonthecaffeine

Tillsforthrills I actually thought it was a bit higher, tbh. Seems a lot but they don't get paid in the holidays so it has to last. I imagine it's pretty lucrative atm (for schools that can afford them!)

We had an NQT last term who only came into school for the first 2 weeks and then a week and a bit a few weeks later. Mental health grounds. We had one supply teacher the whole time - she must have made a fortune!

No pay for holidays or sick pay, and no cash when schools wee in lockdown. You also can’t pay into your Teacher Pension, which is the bit I mind the most. That said, you can make it work if you have the energy. I’m up by 6-30am, teach within a 15 mile radius, anything from YR to Y6 and I mark everything I can.

@newbietoanxiety

I'm shit scared... this holiday has been the first one where I have actively looked for another job and am considering trying to get signed off.

I can't do this anymore

Judging by the stats you aren’t the only one sadly. Hope you’re ok

@newbietoanxiety

I'm shit scared... this holiday has been the first one where I have actively looked for another job and am considering trying to get signed off.

I can't do this anymore

If you're considering trying to get signed off then you need to talk to your doctor. You shouldn't be feeling this way about work.

That said, you can make it work if you have the energy.
I’m up by 6-30am, teach within a 15 mile radius, anything from YR to Y6 and I mark everything I can.

Thank you so much to you and all supply. My own Primary DD had to have supply for 9 weeks last term due to health complications from Covid in her class teacher and the supply was a star. I will always be grateful.

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@Medra

Is 15% the total take up of kids who will do a LFT?[/quote]
Yes. 😢

This time last year I was so scared. I’m numb now- just waiting to get it myself and surprised I haven’t so far!
My class are making progress but they won’t be really SATS ready, for obvious reasons. I’m trying to focus on making sure they can all at least read properly before secondary.
Ofsted is causing so much stress- apparently they are not interested in the effect of the pandemic, it’s business as usual. Insane.
Like many schools we cover internally - supply is too expensive- so this term will be interesting.
I’ve planned but made sure it could all be done remotely if needed. The kids really need to be in though.

Interested that schools had TAs in last lockdown and teachers at home- we didn’t and I don’t know any schools locally that did that. Very unfair. We had a rota.

@OnceuponaRainbow18 our case numbers were horrific before we left, we've had student deaths, the pressure we are under is awful - for context I'm not a teacher but work in a huge college come HE setting.

We've been in charge of test and trace for our lot and it is demoralising and before Xmas I was working 8-10/11 trying to keep up with it all and I'm exhausted.

Having to put together communications about student deaths is horrific

@newbietoanxiety

Oh gosh, that sounds absolutely horrific, no wonder why you are so anxious. I’m
Anxious and we’ve been lucky in that no one form our school has been really really ill. It’s very overwhelming.

You’re doing a fabulous job but pushing your mental health to breaking point is too much. You need to look after yourself

I'm anxious - KS2 primary. We are due Ofsted and that's all SLT can focus on: our packed-out monitoring schedule reflects this. Covid is very much the elephant in the room, and there are no mitigations whatsoever. I finished for Christmas utterly exhausted after a relentless term of 70-80 hour weeks, and I'm really struggling to summon the energy to start all that up again next week.

I'm not too anxious about getting covid (though obviously, I'd rather not!). I have had all 3 jabs and I am relatively young with no health conditions. My husband has had all jabs and is healthy. Little boy is also healthy. I feel for those who have health concerns though

My worries, as head of a core department are staff absence- last term, we were so badly hit in our team with absences. Not all covid and all absolutely genuine but cover was a nightmare. Setting it (where staff genuinely couldn't), supporting cover staff, covering lessons myself where possible, doubling smaller classes up to cover things. It was bloody hard work and I doubt it will be easier in Jan. I suspect it will be worse.

Pupil absence - particularly my Y11 and 13 classes. 11s are absolutely lovely and want to do well but really struggle academically, so if they are off, it's really hard for them to keep up or catch up. Time is tight as their whole GCSE has been disrupted with covid so I have no give at all. 13s , both applied and pure A-level have had disruption and have never actually sat formal exams. Content taught remotely is not secure because it's difficult stuff and I couldn't work with them in the classroom.

Our Y7 cohort are the weakest I've ever had so many needs/non secondary ready. I need to put a strategy in place, which is fine but not if pupils/staff are absent.

Lots of areas we are working on as a school as Ofsted are due. All good things but again, very difficult when you're firefighting with cover every day.

I put on a smile and positive attitude for my team to try to keep them going but it's tough at times. I sometimes just want to close my office door and hide