The Fifth Republic - safe space? Solidarity Comrades!

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff. 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.

In the other staffroom, there is rhubarb & ginger gin, along with tea and coffee.

Betty I've pm'd you - please look and reply. Don't know what's happened but 99% sure it's a misunderstanding because I know me and everyone else here is well aware of the worth of a good TA and I personally have been forced to have zero TA's this year in secondary science (eg. loads of groups and higher than ever rates of significant sen plus kids with ten words of english) and feel the difference between that and the limited but non existent ta support last year due to budget cuts.

I for one could not last a day without my wonderful TA, and I'll tell anyone who asks.

I love rhubarb and ginger gin. Did you see the thread where someone suggested adding a scoop of ice cream and making gin floats?!

A shocking statement from the Chief Scientific Adviser for the DfE taken from NASUWT website,

GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT OPENING SCHOOLS IS SAFE

The NASUWT has responded to the evidence given today by Osama Rahman, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Education to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee about the basis for the Government’s plan to start to reopen schools from 1 June.

Mr Rahman told MPs:
-The decision to reopen schools on 1 June was a Cabinet Office decision, not a DfE one.
-No assessment had been made on how effectively the new DfE guidance on schools could be implemented.
-There was a low degree of confidence in evidence which suggested children may transmit the virus less than adults.

I'm watching on with horror about the shitshow in England. I have many teaching colleague friends in England (I'm now in Scotland after a lengthy career in England).

Cue deep outrage about those pesky unions anyone?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-52649609

Anyone?

Peeky unions.
It's already started.

I'm waiting for my aunt's third cousin once removed works in a warehouse with no PPE so teachers should suck it up.

Of course this couldn't be an apt time for people and the government to tell employers with shit employment practices to sort it out and treat their workers properly. No, it must be a race to the bottom where everyone falls down in gratitude for even having a job.

@bettybattenburg don't go, I have utter faith in my TAs and can't manage without them!!! They're goddesses & know the kids better than me

I wish I had a TA. Lost mine last year and this one has been shit without her. Stay Betty!

I am concerned that Betty is upset re two comments I made on the last thread, regarding her post about working one week on and one off. Betty did not say then or anywhere else on that thread that she was referring to the work of TAs and it just sounded like the stuff we hear elsewhere about us not doing anything at home! Please do check the other thread if you think I posted anything bitchy or unkind as I did not. Betty if it is me you are upset by please realise I did not mean to do this, why on earth would I, we are in this together and in the (very) long time I've been teaching I've seen the erosion of the role of the TA and how badly they are often treated, given the increasingly vital role they play. I would never insult someone for being a TA or think they were not valuable members of the school community, with a very definite seat in the staffroom both literally and metaphorically.

Stay @bettybattenburg my son's TAs are awesome. He would struggle to get through the school day without them. He had the same TA for 4 years at primary school and I am so, so grateful for the love and care she poured into his education.

Mistress - I don't know if that's what upset but I have pm'd her to check because if so it was clearly a total misunderstanding and partially my fault because I saw the crossed wires happen and was too busy to clear the mistake and assumed someone else would or that Betty would understand the misunderstanding and say NO I was talking TA's.

You misunderstood her and if it is that that has upset her she too has misunderstood you.

All resolvable inshallah

Anyone posted this yet? Scientific adviser to the government doesn’t have a clue about safety in schools and admits it.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-dfe-adviser-school-return-plan-could-risk-virus-spread

You thought someone was saying teachers were having every other week off (in the context of some posters on the boards saying why are teachers on full pay) and understandably reacted to that in terms of what lucky bugger teachers are only having to work every other week (i know you didn't actually say that)

She potentially read that as people who only have to work every other week are lucky buggers who have nothing to complain about and felt unsupported by the thread.

All a misunderstanding and I don't want you or her to feel bad.

He didn’t mean it though. He was mistaken.

Anyone posted this yet? Scientific adviser to the government doesn’t have a clue about safety in schools and admits it.

Farcical but not funny is the best summation I think.

The pictures of the poor little children in chalk squares in the playground in France seem to be doing the rounds on FB, half of people saying 'but my school won't allow that' and half saying 'this is why mine aren't going back'.

And sorry to labour the point but, as I said at the end of the last republic after the majority had defected, TAs like teachers only get paid for the weeks they work but get that added up and divided by 12 for their actual paycheques. Same as us teachers but basically at minimum wage (and often 8-4 directed hours for presenteeism (fuck the spelling) exploiting the fact that they are predominantly female and caring for their own children and unable to afford childcare outside of term time. ie. lack of access to affordable childcare actually creates cheap childcare because women have to take on responsible positions for peanuts taking care of or providing support to other less poor womens children.

I don't think you, mistressi, would disagree with any of that and it was a pure crossed wires situation.

Hoping she comes back and we can all clear it and move on.

Just came in to post this - gobsmacked

twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/1260571859466227713?s=21

This is one of the sad facts that 'doing ok' women's ability to work generally comes from 'doing less well' women having to take on badly paid work taking care of their children. And their children are pushed even further down the ladder for who the hell takes care of their children whilst they take care of the children of the women on the rung above them.

From the 'big picture' perspective the enemy is not other women higher or lower than you on the access to childcare ladder but a society that doesn't centre the care and education of our children as fundamental to our success and future.

I'm so sorry to see women have fallen out on here.

From the 'big picture' perspective the enemy is not other women higher or lower than you on the access to childcare ladder but a society that doesn't centre the care and education of our children as fundamental to our success and future.

Very well said.

Appuskidu

do you have a link to that, please

@FrippEnos

I’m not sure how to link to it-but it’s on the Department for Education Facebook page.

Chief scientific adviser to DfE says he has not assessed how school reopening plans can be implemented

Appuskidu

thanks

sorry the link has already been posted and was meant for another thread.

Fripp
I've just posted that link on another thread, the one where a number of people seem keen to say 'the science says schools should be back'.

Actually, mine was different but in the same thing.

This is Schoolsweek schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-chief-scientific-adviser-admits-he-hasnt-assessed-school-reopening-guidance/