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
-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

Ah, OK, there is a similar one running with schools in the title.

Oh yeah I saw that one. I couldn't give a toss about pubs, never go. We've been able to get takeaways from our favourite restaurants, and have managed to save so much money from not going out for 3 months that we're looking at a holiday for the summer.

It would be so much easier if schools were back, but I don't trust them on cases linked to schools.

To be honest I just want to be able to go to my gasp second home, like some sort of entitled twat. I miss it so much. All the Tory friends are doing it, yet I feel bad for doing it. Rachel Johnson has been going back and forth between Somerset and London, staying at both, Cummings.. well, we know what was going on there. I bet people like the Beckhams and the Royals are going between residences. One rule for the properly rich.

TBH , I have always thought it a really miserable idea to have schools and workplaces open with no leisure facilities. It's very utilitarian.

Go to work. Go to school. Do your jobs. Go home. Do not pass go. Rinse and repeat.

Why can't lidos be open? Could paint those circles on the grass like they did in the States, 2m apart. Then there is basically bleach everywhere.

pink - how old are the DC? Do they have to work or can they sack it off? My eldest was heading for a work related full-blown mental health crisis so he's chilling and we'll deal with the fallout later.

Yes, I sacked off all learning pretty much after 4 weeks.

She's REALLY good at Minecraft and Donut County. It's problem solving.

pink - how about Warhammer or similar?

It's dt (assembling them), art (painting them) literacy (the rules are a million pages long) and numeracy (lots of dice) all at once, problem solved :)

or one of those build your own game things - mine used one when they were little, the results were hilarious!

I want to go to the beach. But even though I'm in.the right country, I'm further than 5 miles away.

What I don't get (and this might not be the same in every county, but it is in ours)...

Key worker pupils get first places in the hub if they make the criteria.
But then the days they are offered exceed the length of the school day and are effectively given wraparound care for free when they would have had to have paid for it under normal circumstances. And they've been able to access free holiday childcare too. And they get a free packed lunch daily.

They are to be considered first, including the free wraparound care, when we reopen to all year groups in 2 and a half weeks time, but we aren't allowed to offer paid after or before school care for those who need it and normally pay, and it looks like summer holiday care will be covered too - for free.

The wraparound and holiday care is a big part of many of our TA's wages through the year and although the govt are saying teachers (in Wales) won't be expected to man the hubs, there's no mention of where the money is coming from to fund the cover. If it can be given to the TAs who normally work those hours, then great. But I don't really get why their lunches have been free and the additional hours and holiday cover are free either when they are costs that would ordinarily have been incurred.

I suppose some people's regular wrap around care is grandparents or other family dropping off and picking up, maybe child going home with one of their friends a couple of days a week - none of that is possible at the moment. I know our after school club has been able to furlough the staff so at least they are getting some money

Got our first Exclusion for not social distancing (over the weekend) thread up.

Coronavirus: Plan dropped for all primary pupils back in school www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52969679

No surprise. I have to say, I struggled with a weird mix of emotions yesterday. My son's school has done this anyway, mainly as there's so many KW families and I think as it's a first school. We live near the school and it was odd seeing some of his friend's parents lining up to collect them. He saw them and I had to explain; he's amazing and understands but I did feel bad for him. At the same time, I know we have less need and I know we are doing ok.

It's caused division among parents though, to warn anyone who's school may do more picking and choosing.

Jesus it's just a wall of school questions on the C board.

That's a good point DRM.

What I feel may happen though is lots of money being offered to pay TAs extra for going in in the holidays? Certainly we had a child who needed 1:1 at half term and it was funded from elsewhere.

Pink, how are you this morning? I'm fairly sure your school should accommodate you for KW?

If anyone wants a good logic app, Zoombinis is finally on as an app. We did it on my pgce, I love it and ds does now too! At it's highest level it's really hard.

@NeurotrashWarrior

Jesus it's just a wall of school questions on the C board.

Isn’t it just?! The same posters over and over who have convinced themselves that teachers are the sole cause of their misery and that they know everything that we do. Funny how they all have the time to post every minute of every day, eh!?

@FrippEnos

Got our first Exclusion for not social distancing (over the weekend) thread up.

Lots of people claiming school has no right to turn away as we can all go galivanting like cummings and vulnerable people shouldn't be in.

@NeurotrashWarrior

If anyone wants a good logic app, Zoombinis is finally on as an app. We did it on my pgce, I love it and ds does now too! At it's highest level it's really hard.

Thanks for this! Currently I use on called ‘Luminosity’ which sounds similar and uses lots of verbal and non verbal reasoning that I try and get my 5 year old to do on the pretence it is just a game! Will also have a look at Zoombinis!

Morning!

Latest thing that will be our fault, despite it very much not being?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52969679

Oh whoops , sorry : seen neuro already posted it.

The thing about all these gazillions of school threads is that they are all started by the same people and posted on by the same people and they really think they are the voice of the majority. Any national, properly conducted survey shows they aren't.

The'tide has turned' one is a good case in point. Not sure why OP would start that : it's an invitation to union bash and has just got the same people gleefully posting pseudoscience, union bash, teacher bash, mental health sweeping statements etc.

Not sure how many of them just have an anti lockdown viewpoint anyway : they are always very cautious not to say that on the school threads but a couple definitely do.

It's like Brexit. As soon as it happened the supporters of it became more vocal and more smug on MN.

has NC? Amphibiously?

Can’t wait for the numerous threads about that today. Luckily I am in school so won’t be able to read them
Comes as no surprise as we delayed another week so not likely the original children will be in anytime before the end of June.
Have a good day everyone