The Fourth Republic Rises - solidarity comrades!

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. Baiters and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are not staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

You can play here only if you are a member of one the following groups-

-ABBA - anti bashers and baiting association
-SWAB - school workers against bashers
-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
-STARS - schoolworkers together against ranting + slurs

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes and the ability to sniff out where the toffee vodka is hidden.

I didn’t know Ofsted were in charge of school funding - nice to see them spending budgets that don’t exist on teacher salary

Head, I think, of Ofsted on the radio just saying that teachers might well be expected to be in over the summer for catch up classes and will be paid for doing so

That's an interesting suggestion, but where will the money come from? Also, given that some teachers have worked through Easter and Half-term already, when do they get a break? I think if this happens there is a massive risk of people getting very burnt out.

Schools not mentioned in today's guidance.

They can’t expect teachers in over summer. They could offer it as extra paid work like they do with summer school and g&t programmes but it would have to be voluntary.

Worrying that in denial parents of kids who’ve never done any work will now be blaming their performance on lockdown for at least a year.

Schools not mentioned in today's guidance

Really?

Have they not released the whole 50 page document? Or do schools just not get a mention in it??

No offence to any students here but we’re also going to have our hands full with nqts who never completed their training. Sounds like they’re just going to be able to apply for nqt roles without full training?

The DfE are producing separate guidance. So I assume we need to wait for this on the 31st of May

On another note, 8 hours of meeting (so far) to do CAGs....

Twitter seems to be reporting yR/1/6 back June 1st and the rest of primary back for a month before the summer holidays.

Unclear if that’s all children at all times though.

Guidance we have had from university is that if we were on track to meet standards or meeting them already we'd be recommended for QTS.

They are mentioned it just has no detail. It says early years, year 1 and year six as we knew. It says this will be 'smaller sizes' but doesnt clarify if they mean smaller class sizes or that just those years make school smaller. Then it says all primary students back for 1 month if feasible.
Then dfe will let us know more detail when it bothers.

Schools are in the guidance. One very small paragraph,

brb

A phased return for early years settings and schools. Schools should prepare to begin to open for more children from 1 June. The Government expects children to be able to return to early years settings, and for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to be back in school in smaller sizes, from this point. This aims to ensure that the youngest children, and those preparing for the transition to secondary school, have maximum time with their teachers. Secondary schools and further education colleges should also prepare to begin some face to face contact with Year 10 and 12 pupils who have key exams next year, in support of their continued remote, home learning. The Government’s ambition is for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month if feasible, though this will be kept under review. The Department of Education will engage closely with schools and early years providers to develop further detail and guidance on how schools should facilitate this.

@TheHoneyBadger

Yeah, I am pretty sure that is the case for current ITT students- if they were set to pass at the end of spring they will pass (assuming they do all the required uni stuff too). The same is true for NQTs in my area, if we were passing at the end of term 2, then we are allowed to pass the year.

As a current NQT, I'm definitely nervous about September/when schools return to normal from a teaching point of view, and I'd be dreading it even more if I was starting my NQT in September- I'd be totally unprepared.

I wouldn't start an ITT course next year, for sure!

I have also noticed that the face covering advice here is a basically a 'make do and mend' make your own and not advised for children under two!! In loads of countries , children under 12 don't need t wear them.

A reporter on the BBC today said his mask kept slipping because he was talking, so ideal for schools then.

Secondary schools and further education colleges should also prepare to begin some face to face contact with Year 10 and 12 pupils who have key exams nextyear, in support of their continued remote, home learning.

To me, and maybe I am reading it wrong, this sounds like very limited face to face contact for these groups?

For interest, my MAT has just sent out a self declaration form asking about health conditions that make us vulnerable or extremely vulnerable (shielded). It looks like people in the vulnerable category will be allowed to opt out of coming back to work (obviously I completely support this).

I lied, it was. No further information though, other than hoping that all Primary school pupils will be back for the last month. Presumably in full classes.

Sorry- see I am behind!

Posted this on another thread.

It remains the case that some people are more clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 than others. These include those aged over 70, those with specific chronic pre-existing conditions and pregnant women. These clinically vulnerable people should continue to take particular care to minimise contact with others outside their households, but do not need to be shielded

So, basically don't go to work, or what??

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do

*3. Going to work / Safer spaces
3.1 Who is allowed to go to work?
In the first instance, employers should make every effort to support working from home, including by providing suitable IT and equipment as they have been already. This will apply to many different types of businesses, particularly those who typically would have worked in offices or online.

Where work can only be done in the workplace, we have set out tailored guidelines for employers to help protect their workforce and customers from coronavirus while still continuing to trade or getting their business back up and running. We will be publishing even more detailed COVIDI-19 secure guidelines in the coming days, which has been developed in consultation with businesses and trades unions.
These ‘back to work’ guidelines apply to those in essential retail like:
• supermarkets
• those in construction and manufacturing
• those working in labs and research facilities
• those administering takeaways and deliveries at restaurants and cafes
• tradesmen, cleaners and others who work in people’s homes
• those who are facilitating trade or transport goods
Non-essential retail, restaurants, pubs, bars, gyms and leisure centres will remain closed. They will reopen in a phased manner provided it is safe to do so.

There are specific guidelines for those who are vulnerable, shielding, or showing symptoms.

6.2 How will you make sure it is safe?
Schools can now operate if they are organised in a way that is compatible with minimising the spread of the virus. The next phase of measures will require the development of new safety standards to set out how physical spaces, including schools, can be adapted to operate safely.
We will publish guidance advising schools on reopening to ensure schools can adequately prepare for the next phase. One of the main protective measures we can take to reduce transmission is to have small consistent group and class sizes.

6.3 Will children be compelled to wear face coverings at school?
No this will not be required. We will publish further advice on protective measures in schools in the coming weeks.*

@SansaSnark when is your NQT year meant to finish?

I think we will see more detail in the next few days. The SD for the flu group inc pregnancy is still valid at the moment. This will further impact staffing I imagine.

If Schools have to follow a set of H and s guidance this will govern how many children they can open to. Somewhere I also saw they want school to be open for a month before the summer. I don't think it's quite the grand opening many think/ thought it was, still v stressful tbh.

They want all primary pupils in for the last month, but also want small class sizes.

Therefore it has to be a part time timetable for all- otherwise there won't be enough space or staff.

No point bringing in R/1/6 full time for 3 weeks, then dropping them onto part time when more classrooms are needed.

@pinkrocker This would be my last term of NQT- but my awarding body have said that if we were on track to pass last term (which I was), then we will pass as normal this year.

So if we are back in full time in September it will be a full timetable and no mentor/support etc- which I guess is fine, I think I will cope- but it would have been nice to get through one full year of the curriculum first!