What is next week looking like for you?

[fedup21]

Are you on a rota to childminder key workers’ children, in full time or teaching from home?

We are all in from Monday-seem to have a lot of key workers at our school!

Sorry, just needed a rant.

Am support staff in secondary and my own are in different secondary. Whatever decision was taken in my school I’d already emailed DC’s Head to say that despite DH and I both being classed as key workers I regarded my kids as safer at Home even if they were home alone if I had to go to work.

We are currently self-isolating as a family anyway due to DS developing symptoms last weekend. He is just coughing now so not too bad. No idea if coronavirus but there are a lot off at their school.

My own school was originally going to open for about 22 kids with staff onna rota then the head asked the local authority for clarification about secondary provision and was told that to minimise spread it was expected that alll secondary kids would stay at home and ECJP and vulnerable would get a daily call from a member of school staff to check on their wellbeing etc. FSM families are being sent vouchers to go to local places for a lunch.

I am so glad about this as we have a couple of staff gone home this week with what is looking very likely to be CV. Breathing difficulties, the lot. Still no though as not gone to hospital. These staff have been mixing with staff and kids this week, have possibly already passed it on to other staff who would have been in next week minding the vulnerable kids!

ECHP not ECJP!!

Panda, I sincerely hope that keyworker parents of secondary kids quickly realise that it’s not a privilege to be offered a place at school, it’s supposed to be because being home alone for them would be worse for that child than risking attending school and mixing with potential virus-carrying staff and kids.

It’s not like it’s going to be privileged private tuition or anything. It’s a way of keeping the country going, and most keyworkers of secondary should be able to teach their kids how to keep safe and happy at home.

Special school. Completely closed until after Easter, who knows after that. On Monday we are at home with the expectation that we are in regular contact with all parents via our messaging app and that we are checking emails.

ECHP not ECJP!!

Or even EHCP!

It’s been a long week though-you are excused!!

I saw an NAHT briefing online this morning which said that staff working in school with the children are volunteers and no-one can say you have to be there. Gov advice is work from home if possible. It was an interesting read.

We definitely aren’t volunteering!

@fedup21 . Whoops! Yes, it was v late and I’d had wine - in my head I’d typed it totally right, i was even saying the full phrase in my head as I typed!

I’ve been self-isolating for a week, hope this ain’t a symbol of what happens to your brain with no work or contact with anyone!

Larger than average secondary. We're expecting 20-30 kids in school. The HT was very clear with parents that even the for children of keyworkers or those on EHCP's, the advice is that they should be at home if at all possible and we are only open to those who really have no alternative. The majority of parents seem to have respected this. They will be supervised by a 'skeleton staff' who've volunteered to be in on a rota basis, everyone else will work from home. I will be working from home. So will DH. He's not a keyworker but we need his wage so we'll be taking it in turns to work and look after our DC (6yo and 18mo) in 2 hourly shifts. There has been no pressure from School for me to come in, they trust me to do work productively from home and they understand that I have no option really as 18mo is too young to come into work with me.

We’re expecting up to 100 on Monday (large secondary). We’re thinking this will drop dramatically once kids and parents realise that the kids will be given a laptop and told to access the work set by their teachers. No phones, no games, wearing uniform, behaviour expectations. And their mates probably won’t be there.

I think secondary schools need to shut.

So long as you understand that closing schools will send vulnerable children into homes that are not safe for an indeterminate period.

I’ve discussed this extensively this morning, giraffe and in short, child abuse doesn’t happen in term time Monday to Friday between 9 and 3.

I am weary, worried and upset.

Discuss with who? Sorry if you mean posts, I’ve not seen them.

No child abuse doesn’t happen term-time only but we know that schools provide a break and a safe haven, and also an opportunity to check in on these children, counsel them and make referrals as appropriate. We know that the holidays are particularly challenging for them and this will be far longer, and that people will not be going out so stuck in a pressure cooker.

It’s a shit situation. I think this isn’t appreciated by lots who are calling for school closures safe in the knowledge that their own children will be lovingly home-schooled.

No, of course - didn’t mean to imply you should have seen them.

Schools do provide a safe haven, but I do think at the moment that needs to be set aside.

It is really hard for teachers to stop trying to do our best for these children.

Really hard. We might get to that point, but we’re not there yet.

It’s not about doing our best giraffe, it’s about practicalities, first and foremost.

I don’t know why you say ‘teachers’ as if I am not one. I am and I do care, of course I do. But they are not my children, and I am not their mother.

I don’t know if you are a teacher or not, I don’t recognise your username so I posted assuming that if you were a teacher you would understand what I mean.

I'm a primary school teacher.

We've been split into a "frontline team" who will be in school with the children and an "offsite team" (pregnant staff, staff with underlying health conditions, staff living with someone who is vulnerable and anyone who is really worried about coming in) who will WFH.

No idea how many children we'll have in.

I understand, but I am also worried that every day I’m at risk and so are my colleagues.

All staff apart from SLT (on a rota) and site management will be working from home.

They've asked for volunteers to come in for the key worker children and i believe that there has been a strong response with people willing to do it. Logistics being sorted. I am not to come in because of pregnancy so have been WFH since Tuesday.

We've got about 90 that will be coming in - 2 form entry primary school. We've been told to make Monday look as normal as possible but I'm not sure how to do that.

Those of you who are part time/jobshare-will you be working your normal days/hours?

If heads aren’t asking all staff in every day-are you working less than full timers?

There’s been talk at my place of everyone (irrespective of seniority, pay or how many days you work) doing one week on, one week on but that doesn’t seem very fair on the part time staff!

I'm on self isolation, so will be working from home. I'm rota'd to go in in a few weeks time once my self isolation is over.

Working from home will look like:

-Setting work for classes on SMH.
-Answering queries via email.
-Making resources/home learning packs.
-Keeping in touch via email and microsoft teams.