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.

@oddsbodkins

You need to contact your union. That is disgraceful.

Oh I did question whether they had been in touch with the unions about this to be told 'it's not for us to question, that's the governments advice'. I shit you not. Ye gods!

@DreamingofBrie the problem is that he doesn't have the internet, so he can't access anything online. His service provider is useless as he's rural.

Oh I see, what a shame. These are downloadable pdfs - any chance his school could print them off and send them to him?

I want to know if it's so low risk and ok for us to go back to work and we shouldn't fuss, and parents don't want us wearing masks as it would upset children etc why are there so many parents saying they won't be sending their children back yet?

Dreaming which would you suggest for Y10/11? I can maybe download, but I haven't a printer so I can't post them to her either.

@pinkrocker, the problems are also available in paper form from Amazon - here's a link to the intermediate challenge book:

www.amazon.co.uk/Intermediate-Problems-Andrew-Jobbings/dp/1906001294/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Apparently his school are too busy to do that, because there's hardly any staff in and they're a huge academy, it's totally understandable!

And collections of the Junior, Intermediate and Senior challenges here:

www.amazon.co.uk/Ten-Years-Mathematical-Challenges-UKMT/dp/1906001316/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
www.amazon.co.uk/Ten-Further-Years-Mathematical-Challenges/dp/1906001278/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Hope they're useful, pinkrocker. Much more interesting that a syllabus workbook. And hope that your student is ok!

How can they keep expecting teachers to do unpaid days? I think they will push until people start saying no.

Unions won us a list of things we can and can’t do an eon ago. I remember no longer being allowed to collect in money. Surely cleaning and heavy lifting are on that even aside from the flagrant disregard of directed time and holidays. This is crazy. Imagine all of the teacher bashers reaction if their bosses had already made them do two weeks unpaid work and were making them act as furniture movers and cleaners?

Are any other workers being treated like this? Presumably nhs staff are all being paid for the hours they do

Oddbodkins you can get in touch with your union about it, don't expect management to do it for you! I would not be doing this under any circumstances.

‘The Government should only open schools in line with the scientific and medical advice... and ignore the minority in teaching unions spoiling for a fight.'

Show us the scientific evidence then. And answer my question:

All research given in answer to the above issue is about children not passing the virus to adults in households/families. That's fine, I'm glad that children don't get very ill (if at all) with it, but I'm worried that they are asymptomatic. In a household you might have 1 or 2 children who are ill, and asymptomatic. Most households have between 1 and 4 adults, and none of those adults will get a big viral load if only 1 or 2 children who are ill. What happens when you have 15 asymptomatic children in a room with two adults? None of the children are visibly ill, but they all have the virus. What about the viral load of 15 children for those adults?

Ah, you don't have the research to answer that question? Interesting, thanks. Bastards.

I worked the easter holidays, so my head has not put me on for half term.

Our head has asked for ideas on how to make it work but there's no way she'd demand us in during the half term holiday. That's awful.

Well as predicted - left up to individual schools with a criteria to fulfil but no real detail on his full make it work and everyone is unhappy.

Going to be interesting. Feel sorry for the little ones. The ones in my class have just started to get into the routine of things (mainly - some poor parents are really struggling with behaviour that the school would help take the load off a lot as much as we could) and then that'll be disrupted again and then possibly disrupted again. So unfortunate. Nobody is getting the best deal.

Working through half term?
Make sure you take next week off then!

They won't. They will do it, and be cross about it, and nothing will change.

Members should be aware of the following:
▪ There is no change to the current COVID-19 restrictions for schools at this point in time. There should be no increase in the number of pupils or staff going into schools, or any requirement for any teacher not currently in school to go into work at this time. Members who face pressure from schools to do so should contact the NASUWT immediately for advice and support.
▪
▪ 1st June 20200_ is the date from when schools may be able to extend their opening arrangements. It is neither a fixed nor hard-and-fast date by which all schools must open, and there is no current requirement or obligation on any school to reopen to more pupils from that date.
▪
▪ Schools are not in a position to make any meaningful preparations or finalise any plans for opening schools at this time, as the DfE has not issued all the required guidance. Planning by schools can only take place when the full suite of information has been issued by the DfE.
▪
▪ Even when schools are in a position to put plans in place, no final decision can be made by schools to reopen or extend the number of pupils in school. The Government guidance makes clear that ‘We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by Government justify the changes at the time...’ and so there are no guarantees that there will be any change to the current circumstances after 11stt Junee_.

The NASUWT has been consistent and clear in its view that, in a situation where the wrong decision will result in people becoming seriously ill and dying, there can be no compromise on health and safety. If this means that schools are unable to reopen safely before September, because they are unable to make arrangements to safeguard their staff and pupils, then that position must be accepted.

Nothing that has been said by the Government or the DfE has changed the NASUWT’s position that no teacher should be expected to go into a school that is not safe, and until it can be demonstrated that it is safe to do so, we will be continuing to support and advise members on that basis.

There should be no increase in the number of pupils or staff going into schools, or any requirement for any teacher not currently in school to go into work at this time.

That's not right though is it! Some schools have been saying that they can't take children if only one parent is a key worker. Their children should stay home with the other non-key worker parent. If the other parent now has to go back to work, then the school is going to need to take that child now. Over the next week or so, there will be an increase in pupils.

Also, children with SEND who were able to be at home as per the guidance, may now be brought to school since parents will consider the risk reduced. Same for some vulnerable children.

Nurses and teachers have fought long and hard not to be viewed as menial 9usually female) helpmeets (nurses especially) and the battle is on going for TAs. Expecting and even instructing school or clinical hospoital staff to move furniture, constantly clean surfaces and so on is a huge retrograde step, against H and S for many asthmatics and allergic adults and children and , frankly, an attempt to cut corners and save money at a time when it should be being lavished on stepped up cleaning protocols.

The Danish teacher this morning talked about buying mulitlple sinks for the playground. Who paid?

Interesting timing from YouGov...

Do they think we are stupid??

twitter.com/YouGov/status/1260149675597930496

Teacher Tapp has asked a similar question today. Can't wait for results!!

Dated from 6th April-maybe time for another survey!

@oddsbodkins - you can not be forced to work during the holiday period. Contact your union now ASAP