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

Piggy, I think I meant SAHP; I think there's a much bigger emphasis on fathers also taking parental leave and reducing hours?

Toby Young has kicked off some venom on Twitter but that in itself speaks volumes.

the Nightingale Hospital /school thing is interesting :

firstly, if schools they need another name (Gradgrind School ?!)
Where is the Army to help us build them and equip them?
Where is the extra schools?

Sorry, last one meant to say money!?

But also, where are the extra buildings to renovate/ repurpose?

What about, every child given a laptop. Empty offices kitted out into bubble areas. Children are supervised doing work on their laptops by TAs/anyone who fancies being a childcare person. Teachers set work elsewhere.

There, that's some good childcare.

In the afternoons, sports coaches do distanced sports in all the gyms and leisure centres that aren't opening.

Simples.

pfrench I’ve thought that would be a reasonable medium term plan all along

All of this chat about Germany, Denmark etc does rather make one see how much better education is for children in many other countries.

I quite fancy a school day finishing at 1 pm and class sizes of 20 max!

Interesting that in Germany , whilst they don't begin schooling unit aged 6 , there has been no cry for kindergartens to be the first thing to open.

But why will offices be empty p ?

BJ merrily union bashing at PMQ:

Johnson says last week Labour did not want pupils back. Now it does. He says some other schools have sent no pupils back. The government has a plan, he says. He claims 97% of schools submitted data are seeing pupils coming back. He blamed Labour’s leftwing union “friends”.

Apparently , he keeps saying the government 'has a plan' in response to every question.

Agree. I went in to chat to my HT last week, feeling very despondent and hated (didn't mention MN of course) and she was surprised. Said our parents are nearly all fine and giving lovely feedback and managing well. Even those struggling are asking for support and being appreciative, ie not blaming us and holding us responsible for the shitty positions they're in.

Because even though they say they want to get back to work, they aren't talking about actually being AT work, they will be working at home. Loads of offices are going to be empty over the next 6 months.

I really don't get why summer camps can't carry on as 'normal' - easy to split into bubbles of 15, lots of them are outside anyway.

All of this chat about Germany, Denmark etc does rather make one see how much better education is for children in many other countries.

Yes! And a so much better societal opinion of education and teachers.

And for those of you who like words this was his attempt to appear cleverer than Keir today :

tergiversations

Now they want furloughed workers, no matter what they do, to be helping out in schools in Sept. As if it's just teachers we are short of, not space to put hundreds of pupils!

That's a hell of a lot of DBS checks to be done.

Idiots

she was surprised

Yep, my partner said that no one outside of education is really mentioning education or schools (even those who have children not going back this academic year), it's just accepted that this is the way it is.

As always though, I have that 'one' parent in mind...

I looked at a link that someone put up to 'really great home learning provision' stuff on one of the threads last night. Direct link to a school. I checked it out to see what they were doing - they'd basically paid for everything they could get their hands on and linked to the bits to do. It wasn't Education City, but basically that. Bits were individualised, children worked at own pace. But they ALL had to have a device to work on.

So, school needs money, parents need money.

Do you think people think we joke about the lack of glue sticks?

Who is They?

I've just been told we are re-opening for yrs 2,3,4 and 5 from June 22nd.

Using empty offices potentially works in cities but would be a problem in market towns/more rural areas.

But we definitely need to look at repurposing other spaces, and figuring out how to have enough space to bring children back safely. But that will probably cost money, and the government doesn't seem willing to accept that reopening schools fully with social distancing will probably cost more.

In the few schools I am involved with the overall feedback is one of support. Our parents seem to understand that it will be a mix of online and in school - not great but they are not storming the gates with pitchforks and calling for a union ban.

I get some families need dual income to survive but for many dual income is to fund a lot of life’s finer things. Lots of people are going to have to adjust spending habits and use budgets. (Something I get a number haven’t had to do before)

The gravy train has stopped and we have lots of passengers not wanting to get off.

The children.

If you're talking about my "But they ALL had to have a device to work on."

I've just been told we are re-opening for yrs 2,3,4 and 5 from June 22nd.

On what basis?

Do you think people think we joke about the lack of glue sticks?

Yes I think they do. I don’t think they can comprehend not having enough books for 1 between 2 or jealously guarded photocopying codes. It’s like wilful denial of what a shit state our skills are in.

All well and good saying use furloughed workers but some of them would run a mile from childcare and some you would definitely not want for childcare.

I certainly would not want ‘volunteers’ to organise. Lots will be great but others will be a pain in the arse because they went to school and so know the ropes

What's a tergiversations piggy?

That should have read schools not skills

Last day for being put on furlough is today.

So I guess from now on it will be redundancies or changes to contract hours etc.