‘Flexible use of support staff in keeping lessons face to face’

[Skinnyfrappewithmilk]

One of the points made by the education sec for return to school this week.

Are they planning on paying a decent wage for support staff then?! I’m a TA and having to claim UC as my wage is so poor, quite frankly it’s an insult.
I’m so angry reading that…our pay and conditions are already awful, I can’t quite believe the cheek of it.

With regard numbers in schools, remember if 25% of the staff are off with covid or isolating, it's very likely 25% of the kids will be off as well. Ratios of adults to kids might not be too different to normal.

@thecatfromjapan

Seriously, if you think 'Everyone is expected to muck in,' as though it's some kind of camping experience, you are deluded.

This isn't the Blitz. It's an entirely preventable scenario - brought about by a government incapable of planning because they are in a hostage situation. Johnson is in thrall to the hard-right ERG/CRG faction.

It irks me that we are being called upon to make sacrifices basically because of a crazy group of unrepresentative ideologies.

And they won't be making sacrifices.

It's beyond cynical.

They didn't even sacrifice their Christmas parties or after-work drinkies.

In fact a lot of them seem to have lined their pockets and those of their friends.

Asking schools to buy (low quality, high cost) air purifiers from a company with the PM's brother on the board is just one example of the 'sacrifices' the govt are making.

Omicron cases have started falling - hopefully this wave falls as steeply and quickly as in South Africa
Erm, no. Reported cases are falling because people can't get tests for love nor money.
I've been trying every day since Dec 23rd, today was first day I could order some.
And tbh, most people can't be arsed to test.

I just don’t see the issue here.

Muck in and crack on.

It’s not ideal but what is right now?

@KenDodd

With regard numbers in schools, remember if 25% of the staff are off with covid or isolating, it's very likely 25% of the kids will be off as well. Ratios of adults to kids might not be too different to normal.

That doesn't help much though, does it, if 25% of year 10 geography class are off and 25% of year 10 food tech. They can't be crashed together and taught media studies instead.

Children used to play out all evening years ago, now their extra curricular activities and fun days are cancelled and really their only consistent social opportunity is school.

Where do you live? All clubs, social groups and extra curricular activities are continuing as normal where I am.

Omicron cases have started falling - hopefully this wave falls as steeply and quickly as in South Africa
*
Erm, no. Reported cases are falling because people can't get tests for love nor money.*

Well let's hope we plateau soon. The evidence from South Africa certainly looks promising!

Theyalljustlook - I think your position/attitude re kids socialising/playing/being creative is fine/even a good one, except 1) not so much for exam year groups and 2) it's not what the govt will allow us to do. Or Ofsted. Or most parents.

I’d rather teach my children at home alongside my own full time role than have some of the TAs at their school ‘teach’ them.

There was a thread on MN before Christmas where a poster was concerned that her DC was being taught full time, long term by a TA.

Posters were falling over themselves to say that this was not only fine, but that the TA was probably better than a qualified teacher.

FFS.

@oohmamama

I just don’t see the issue here.

Muck in and crack on.

It’s not ideal but what is right now?

Next time you're in need of medical assistance or a procedure, you'll be happy if the porter or the department secretary carries it out? Because, y'know, everyone should just muck in.

@DolphinFC

1:1s will be the first thing to go.

When we're massively short staffed having the greatest flexibility we can get is by pulling TAs off 1:1s and deploying them with larger groups.

Yup. I work as a 1:1. In theory. In practice, for the last 18 months or so, I have been a 1:1 to children with higher level needs (i.e. the ones who can't be left unsupervised either for their own safety or the safety of others), class TA and stand-in teacher. Luckily, my 1:1 Y4 is a lovely lad who, when left unsupervised, just stops working and starts drawing, so not at all disruptive. I'm sick of it. My 1:1 isn't getting the hours he is entitled to and his progress has stalled plus, on a daily basis, I think "I'm not paid enough for this shit". Both myself and my colleagues are a whisker away from "fuck this".

@Blubells It is summer in SA. Viruses spread differently in summer than in winter, hence the constant reformulation of flu jabs as the world goes through the seasons.

@Ohmamama the problem is we have been doing this for over a year already. Don't get me wrong I don't want children stuck at home. It's the principle. I've had Covid twice now come back after 10 days still feeling ill into a freezing cold work place which doesn't help recovery and now more, more, more. It seems never ending, for teachers too.

@Andtheyalllookjustthesame As a parent, I see it as my responsibility that my children are socialised, have adequate exercise, and are stretched creatively. It's not a school's job to meet their basic developmental needs.

@oohmamama

I just don’t see the issue here.

Muck in and crack on.

It’s not ideal but what is right now?

What a silly thing to say.

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

@oohmamama

I just don’t see the issue here.

Muck in and crack on.

It’s not ideal but what is right now?

I'm guessing you don't work in a school?

For those that work in schools may I ask please why the unions aren't stepping in this time? I'm sure I remember the head teachers union doing something during the first lockdown and other unions lobbying too but could be wrong.

Because it's a BH and this was just announced?

What do you want the unions to do?

They are constantly lobbying govt. Geoff Barton is regularly on the news.

The government never listens to them.

And then when the government does something even slightly unpalatable like introduce masks in classrooms, the unions get blamed.

maybe getting some exercise or doing something creative

If we are down to one TA with 60 kids in a hall-they won’t be running PE or DT lessons-it will be crowd control.

@EtInTerraPax

In normal times I would agree with you. But during a pandemic when they don't have access to the normal social world outside of school it becomes more important

[quote Andtheyalllookjustthesame]@EtInTerraPax

In normal times I would agree with you. But during a pandemic when they don't have access to the normal social world outside of school it becomes more important [/quote]
But many children do have access to a normal social world outside of school. I don't know where you live, but all our local groups are back up and running and have been for some time.

Surely for lots of workplaces it's going to be very much the case of doing whatever it takes to keep things going
Far from ideal,of course, but what is the alternative 🙅‍♀️

@user1487194234

Surely for lots of workplaces it's going to be very much the case of doing whatever it takes to keep things going Far from ideal,of course, but what is the alternative 🙅‍♀️

Well, I've seen plenty of cancelled services/closed shops that suggest that sometimes things cannot just be kept going.

What's the limit?

@user1487194234

Surely for lots of workplaces it's going to be very much the case of doing whatever it takes to keep things going Far from ideal,of course, but what is the alternative 🙅‍♀️

But other work places will not be judged for the provision of their services.