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-

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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

DS2 is Y12 and his teachers are doing a fabulous job, I really hope the head doesn't rock the boat too much. The newsletter at half term was talking about getting the UCAS process underway after half term. And as it's a very rural school there'll be transport issues.

Staff return full time next week in my school though I'm still not clear what I'm doing. I'm definitely in a bubble Thurs/ Fri in a small group (3 students/3 staff). We are having part time different bubbles with no students in on Wednesdays. Vulnerable staff are in a resources/home support group. We were initially told we had to be in all week but at the zoom meeting last week head was saying only in if needed. Beginning of next week we are preparing classes, training in PPE use and, for those who haven't been in, getting used to people again! Head may only bring in a few bubbles on Thursday. We are waiting timetables for staggered starts/finishes. We have to have temp taken on arrival and change, then change again before leaving so they need to avoid bottlenecks.

A cleaner was mentioned to circulate cleaning keypads and door handles.

Yes, continue setting online work for all pupils, as well as being in school with the year 10. 2 days a week I'll only be in for one lesson but the other 3 days I'll have 2 lessons, never conveniently close together either, so I'll have a couple of hours trapped time at school on those days. It's a pain in the arse as I've just got myself into a nice routine that works well for setting online work and for helping dd with her home learning. Now that will all go to pot, as the time I was recording lessons will also be the time I need to be driving to school.

Has anyone seen the fb post by DfE answering (or rather not answering) questions?

No acknowledgement about school staff and they brought up the no rota thing again. We donf have space not to have a rota!

Good to see all these heads have been made to row back on having staff on site if it is not needed : that's a small victory for the unions, public health and common sense.

I was promised yesterday I would hear whether I am required on site at all. I didn't!

Oh, yes, just found the DfE thread. I like the cut of Caroline's jib!

Not much point in that Q and A session is there , if a robot is just going to provide answers!

Secondary Head FROM Bristol on BBC news right now - his classes of year 10s are going to have a three metre space around the board to enable subject specialists to be in front of a class without the class moving...

Anyone else's school have classrooms that are probably only around three-four metres deep anyway??? We could fit three children along a row at the back, maybe?

different subject specialists moving around, obviously, is what I meant.

Good to see all these heads have been made to row back on having staff on site if it is not needed : that's a small victory for the unions, public health and common sense

Where does it say that? My head is saying it’s needed

This is secondary appu that I am talking about. Obviously in the primary schools it will be all (no vulnerable and washed) hands on deck.

Presumably he intends to have tiny classes, but that also sounds like he is planning to teach kids : again, not In the guidance necessarily. So much confusion.

I went in yesterday to see if I could realistically set up my classroom in line with the guidance. Our head has said a maximum of 12 tables in the class with a 2m space round the teachers desk.

I got rid of all the soft furnishings, resources, turned the cupboards and the filing cabinets round, removed the bookshelves and places the tables. Displays had to come down and my once welcoming classroom is now simply a room, with 12 tables spaced out, facing the front with a chair and a drawer for all their possessions - can't even hang coats up.

My room is an empty shell with tables. Those children will have to spend all day, in that room, with those children in there with no contact with others, and me. All day. Eat at your desks, strict handwashing, can't go near your mates. Your best friend is next door? Sorry - no can do. You don't like the person you're sat next to? Sorry about that.

If parents are thinking it will all be 'back to normal' when they go back, they are dead wrong. I am dreading it.

@CallmeAngelina

Are all your returning children expected to attend every single day, if they've signed up?

Yes, our head made it clear that it was not a "turn up when you like" system. Parents had to say if their child was returning so plans could be made.

It's going to be very odd for me next week, as I'm not allowed to interact with any of the bubbles because I'm in my own one, so I'll be able to hear other people but not actually see anyone to talk to!

I might take a sleeping bag in with me and catch up on some sleep. DS has decided the day starts at 4:45am...😴

Odds, that sounds so strange, poor you and poor kids hanging out there all day.

We spend so long making our classrooms inviting and useful that to do the opposite just goes against everything I know.

The DfE's repeated mantra *which I know makes no sense given their 15 to a class thing) is that SD is not expected with little ones, so the separating the kids form each other by 2m is (apparently) not required...

Still miserable, though.

The only thing I can see motivating most year 10s to return is friendship, gossip, mingling, fun. All of his will be withdrawn.

We have just got all this on school transport!

The School Transport team will identify any routes that will be required to run from 1st June 2020 (only those routes serving special schools or mainstream routes carrying pupils in years 1, 6, 10 and 12 to begin with) and will contact operators with details of the routes that will need to run and the numbers expected to travel.
Government guidance is that 2 meter social distancing requirements should be maintained on transport wherever possible. The passenger capacity of vehicles, therefore, will be significantly reduced. Transport operators have been asked to mark a certain number of seats on their vehicles as out of use in order to comply with these requirements, depending on the make and model concerned. Any face-to-face seating should be eliminated and any seats immediately behind the driver should not be used. Members of the same household may be allowed to sit together.
We note that social distancing will not be possible on smaller vehicles such as taxis and people carriers.
Parents will be encouraged to wait at pick-up points with children to ensure social distancing is maintained whilst waiting for transport. Schools will ensure social distancing is maintained whilst waiting for transport home after school.
As they board the vehicle, children should be encouraged to take the rearmost available seat in order to facilitate social distancing. For the homeward journey, children should be encouraged where possible to board in the reverse order of drop-off, ie those to be dropped off last to board first and occupy the rearmost available seats. Drivers are asked to alight from the vehicle whilst passengers are boarding and alighting in order to avoid contact with passengers as far as possible.

Hello, been struggling with fatigue and awol.

It's going to be near impossible to teach some subjects, eg arts, dt, metalwork stuff for the y10s and any year group tbh isn't it?

A lot of primary classes seem to want to focus on art but they're trying to work out what lessons they can actually do. Lots of outdoor ideas.

Blimey, Piggy.

And who's policing them while they're on the bus - parents of younger children? The driver?

They can't honestly expect this social distancing to happen?

And it makes me frustrated that they say all this, yet school staff should just wash their hands more. FFS.

A lot of our kids use public transport. Local buses are rammed at 330, with massive queues along the street.

Yes... and teachers are responsible for getting them back on to the bus whilst socially distanced.

This is really good enough, is it?

The test is to be introduced next week-at exactly the same time as primary goes back? Who’s to say it even works?!

I’m really not coping well with all this.

Do you think, with the intention for all primary kids to be back for a month, that the plan is to announce in 3 weeks time that all is well and they can all go back in full classes? With hand washing of course! I can’t see any other way that they can fulfil this ‘ambition’ to get them all back.

Boxachocs yes, I have thought this from the very beginning. I think they will just tell us to continue to stagger opening and closing times and wash our hands.

Very much hope I am wrong though.

Boxachocs,

It was slipped into a statement on, I think, Sunday, that the policy of everyone returning to primary was 'under review' - ie kicked into the longest grass possible. I am not expecting them back until September.

When Gavin did the briefing he still said it was the aim, and on the DfE question thread it was mentioned too.