Tracks of my tiers

[tinseltitsbumfannythelot]

New thread!

Morning all.

While summer camps etc are a great idea in theory I’m not sure you’d get the engagement you’d presume. If those who truly need it the most don’t engage then attainment gaps will just widen, not reduce. I truly don’t think that you’d get enough people to staff it. I’ve been teaching over 20 years and I have never felt as tired as I do this holiday. There’s no way I’d take on extra teaching on top of the usual new year prep over the summer. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution to any of this.

I can't see how schools can go back until the vaccine makes a serious dent in the spread. If they go back after Feb weekend then what's to stop the super spreader strain causing havoc then? Hate to even think it but have Easter in my mind for return, but I hope it's a lot sooner

Morning everyone and happy new year to all of you.

Been trying really hard not to think too much about what an utter fuck up this entire thing is but with back to work Tuesday it’s coming to the fore again.

I don’t know what we do about schools. My youngest is in 5th year so shes missed her nat 5s and will miss highers. She’ll be applying to uni with no extra curriculars because nothing is running. SheS missed her friends for the best part of a year. And she’s one of the kids that should be ok so heaven Knows what happens to the kids who were already struggling for whatever reason.

As I understand it, teachers are term time workers but their salary is paid in 12 segments for convenience. The same as if I worked term time at my work. I'd get a salary cut to take care of the reduction in working time but be paid over 12 months and not be expected to work during holidays.

Any work teachers currently do in school holidays is effectively unpaid.

Asking for teachers to work in the holidays should mean that their annual salary would need to be uplifted and would need to be voluntary. I think some would be up for it but I think most wouldn't. And they'd still need to take some time off in the summer for their own holiday.

I can't see it happening. Access to some learning would be good but I can see uptake being small. Exam age DC would be past that stage by summer.

Please no, don't let this drag on til April 😫

If they don't go back til Easter there are kids who will never make up the loss. Two terms is a huge amount to fall back by.

Fluffyugg - I had considered that too. But I think they'll be keen to get schools back before Easter. Even if non essential business is closed.

I just can't see how kids can learn effectively online or how they make up for two duff terms. But then I don't know how much SG actually care beyond their one track mind.

I can see points about better in term time - perhaps there needs to be a commission to look into the skill lags and some sort of 5 year plan to address it, as the curriculum is already so crowded in normal times.

Kids with additional needs often can't do a lot of extra in term time for example, so different skill lags may need different catch up approaches.

It is a complex question, and esp re the extra staff and money too but at this point someone should be campaigning to get this properly investigated.

Identify the skill lag kids once this is 'over'
Break them into groups for what the main issues are per group
Identify what can be done for these groups...

Anyway, we're not in the over part yet...

Happy new year to you all!

Jealous of all the snow pictures. Thought I’d try a gentle run this morning the pavements are like ice rinks... hard enough to walk never mind run! Oh I miss the gym on a day like this!

I see that UforT are up in arms about Devi Sridhar saying today schools should be shut for 2/3 weeks...I'd happily take that!

Anon the plan need to be much shorter than 5 years.

Primary kids need to make it up before secondary. But I've no idea how secondary kids make it up.

But then i have a degree but failed completely in school.

[quote rookiemere]@NotAnActualSheep oh an PS don't get a dog unless you really, really want one. DH was the driver for getting rookiepup so he's the one who has to get up at night if any shenanigans and does all the heavy lifting re vets and so forth- mind you of I'd given an inch I would have been doing it.
Rookiedog has a few walkers through borrowmydoggy who we use to supplement the dog walker, and he absolutely loves having different people take him out and it's a nice way to be involved with a dog without all the commitment and not insignificant cost.[/quote]
Gorgeous Dog! No, we wouldn't get one...DS has picked up on DHs low level fear of them so neither would be keen (not helped by DS bring bitten on the bum by a badly controlled dog on the way back from school a couple of years ago (owners response : "he was just playing, sonny" ) which drew blood and needed a trip to the GP). He's getting a bit better,and he loves our neighbours terriers now. But generally not a pet for us, I think. Borrowmydoggy sounds fun though...

Groan to the prospect of Feb break...or even Easter. I've had the fight taken out of me, to be honest, though. Can't face writing to anyone to object, and it seems petty to do so, when they'll say "ah, it's only a couple of weeks"...and then a couple more. I think it's fair to say the SNP having education as their top priority is a steaming pile of poo, though, if that were ever in doubt.

I have furloughed myself...so that's something. But I'd much rather do something that I'm (supposedly) good at and be able to pay myself, rather than the government paying me, as well as the actual teachers, to teach, badly.

For primary kids do any of the teachers think it's worth getting hold of the school spmg maths books?

@Bikingbear good point - I don't know what the plan needs to look like across all kids affected but we should be campaigning for the people that do know to come up with a plan they'll be held to some account for...

Right, off to find the fun in January!

Rookiemere love your dog. I've been the opposite of you with our dogs. Always done the vets, microchips etc, in case I ever split up with DH, so I could claim total ownership
Seeing as there's only 3 weeks between the 18th and the February holiday ( in Edinburgh anyway ) I think there's a good chance schools will be out till the end of that at least.

@Bikingbear yes. Also mental maths exercise books (I love the old Heinemann).

I also think it will be Feb half term at the earliest and worse case scenario up to the Easter holidays.
I can’t actually think about it properly as it just freaks me out. I don’t have kids so that doesn’t affect me as such but the likelihood is that I won’t be back at work until the schools go back.

Happy New Year. Loving the pet pics, gorgeous furries. Here's mine, she's a 4 year old labradoodle

I’ve posted this before, but when this is over, the govt need to cut class sizes and re-examine streaming and presumption of mainstreaming.

Summer camps won’t work. The children who need it won’t engage and I can’t see many teachers volunteering. I wouldn’t, and I’m youngish, single and childfree. If we’re back to normal next summer I’m going on holiday and going out!

Here's hoping the vaccine will help - I've applied internally to do Bank shifts for the admin of the vaccine clinics. We've been told that clinics will run 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm. I'm hoping to do weekends, will mean no days off at all but it won't be forever. Just want to play a part in it and help out plus the money will come in handy for any future holidays

For mental maths, I'd recommend New Wave of Maths Minute. They are expensive but can be bought second hand.

Sorry, New Wave OR Maths Minute!!

For an online resource I quite like ixl - it's not free but pretty decent and good for doing extra practice of whatever they're meant to be covering

@ladylunchalot what’s happening with the two doses in Scotland?

I’d have vaccinations going 24/7! They need to mobilise anyone possible to give it

@StatisticallyChallenged

For an online resource I quite like ixl - it's not free but pretty decent and good for doing extra practice of whatever they're meant to be covering

I think I've probably avoided it because it's not free.

Also you could check to see if the school have subscribed to Sumdog? If they have, each pupil should have their own login and password. It's really good.