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

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.

Yup-I agree. We’ll be back Monday. Parents will be cross, and vote with their feet and keep children off to begin with, but they’ll see that the remote provision won’t be as good as before (as the available teachers are mostly teaching full time) and send them back for fomo. We’ll have full classes, lockdown is as good as over for many. Cases will rise, teachers will get ill, it will spread like wildfire, children with bring it home. People will die.

Let’s hope ‘the science’ are interested in this little medical experiment-we do always aim to please. I wish they hadn’t called us bubbles though-that implies safety. Petri dishes would have bee more accurate.

Morning all. Do we know when the announcement of school ‘decision’ will be made?

Hello everyone and 💐🌷🌺 for you all!

Could you tell me whether your schools have decided if they will be allowing visitors once reopened? Think allied professions - speech therapists, ed psychs, school counsellors and so on?

" I wish they hadn’t called us bubbles though-that implies safety. Petri dishes would have bee more accurate."
This is brilliant. I may have to steal it!

Also, I was wondering about “clinically vulnerable” teachers, so the wider non-shielding group. Gov advice says this group should WFH and avoid others as much as possible! Are you expected to go in from next week? I hope not. 🌼

Biglittlethings

Not for the moment - the only adults with any group will be teacher + TA [no lunchtime supervisors, no alternating break duty, no PE specialists, no PPA cover as we're closing instead] and the adults in different groups have to keep strict distance.

big little I am vulnerable and I was given the choice about whether to go in or stay at home. It's not an expectation that all vulnerable staff would be in school, but some may choose to. I'm in a secondary school. I believe the guidance says vulnerable teachers should be allowed to continue wfh.

Could you tell me whether your schools have decided if they will be allowing visitors once reopened? Think allied professions - speech therapists, ed psychs, school counsellors and so on?

No, we won’t.

On the clinically vulnerable - the vast majority of these are maintaining the online provision for the rest of the school. A few of us - including me, as I am at the very mildest end of the very mildest category (mild asthma, well controlled, haven't had an attack needing any medication other than blue inhaler for over 20 years) - have volunteered to go in, and are with older 'bubbles'.

I copied the advice on to one of those 'well, in the NHS we lie down o railway tracks on a daily basis even if we are diabetic' threads. Vulnerable teachers should WFH or be found an alternative role (no idea what that would be!)

Thank you for replying. Do you think the non-visitor rule is likely to be the case in the majority of schools?

@biglittlethings

Yes.

@biglittlethings

Yes, I do.

Thank you. My department boss seems to think we will be going back into schools from next week...! (You may have already guessed that’s why I was asking)

I think the only case I can think of where on the balance of risks something would be worked out would be social services in a very serious case.

@Biglittlethings we will have no visitors. Just school staff and pupils. The head will be on guard at school entrance ready to repel anyone or anything else. The reception staff will be like meerkats on the lookout just in case.

@Biglittlethings - your boss needs to contact individual. He may find all the heads will discuss is what bubble and where once they finish crying into their tea.

My head said if it’s essential for the Ed psych or similar professional to see a child they can come through a side gate so not entering the main school building at all then into a mobile classroom. The head bought a Perspex screen to use in the mobile for this reason. They will not be allowed to observe in classrooms just meet 1:1. This seems like a sensible plan. No other PPE allowed in school though and not allowed to source our own but that’s another story!

That message was for @Biglittlethings

@Biglittlethings

Hello everyone and 💐🌷🌺 for you all!

Could you tell me whether your schools have decided if they will be allowing visitors once reopened? Think allied professions - speech therapists, ed psychs, school counsellors and so on?

Our school have said no-one else is to come in. I do SEN stuff and see some children in other schools but I'm not allowed to see them because if I go into another setting I can't return to My school and I'm required here for emergencies.

I note the Isage have been upping the anti on social media and a new report . I started watching the press conference but it was too sunny outside...!

Biglittlethings I imagine it wi be highly unlikely you will be going in. My school had even got rid of staff we but in to provide some of the curriculum like PE, Music and MFL .

Thanks everyone. I don’t think we should be going in at all, my feeling is that the teachers have ‘got this’ and don’t really need us under their feet at this moment!

Hello all,
I've had a nice half term so far, with very little prep for next week. I'm going to start again tonight I think, sorting out lessons for next term and getting reports started.

Feeling a little apprehensive about tonight's announcement, although I'm not due in until September unless I end up covering for colleagues.

Welcome Lancre and BigLittleThings! I saw the thread you were on, Lancre, regarding the teacher who still found time to take her dc for a walk etc. Thought the pile-on was unnecessarily harsh, it's half term and I do try and take my dc out as well, otherwise it's hard to get them off their screens. I ignore them enough during my working day . The other posters don't realise/don't care that we can, at the moment, work some of our hours in any of the 24 that exist in the day.

Heard a rumour that we may be asked to provide video lessons on Teams after half term (currently doing audio and screen-sharing, which is working fine, imo). I feel really apprehensive about it, but hoping it will be a choice rather than a requirement.

Predictably there is now a thread complaining that a TA is being used to staff a child's bubble.

I'm sure next week this will be closely followed by 'why has the online provision from my school suddenly got worse?'

I'm going to try and hide in the staffroom again. I was good for a few weeks and then replied on a few threads this week. Made me feel worse not better so am going to try harder to stay off aibu/corona.