Schools still a covid shitshow

[noblegiraffe]

"Schools have been forced to send year groups home this week because of "rapidly rising" Covid rates among staff and an inability to find supply teachers, it has emerged.

The removal of the need for Covid testing among staff and pupils was making the situation worse, with some schools now experiencing their worst absence levels of the pandemic, a headteachers' leader told Tes.

Heads warn that some schools are having to send year groups home on a rota or combine class groups in an attempt to protect exam year groups from more disruption."

www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/covid-schools-absence-send-year-groups-home-cases-spike

Some will claim that getting rid of testing would improve the situation, but clearly a situation where lots of teachers are getting ill and requiring a few days off school to recover, regardless of isolation rules, is not 'getting back to normal'.

The teachers that I know who have had covid recently would have required a few days off school despite it being 'mild' even without isolation guidance, even though teachers are well-known for dosing on Lemsip and turning up to school regardless of illness because setting cover work is worse.

Still, the covid catch-up effort has basically fizzled out, and it's looking like zero effort will be made by the government to support children in recovering their education from the impact of absences and lack of teachers.

Exams start in a couple of months for kids who are having an extremely disruptive time. The government has fixed the exam grades so that they will come out with better results than the 2019 cohort, this will basically cover up the impact on educational standards. How this will play out down the line at uni/college/sixth form is anyone's guess.

@DanglingMod

But the point of the thread is who do you want to teach your child when their teacher is off sick? The caretaker? Double or trioke sized lessons? Or send them home? There are no spare staff in schools.

(No spare staff in offices most likely, either, so I'll just wait longer for my insurance claim to be processed, or whatever. Or the NHS, so they cancel appointments. Schools are unique in facing this staffing challenge.)

Well obviously some businesses can function without staff but some cannot. Schools are not unique. There are plenty of other work places that deliver critical services. We are all muddling through. It’s shit and we need to do better.

Obviously if many teachers are sick, schools have no choice but to close. Nobody can be forced to work if they’re too poorly.

Crowded environments are not true for everyone. I'm teaching year R and am packed inside a crowded classroom. No TA this week so I can't take half outside. The children have no concept of personal space. I zip their coats up, dry their tears, put plasters on their grazes, sit close to them because I care about them and its my job. Working in an office environment isn't the same.

I'm also ill with a nasty virus. Very achey, snotty, sweaty, exhausted. Lft is negative so I'm in school as per policy. From Friday I'll have to pay for the privilege of lft testing. The pressure to catch these kids up is massive and there is zero consideration of teachers' wellbeing.

For me, the stress of looming ofsted and massive accountability from sats and catching the children up when we have skeleton staff and children off all the time is the worst part.

But the point of the thread is who do you want to teach your child when their teacher is off sick?

Obviously if staff are off sick then classes have to close temporarily. Like in any other business where there are staff shortages.

We have to do the best we can!

@Mickarooni
So you work in a crowded office with the majority of your colleagues unvaccinated, and no sense of personal space, who often sneeze and cough directly onto you, frequently touch you after picking their nose or licking their fingers?

We've just had ofsted in the autumn term but weirdly it's more stressful now than it was then, and there's no end point in sight. Severe staff shortages. Many working staff ill and stressed out. Expectations from SLT absolutely unmanageable even working the 60 hours a week we all do. Parents expecting the world. Children clearly not having any meaningful interactions at home, no boundaries, no experiences outside gaming and ipads, dreadful language delay increasing alarmingly, behaviour massively deteriorating. Manners non existent. Social skills are dire. I could go on

@Invasionofthegutsnatchers

You mean some/a few kids surely. In my school of 2000 there’s maybe 60 kids as you’ve described and we are what one would call a ‘tough catchment’

My school is in a 'naice' catchment and more than half are in this category. Some influence from changing housing situations and huge social housing new build increases but also professional working families really struggling. No children's centres. Over reliance on tech. Crisis is happening in our area, please don't doubt it

[quote twinkletoesimnot]@Mickarooni
So you work in a crowded office with the majority of your colleagues unvaccinated, and no sense of personal space, who often sneeze and cough directly onto you, frequently touch you after picking their nose or licking their fingers?

[/quote]
This is clearly true for younger children but I’d hope most teenagers don’t do this.

I don’t work full time in a office. I do go into my office. I work in social care with people with do not have the ability to understand personal space or hygiene.

@Invasionofthegutsnatchers

Crowded environments are not true for everyone. I'm teaching year R and am packed inside a crowded classroom. No TA this week so I can't take half outside. The children have no concept of personal space. I zip their coats up, dry their tears, put plasters on their grazes, sit close to them because I care about them and its my job. Working in an office environment isn't the same.

I'm also ill with a nasty virus. Very achey, snotty, sweaty, exhausted. Lft is negative so I'm in school as per policy. From Friday I'll have to pay for the privilege of lft testing. The pressure to catch these kids up is massive and there is zero consideration of teachers' wellbeing.

Absolutely, not everyone but equally, not only teachers.

Regardless, am sorry you’re poorly and you should be able to have time off to rest and recover. :(

@Mickarooni who else?

[quote Invasionofthegutsnatchers]@Mickarooni who else?[/quote]
Most roles in front line social care.

@Lilaclavenders

But the point of the thread is who do you want to teach your child when their teacher is off sick?

Obviously if staff are off sick then classes have to close temporarily. Like in any other business where there are staff shortages.

We have to do the best we can!

I remember a time when people were really against school closures, now it's 🤷‍♀️

Teachers literally cannot win. Never has there been a time when we had less respect. Yet as soon as schools were closed (to some, never to all) there was outcry. Education is ESSENTIAL. Good quality, well staffed and well resourced education results in significantly better outcomes for all children. Yet it is increasingly undervalued. I despair.

I despair.
I've stopped despairing. I'm beyond despair.

From a parent's perspective, it does seem that the more that is heaped on teachers, the less they are respected (on mumsnet, IRL most parents are accepting that schools are struggling on as best they can, against all odds, in ridiculous circumstances). It has certainly highlighted how little kids, teachers or education are valued by govt.

and how little groups such as U4T truly value kids, teachers or education too.

Govt don't give a shit. Their own children are mainly educated privately. None of the advisors have ever been qualified as teachers. This is shocking and more needs to be done to question it.

Most of the public don't care until their own child is sent home due to lack of staffing. Poor quality of teaching due to no TA available, combined classes or unqualified supply are completely unseen. Only when they can't go to work or their day is disrupted by a child being at home causes uproar

"Only when they can't go to work or their day is disrupted by a child being at home causes uproar"

Or when their test/SATs/exam results aren't what they expected/hoped for.

"I've stopped despairing. I'm beyond despair."
Me too.

Parents who say 'oh the TA is covering the class so it's fine' need to read this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/4516859-Cant-carry-on and see it from the other side.

@BeenToldComputerSaysNo

From a parent's perspective, it does seem that the more that is heaped on teachers, the less they are respected (on mumsnet, IRL most parents are accepting that schools are struggling on as best they can, against all odds, in ridiculous circumstances). It has certainly highlighted how little kids, teachers or education are valued by govt.

It has. Reading and posting on MN during the pandemic has been a real eye opener. That people feel the way MNers seem to feel about schools, teaching staff and education as a whole, sort of disgusts me.

I'm going part time next year as part of a two year plan to get out. I am angry with the government all of the time, it's just not sustainable.

@Lilaclavenders

I don't know much about other subjects but I do know that the Modern Foreign Languages exams have a huge amount of help/guidance.

This is very incorrect

Well my dc has been given a list of specific topics that will be examined in the upcoming German A level exams, both for speaking and listening/writing.

We've been advised that we'll keep testing twice a week at my sen school. The school are providing us with tests. Due to the vulnerabilities of most of our students we came under the social care category for vaccinations.