The Sixth Republic - Will we or won’t we? That is the question! #solidarity

[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.

Enjoyed reading the guidance for adapting teaching practice. It pretty much validated what most of us have been doing anyway and that .pdfs work well. Wish some could just drop the ‘it must be live lessons otherwise teachers aren’t working!’ brigade.

Educational activities could also be created in a range of formats, so that they are accessible to all, reducing the risk of pupils being left behind.

Pupils are more likely to have access to mobile phones than laptops or computers, so using formats (like PDFs) that can be viewed on mobile devices can improve access to resources. Other schools have identified teaching resources that can be easily printed and posted.

With children spending more time online, it’s important that schools and colleges are considering online safety as they plan and design their teaching activities.

“The key is to make sure that pupils have the means to do what you’re asking them to do”, said Steve Rollett at the Association of School and College Leaders. “This challenge might also be met by ensuring that some learning activities can be done without online access.”

@CarrieBlue. I have seen it. I haven't been in school at all so trying to visualise those metre sticks! I'm waiting for the Scottish CLEAPSS equivalent (SSERC) to publish guidance but I imagine it will be much the same.

That head's post could be my former headteacher. She was such a bitch. I'd love to know what HBF's response to that was!

Very fortunate with my school - Year 6 and KW kids only for the first week, then EYFS and Year 1. No more than 8 children in a bubble with 4 staff (2 teachers, 2 TAs) to do half days in pairs so everyone gets lunch etc. Remote learning to continue. Kids and staff not to mix outside their bubble. Staggered arrival and leaving at 30-min intervals. It's very well organised.

I'm not in a bubble because of the nature of my role. So I'll be there for first aid emergencies only, otherwise I'm to stay in my office and not see any children or staff from outside the staff-only bubble. I'm delivering some online teaching and sorting out rooms for September that aren't being used now.

It's going to be weird.

Do the heads on TES think no one else can read their posts?

I’m not a betting woman but if I was I’d say that was my head! He loves a bit of power and an excuse to go grow his weight around. I’m the 11th member of staff to resign this year and we are a 1 and bit form entry primary!

I asked today in SLT if we were 'allowed' in to school if we needed to go in (teacher not allocated a bubble for 8th June), and was discouraged. Straight to own classroom, stay there to work, go home. Don't go in the staff room on anyone else's allocated break and so on. Not said in a shitty way, just in a matter of fact way. I need to go in to deliver some books to parents who won't turn up to get them, but that's all - and will only involve collecting a pile and some addresses I expect.

We also have been offered visors if we want them. Which I think some people will do.

Whoops, another one on BBCQT referring to 'headmasters'.

Just realised it was Andy Burnham, though, so I'll let him off.

Apparently Halle Thorning say we could teach in empty museums.

And the Tory said the government couldn't consult headteachers because they would not be trusted to let the cat out of the bag on plans.

Pfrench - that's really sensible of your school.

No mention of Secondary Schools on BBCQT

No but the fact we could teach in museums etc made me giggle.

Could be great fun but would need a lot of hard work to make it happen.

Dear parent - please drop child (with lunch, hand gel, paper, pens etc)off at museum x for 9am and then collect 3pm

Dear museum owner, sorry with social distancing I did not notice Freddie smear hand gel over the statues or that Tom and lily had written over that expensive painting. I will ask Mary to return the ornamental dagger and Finley has promised that the Lewis chess piece is undamaged. The little blighters . Soz. Could we come next week with the other half of the class?

I vote for teaching in Ikea.

Seconded. Set up for lunches 😋

I'm delivering some online teaching and sorting out rooms for September that aren't being used now.

@SallyLovesCheese are you not expecting to need the other rooms this term when we are told to bring the other children back?

Have to say that I swing museums and art galleries would be amazing. Imagine learning stuff next to a Warhol or Riley!

There's a lot of chat on edutwitter about the fact that the subjects social media have promoted for MH have been all the arts (I include crochet in that!) and pe.

Will this change the focus of the curriculum? History is covered extremely well by horrible histories! Sadly when they go back, the arts and pe (unless outside) are going to be the harder ones to teach creatively due to resources.

I'll third Ikea. The Smaland bit will be great for Reception.

I think I'll take the kitchens. We could all sit round kitchen islands.

Think if the role play opportunities!

Plenty of boxes to store everyone's stationary.

I'm surprised my two haven't been creatIve. Dd loves drawing but has done nothing. My suggestion to do some of our own William morris style wallpaper to link with oldest's Victorian project fell on deaf ears too.

If you read the year 10/12 face to face thread, it is absolutely crazy how many heads interpret that as back to full on lessons for kids.

If the DfE had actually already reassured people that something would happen to help us compensate for exam students being out of official school, this would not be happening. The opposite is being implied, though, isn't it by offering those two year groups any time in school right now, when there is no scientific evidence gathered about their level of risk. It also speaks volumes for may heads and their exam culture.

It is so clear to me that 'face to face support' does not mean timetabled lessons awaits ninety different versions of guidance to contradict this

Interesting thread.

I personally don't believe the impact of even a year of lost education will
Impact our future nurses etc.

If anything, some young people will be inspired.

Learning is life long.

Mental health is definitely a factor to consider; at the same time that's going to be individual. Contexts are going to be very different.

MNHQ here - got a question about children returning to schools for the Independent SAGE? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3915917-MNHQ-here-got-a-question-about-children-returning-to-schools-for-the-Independent-SAGE

ineed, I noticed that too and yet people always make such a noise about exams and stuff. The media just do not know. They haven't read the guidance (or our thread). It will come a s a shock for so many!

'Wait - what!- what are these older children doing in uniform?!'

It's honestly a shambles.

I keep thinking about how curriculums change over time..we're we disadvantaged by not learning what those a generation older or younger than we learned? Of course not. I don't think people real I see that sometimes content is just stuck there for the sake if it. Yes, English lit, im looking at you and your eleventh thousand p o ems.

This article also does not mention secondaries:

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/may/21/tuc-lack-planning-risks-chaotic-reopening-schools-england

I honestly think some secondary headteachers are megalomaniacs thick.

Asuitable, I completely agree. The amount packed into the primary curriculum is now enormous. And it actually risks glossing over and missing some fundamental basic needs and experiences for pupils. I worry that primary pupils are being put off some areas of learning. Eg huge amounts of writing. There's a balance; yes y2 can write stories 2-3 pages long but you risk putting them off writing. For good. Very much with Michael Rosen on that. Education at primary level should give the basics, and well, and a fierce curiosity, and extremely good social interaction and emotional regulation skills.

The oak academy art lesson on rubbings is really good but how important is it that they learn that we call rubbings frottage? I studied art at degree level and never knew that!

The whole deep dive ofsted thing has resulted in a new responsibility for subject leaders to know their area inside out at primary level, from eyfs to y6. As a result, they're polishing and pushing their own subject areas, especially keen young things.

There's a focus on sticky knowledge etc, making sure key knowledge is retained. there really is only so much a child can actively remember, and it must be revisited over and over again to make it stick. But individual teachers, especially if the subject area isn't their specialism, easily loose sight of what the most important things to retain and what needs to be revisited regularly. But, over all, a child who is enjoying their learning will remember that and also want to learn more.

I never experienced a lesson where poems were enjoyable. I have an allergy to poetry.