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

Don’t suppose you can say which council that is starry?

Doh missed the last page.

Committee guy seemed to think there’d be an army of retired teachers (err age is quite the risk factor) and graduates volunteering to spend their summer with disadvantaged kids who don’t want to be in school over summer. I can’t see them volunteering in droves for that personally

Just got a cryptic email from my divisional union rep saying that the ‘announcement’ tomorrow might change things re schools opening... not sure if insider knowledge or wishful thinking 😂

Durham council have announced similar. Hoping mine follows suit but it wont.

Durham can blame it on little Dom.

I’m glad I watched that. The chair was quite right in saying it’s important for the public to see the pm being questioned and justifying his actions. If not for the weasel wordedness (sorry English teachers) required to justify keeping Cummings he might have gone up a little in my estimation.

Sadly he was talking about June 1st as a forgone conclusion despite tomorrow being the decision day.

Just checking in with , and . Think we're going to need it over the next few months!

This gem form Nick Gibb was posted on another thread :

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-gibb-clinically-vulnerable-teachers-safe-schools?fbclid=IwAR33P0qu9aItwSixbxN-xuTcPt_CTot2KZdgLtqBM-zBumKatdQqorUiXlc

When did social distancing become the only H and S measure? What about cleaning? Access to anti bac?

How can ANY school ENSURE social distancing?

I think a a lot of heads will be feeling quite jittery about this. Note how Gibb says SD measures are in place, not are stringently observed.

On a positive note, my head has said I can continue to stay at home.

The summer army must have an up-to-date DBS check. Plus GDPR training. (Even Mumsnet had an employee sharing information!)

Last thing we need is a scandal now or in the future linked to this.

Thing is, do you remember that helping people out app, the one where you'd collect people's prescriptions, call them on the phone for a chat, might have been the Voluntary Service? I applied for that, with my full-on DBS on the update service, they wouldn't accept this & said it had to be recent. If the summer army is landing, the DfE are going to have to look into this.
Just my two-pennorth!

Have the unions said anything about staffing summer school?

We're just cannon fodder; that's the bottom line. And so are the kids, although they may not suffer in the same way as others.
But only some of us. HOW can it be acceptable that some of us will be forced to "go over the top" when others (in Scotland, Wales, N.Ireland and various LAs across England) will not?

@IHateCoronavirus

Have the unions said anything about staffing summer school?

Yes. NEU said at our reps meeting that it was illegal to ask teachers to work in summer holidays. It was probably the one thing they were crystal clear, no leeway on.

I am enjoying the thread (not) that wants to herd (pun intended) vulnerable teachers into schools. I could not live with that guilt f I were a head, or a parent and something happened to a vulnerable staff member .

However, 'they do it in the NHS by moving them far away from any infectious patients' so that must be OK.

Feck I’m with the NASUWT

And a GO says vulnerable staff 'should return'. Let's hope none of you have to have a consultation (via video I assume) with her.

Just came across this too- so awful, and so clearly an economy drive decision:

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/27/phone-texts-notify-cancer-transplant-and-asthma-patients-they-are-off-shielding-list

How can people be vulnerable one minute and fine to go off to work the next?

They are fine to go to work until they need a hospital bed.

Hi all, just popping up to say hello. Long time lurked that felt need to sign up in defence of a teacher on AIBU who let herself (and all teachers) in for a stream of vitriol. So thought I'd show up here too :-)

Yes saw that. She could have worded that better but I guess in the heat of doing multiple postings it can be easy to forget that some will grasp are whatever nuggets are thrown. I just can’t believe that a neighbour is actually making notes about an English teacher neighbour comings and goings. That sort of behaviour is not normal !

Welcome Lancre!

So, today's the big day!

Well, it isn't really is it? They have no intention of changing their plans. They have repeatedly told us the 5 tests have been met because they changed them and that the R is down. JVT basically said so yesterday. It's a formality... there'll probably be some trumpeting cockerel appearing in front of Boris, when he makes his jubilant prerecorded announcement.

(Spot the Animal Farm reference...)

Lol yes you're right!

I'm v suspicious about the track and trace stuff. I don't believe it's country wide? 10 councils were given grants for pilots recently. I think those are going to be up and running but not nation wide??

I don’t think the take-up of track and trace will be as large as hoped for. Some people will worry about cyber security on the system and how safe their details are ...