The Seventh Republic - the debate rages on but for some it is half term!

[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.

If you are fed up with cakes and biscuits there is now a cheeseboard on offer

Yeah, Coop carrot cake is a very close 4th. I've never tried Lidl cake.

This has brought back memories of my first staffroom and being able to remember who brought what to foodfests even now. One colleague always brought toffee pavlova and another her Mum’s gorgeous home made samosas.

Do you think teachers are obsessed with free food because we never have time to eat usually?

Yes. No one takes a lunch break at my school but most people pop in for ten minutes of the twenty minute morning break (unless on duty).

We are actually really well looked after by SLT, the Canteen Manager, parents (yes, astonishing for secondary) and each other so there are always treats.

Our lunch and break adds up to one hour. Am looking forward to hopefully spreading my hours over an extra day next year. Would hopefully mean feeling less spun around and not having to take work home with me.

A full day of lessons with break and after school duty leaves me feeling like I’ve been put through a 7 hour spin cycle. Time to guzzle a coffee (essential) but definitely no time to eat. By some stroke of bad luck I never have a free and duties on the same day.

I keep wondering what next year will look like. I hope we can at least start the year normally even if we do end up closing again at some point in winter when further waves come.

Hi. I don’t usually post on Mumsnet really but I read it a bit. Sadly I’ve been riled up by people and drawn into threads the last few days and I just can’t not respond! So I thought I should at least say hi on here! 👋

Hi box : seen you on those threads! Good lass!

This is interesting :
www.tes.com/news/schools-reopening-view-france?fbclid=IwAR2fAzm42Hr4jS-Ts9nm4re0jrY5vfGzy4eAnYRyKKaBVTQbUM0Ck8Cc6wc

Beginning depressingly familiar. Second bit sounds like every MN parent's horror story.

I just fell down the rabbit hole of the Dementors thread. Charming people.

Nearly everyone who pops up on the education threads as sudden world experts hang out there. As we suspected they are just anti lockdown agitators.

Just as a query - because I can't decide whether it doesn't exist or whether I can't find it in the vortex that is the DfE website ...

Is there detailed guidance from the DfE for secondary schools re-opening for Y10 and Y12 in the same was as there is / was detailed guidance for primary schools "written by school leaders for school leaders"?

Nope.

'To follow'

Which is why every school is doing something different.

It was in the Independent today that there have been 41 different guidance documents. 41 and counting!!

And nothing specifically for secondaries. Any secondary head has to read the other stuff, just in case.

Why there isn't more fuss about this, I can't fathom.

I suspected as much.....

I just fell down the rabbit hole of the Dementors thread. Charming people.

Had a visit the other day. So bizarre.They just don't like how it affects their lives it seems.

Just a quick hello. I read a lot and post very little on MN but just stopping by to say thanks. Reading that lots of others share my concerns really helps.

In today's news :

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/may/24/poll-reveals-half-of-parents-unconvinced-that-school-is-safe-for-their-childrens-return

I think that's obvious from the take-up in returning year groups. About a third at my school.

The lovely Wilshaw on Ridge this morning saying that teachers will have to work weekends and holidays to close the education gap created by lockdown.

Umm...does anyone know any teachers that don't already work over the holidays and weekends?

Wilshaw is just a shite spout. He has no authority any more.

Has anyone taken a child without fever to the GP lately? I was wondering what the GP was wearing.

We only have to panic about closing the gaps so much if society continues to cling on to its contact cycle of exams, assessments and end products. Time for a rethink.

The lovely Wilshaw on Ridge this morning saying that teachers will have to work weekends and holidays to close the education gap created by lockdown

I'm not in the UK but if I was I'd be telling Wilshaw to go fuck himself.
Teachers work well beyond their hours but to be expected to do so....yeah right.

Having said that, I think UK teachers set a dangerous precedent by staffing schools in lockdown.

Our GP does no face to face at all p and I doubt you will get near one if your DC has a fever... or have you already got an appointment?

Wilshaw can fuck the fuck off to fucking somewhere else.

Last night someone we are close to range us from the children’s hospital where their school aged child is being treated for Kawasaki. This was a horrible shock. His dad had what was assumed to be CV early in the lock down but the child showed no symptoms. Thankfully, the child is generally in good health and has good chances of a recovery. But 25% chance of developing a heart defect! My obsessive googling says that Kawasaki seems to develop up to two months after infection, are we teetering on a new precipice?? This is utterly, utterly shit. Children should not be going back to school.

Piggy that article about France was interesting

Since it was not possible to accommodate the maximum number of 15 pupils per class each day, because the classrooms are too small, my class has been split into two groups. One group of seven pupils attend all day Monday and Thursday. The other group of eight pupils attend all day on Tuesday and Friday

We can’t accommodate 15 safely, but the head is doing it anyway. Plus rotating them every other day with the other 15 in the class so the teacher is getting full exposure of the whole class!

Just worked out my hourly rate for directed hours is £28.50. (Clearly not my hourly rate when you factor the amount of additional work generated by each directed hour.)

So weekend days of 6 hours could be taken up by those who fancy them for £171pd. Will Wilshaw be footing the bill?

At LAST heard an MP on Andrew Marr correcting the schools aren't open mantra.

I heard there was cake.... I'll also vouch for lidl cakes especially their cupcakes.

Love how people dont think teachers work weekends/holidays every one I know does.
Update on june 1st: Looks like myself and another LSA will have a bubble come week 3 but am on the keywirker rota till then. All staff are in on 1st even if you're not on rota which seems ridiculous as we dont need that many to help sort classrooms.