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 just got the NEU survey through. I found the questions they were asking very reassuring. Of course the govt don’t seem to be listening, which may be problematic.

RigaBalsam

The problem is that once again there is no guidance.

It is, as with the message yesterday, an easy way to side step the blame and place it on someone else.

They aboslutely can't have the whole lot in for a month. They must surely mean every year group to have access at some point within each of those 4 weeks?
I've been very keen to return properly from half term, but I WILL NOT be stuck in a room with 30 children for 4 weeks with no social distancing or PPE (as in face masks on them to protect me).
There was an outcry about bus drivers, and rightly so, but fuck the teachers?

What does concern me is the rise in cases in places where lockdown has been eased over recent weeks. Even wuhan is reported to having cluster outbreaks with people from the same residential compounds. Previously these people were asymptomatic so had coronavirus without exhibiting symptoms. Although I don't know how long before symptoms showed that they were tested.

I appreciate that area of the world generally isn't perhaps the most reliable in being honest as to where and how things are happening, but the fact that this information has surfaced should be worrying.

I fully appreciate the need to get over another peak, if we are going to get one, before the winter flu season kicks in again otherwise we really are screwed. But I just don't see any reassuring information coming out as to how schools may manage right now. The demand being placed upon schools is huge - childcare, education, social services, SEND support. Schools, like prisons and care homes, provide more than just the obvious service to people and I don't think people can truly understand that unless they have worked in these places or spent a significant amount of time there.

Yet we have had nearly 8 weeks for this to be considered and it seems not to have been. Otherwise we would have a more comprehensive plan on how to move forward with this. Or perhaps I am just being naive.

Was in today. 10 children, thought I’d count how many times they breached social distancing (and not by centimetres) with each other and the staff. I got to 26 before Break and gave up.
Was also pushed, hit, hugged and had saliva on me - not unusual for my working day but it’s causing me major anxiety now. ICT in an enclosed room with no external doors or windows to open made me physically panic. Fortunately we have enough staff for me to leave the room for 10 mins and understanding staff at that, but that is where they have to do certain online learning for an hour and it will not be changed.
This is not a challenging group of children by any means. They are largely sensible and know why they are there and why keeping apart is important. So we repeat it kindly, we step back with a reminder why we have toAgain and again, but some of them are only just 5, or have an SEN that means they forget or just need physical contact.
I’m dreading going back for my full hours.

Another lurker saying hi. I'm reading about the early years settings being back on the 1st too, and surely they will have to go full group from the start, they won't be financially viable if they have only half their groups in at a time to keep numbers down. Not to mention the staff ratios mean far more adults in the room.

Surely it would have been a hell of a lot more sensible to release the guidance before the deadline of three weeks was issued? BJ dodged all questions in PMQ today, but emphasised it's not certain schools will go back on the 1st. All very well for him, but schools (and early years) have to be set up, prepared and ready to go anyway in case!

Any NEU members here?....they just sent another email.

I didn’t get yesterday’s for some reason @Appuskidu but did get a text a short while ago regarding today’s slight re-gig.

Is that the roadmap/agreeing with the BMA one?

Big split of parents saying they will or won't send children back in June. I wonder if those realise that if they choose to keep their children at home the schools won't be able to provide home learning as the teachers will be working in school. Not that many of them believe we are actually working right now.

Yes. I received that too.
Here's what it said:

The Government has today released its plan to end the lockdown.

In “OUR PLAN TO REBUILD: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy”, it says that nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6 pupils will go back to school on 1 June.

It then goes on to say that the Government hopes all primary pupils will be back at school a few weeks later.

In secondary schools and colleges, year 10 and year 12 pupils will have some face-to-face tuition next half term. There are no clear conditions to decide how or when this goes forward.

We agree with the British Medical Association (BMA) that the Government’s plan is too fast, too confusing and too risky. We don’t accept that schools can safely open more widely on 1 June.

So far the Government has not engaged with us to discuss any further advice on social distancing, testing in schools, PPE or about those who are vulnerable, including BME staff.

No school or college can make plans based on the information we currently have from Government.

Our strong advice is that, on this basis, you should currently not engage with any planning based on a wider reopening of schools.

If your head asks you if you will be available for wider working after 1 June, we urge you to reply that you are waiting further advice from your union.

Please look out for further guidance – we will be in touch soon.

Best wishes to you and your family at this worrying time,

So where is this guidance, eh?

Why tweet that it would be out today if they couldn't actually get it out by close of play. Eejits.

I've just been reading threads on twitter about schools reopening fully and I've had to come off. The amount of vitriol towards teachers is sickening. Lots of people saying "don't pay em" "furlough em" in response to a survey that 9/10 teachers would not feel safe returning to school at the moment.

Why are we the guinea pigs?
Why are teachers so hated?

I don't think we are.

My community Facebook page is fighting a bit about the local school returning (I'd say it's 50:50 in terms of whether they will) but not one of them has slagged teachers off yet.

But, yeah, furlough me! Go for it! Not sure who will teach the returned children , though.

I actually voted for that on Teacher Tapp yesterday!

Robert Halfon is still banging on about retired teachers and graduates doing a catch up thing with the vulnerable.

Lots of people saying "don't pay em" "furlough em"

Oh please yes to furlough - would happily take a pay cut to reduce current workload!

Disclaimer : there are a few who think we would rather work through August though!!

Working through August 🙄

Why not weekends and during our sleep too?

Please read , everyone. It ahs been pooh poohed by teacher bashers on MN, but this is a genuine survey which is kinder to us and more honest I feel than some MNers attempt to drum up their own surveys. It might cheer you a little. I cannot help it if the MN massive neglected to fill in this survey!

www.parentkind.org.uk/News/Major-new-Parentkind-research---over-a-quarter-of-a-million-parents-have-a-say-on-school-closures-and-coronavirus-fears

Yes please to furlough, or even just a plain minimal retainer! SSP would do me.

Just been reading my union email. Gosh. So we advised not to cooperate with planning for expansion of current keyworker provision? Am I reading that right?

Bless him silence, I think he thought we would get all the time off until July instead...

Nothing from NASUWT!

Nothing from the NAHT today either.

NAHT just tweeted something.

NASUWT may as well not exist. Fuming I'm even a member right now.

@Saucery 'Was also pushed, hit, hugged and had saliva on ' that is not a safe working environment. Not many people who work in an office environment would put up with that.

@silenceattheback - what a stupid suggestion - if we were all furloughed where will they the 500,000 teachers they need to deliver the curriculum etc. It would be carnage

@Piggywaspushed - the ones who suggest working through August are just half-wits who have not listened to the fact that we are still working (WFH - like most of them)