The Eight Republic - half term over - primaries under pressure- 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
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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

My year 10s actually (mostly) handed in some decent essays (and that's without live teaching but with lots of remote support) so I am pleased.

I have neglected my online stuff for 2 days.
In class yesterday and writing reports last night.
Migraine and feeling sick today. And having a staff meeting online in half an hour, can you imagine? On a Friday evening.

That's a bit mean.

I was just looking at 'stuff' for next term (I know!), and I just can't be bothered. I've got a REALLY hard year group next year, and can't be arsed. I'm turning into one of those jaded people who just want to have a nice time in the classroom and not have to think too much about it all.

Current school English leadership has taken away most of the fun of writing teaching for me. Used to be my favourite (and probably the one I was best at), but what with loads of structural stuff I have to follow + the shit SPAG currriculum, it's so boring.

6pm on a Friday is not the time to have having these thoughts. Put laptop away.... drink gin or something.

pfrench, they're doing that to all the curriculum. Effing knowledge organisers and trying to track knowledge in every subject smothering the fun. They forget a lot; the key is getting them to enjoy their learning imo.

You're right, I haven't taught a proper spag curriculum for a long time but seeing what my son is doing; it's crap.

No way! That's like having parents observing every one of your lessons. Can't think of anything worse.

We’ve had to get really strict about this that parents are banned from observing live lessons. Obviously we can’t stop them if they are out of shot but the school has successfully scared them into stopping complaining/interjecting so that’s something!

@Lostmyshityear9

My hod did suggest this morning that we should live stream our year 12 lessons once we're back at school with them

I am at a private school part of the week where we have been doing live lessons since Easter. We just record the lesson and post it in Teams along with any Powerpoints, Word files, links etc. and they then have access. I actually quite enjoy it - I don't use the video camera at all because I take issue with students effectively being in my home and the privacy of my own children (and I like not having to wear a bra!) - but I do just talk away and we have established a means of asking questions and doing answers etc using the chat facility and sometimes I unmute them all and we answer questions that way. I use PowerPoints as I would in class, a lot of kahoot and quizlet, can still play some games like bingo (there isn't any topic I can't make into some kind of bingo game!), sometimes I share my laptop and we look at other documents or I take them through something online. We have an online textbook so I have made worksheets based on that and they do some work with me then go to the text book and complete the worksheet. Work is better for some classes and some students than others but overall, I would say students are getting on with it. Progress is slower than in class, however. I wouldn't say no live streaming. I suspect sometimes there are parents in the background but I have not felt their presence in the way questions are either asked or answered and certainly there have been no complaints (our parents complain a lot, about anything and usually nothing) so it has ceased to be a worry.

I think they mean livestream the actual lesson from the school with actual kids present. Just stream it to those who can't come in.

lost I'm not actually against that sort of live lesson, in fact I'd quite like it at times (when my neighbours aren't being incredibly loud and sweary). But that wasn't quite what he was suggesting, he was suggesting that in the lessons where I am physically in front of the year 12s who come into school I should set up some sort of video link so the pupils who can't/have chosen not to come in would join in that same lesson at the same time. I don't think that would be practical. If there are kids in front of me I want to be able to concentrate on them and not be simultaneously trying to respond to the kids who are attempting to join in remotely. Especially when I haven't done any live lessons previously (we're only just getting started with Teams) so the IT side of things would take longer and detract from the physical lesson.

I have volunteered to trial live teaching with Teams if they can provide me with a headset (so pupils don't have to hear my loud and sweary neighbours or dh on a phone call etc). I would happily use the video camera as well, as I would point out at my exercise book with the examples in.

I just got an email from the NASUWT saying the R is high in the NW. They are going to make a decision over the weekend at what advice to give schools in the area re next week.
This will go down well. [puts on hard hat]

ihatecoronavirus I am expecting Lancs authority to delay by another week when they review Monday.
Let’s see , our children should have been back Monday but I am in next week with just keyworker / vulnerable. We have delayed a week.

*Whispers- THis is the hardest year group I've ever taught, so there has been a bit of a silver lining with this whole lockdown. Next year's lot are a lot easier to handle and you can do a lot more actual teaching as less active behaviour management is required. It's one of 'those' years that comes through every year as a bit of a nightmare challenge. AND I've taught them twice due to moving yeargroups. Idiot!

Day 3 with my new KS2 KW bubble today and a reliable child in it recounts to me how his family have ignored social distancing rules. What do I do now?

DrMadeleine my dd1 was in one of those years in her first school. By the time they were year 3 they'd made the decision to split the class and form 2 mixed age classes with the year below. We moved schools at the end of year 1 due to a job move (to my current school) and by the end of year 2 all the nice kids had moved schools as well but to other local schools. They went from having 30 in the year to only 18 the behaviour was that bad, and obviously the school had a very bad time trying to deal with them.

Squashedfly - can you report it up? I guess it could be construed as a safety issue for the rest of the group

My dd2 is in yr1 and in one of those years as well. Already 3 children have moved schools because if it and another going at the end of this year. Unfortunately one of the lads with behaviour issues is in dd's bubble and every day she is being pushed or hit. She was so looking forward to going back to school as well and it's only been a week and she's already hating it. I want to have a word but I know the school are doing their best.

@SquashedFlyBiscuits I would report it. My head said there was nothing we could do except socially distance from that child . But I thought she should be aware that the child was missing the 2nd day of school to have a play date instead. So frustrating.

The attitudes on the "no social distancing" thread is exactly why we have the 2nd highest death toll in the world.

@whynotme40 how sad for your dd. I hope things improve for her.

I will report it but I very much doubt anything will be done. It gives me the rage.

Thè no distance attitudes really worry me.

Very clear message from my child's head today that families known to have been mixing might see school places withdrawn. We didn't get a place, predictably.

Warning theres yet another thread talking about schools not giving enough work and how lazy teachers are.

Argh!

With partial re opening, staff are going to have to set the same thing in school for home too. So it's going to be very simple.

A stern letter to our parents was sent out pointing out that the primary curriculum was suspended. I think everyone appears to forget this.

I get it, we actually had our first outburst of tears yesterday. My son (7) won't do any writing really; he said through tears he misses chatting to his friends. I think he enjoys maths but the literacy at school was actually a social thing. So I'm backing off. Focusing on reading.

Found a great maths logic app he did really well at too!

Greater Manchester advising schools not to open tomorrow as r rate is too high!

Monday! Don't panic, I mean Monday!

Were they going to be?

Primaries have been taking in certain year groups since last week

Oh gosh.

I know we had the first person being sent home due to their partner self isolating this week and so needed a stand in.