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

Last of the Spirits by Chris Priestley is a good novel for UKS2/KS3 as a pre-read for A Christmas Carol. A sort of reworking of the story from the pov of two street kids.

There's a fairy orgy in peter pan

Keep.em.coming. He only did 2 harry potters then got bored. I'm not a potter fan though. Got brother in the land and z. 90s teen, so lots of those books. And Robert Cormier. And Louise Lawrence.

I loved the Tripods but think he might find them slow. Got lots of Wyndham here too. Hmm. Wonder why he's so into sci.fi and dystopia?

All we had at home at his age were readers digest hardback classics. Which is why i.ended up reading Jane Eyre so young.

Ya don't say...

Disruption to schools could continue to November, MPs told www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52895640

I don't like Harry Potter, I thought I was the only one!

My two girls like asterix - references to orgies in those as well. "Special grown up parties" I said hurriedly when I realised

What do the primary teachers think of children in bubbles who have behaviour problems and are pushing/shoving other pupils?

This just popped up about Wales all year groups back on 29th with no more than a third in each day.

Coronavirus: Schools to reopen in Wales on 29 June www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52895374

Yes, I saw that as breaking news but then the links says nothing new.

Don't get how the Welsh thing will work. Have to wait for madeline to appear but I don't think anyone expected that!

That BBC article is a concern about November. I do think truancy and poor attendance will be issues, as will term time holidays, judging by MN.

I think Anne Longfield often sounds very dismissive of children's resilience, though, talking about them spending months browsing Primark is a bit sneering.

I'm back on the 15th. Dh already back. Don't know how the fuck we're going to do this now. And kids lose a week of proper holidays but have to find childcare for October. God, I wish my kids we're older. I.could cry.

Strangely reading z for Zachariah and learning about HIV are stored in a blended memory in a grey mobile classroom

Off to read the bbc article

A teacher from my school did a live audio team's lessons today. I don't know how I feel about it as a teacher myself as I didn't realise we were expected to do it yet. I think its a choice. I only found out as it was for my dds year 7 class.

My dd didn't realise it had happened until afterwards. However she says she is not going to do the next one, she will look like a schooley, hardly anyone in her class did it, blah blah etc.

I look forward to the battle next week. Ugh!

Strangely reading z for Zachariah and learning about HIV are stored in a blended memory in a grey mobile classroom

I remember watching the film of that. Full frontal nudity. A girl in my class uncontrollably laughed for about 10 minutes.

She added that head teachers had told her they were kept awake at night by fears about some children never returning to school

Ha I can imagine head teachers fantasising about some pupils not returning. Those ones you’re not allowed to exclude but take up hours of chasing them round the school being screamed at to fuck off.

We’re not meant to talk about things like that though. We should be never ending fountains of compassion with no thought for our own safety or sanity.

It is going to be hard for pupils who've had bad experiences at school to go back.

It's also going to impact pupils form deprived backgrounds. I'm also get concerned about csa.

We / the govt are going to have to do some serious creative thinking about all this going forward. Museums etc aren't a bad idea but transport would be a potential issue.

Csa? Sorry I’m presuming you don’t mean the former child support agency?

See how much nicer you are than me! Maybe I am too bitter and “long in the tooth”

Child sexual abuse?

That's usually CSE (exploitation..)

I am reading on another thread that some schools are getting back years 5 and 4. Is this some kind of macho pissing contest by heads to make announcements to parents before government confirmation??

I remember that bit of Z for Zachariah in the film! So embarrassing to watch at school 🙈

Well I’m back in on the 15th, 16th, 22nd and 23rd - a quarter of the cohort at a time. They’ve got an hour block with every one of their teachers in the day so will be mixing classes - brought this up with the union and apparently it’s ok because there will only be about 4/5 students in each class? I really don’t understand this when it clearly says classes are not to mix but I’ve pursued it and got nowhere. Anyway I’m taking my classes in the biggest room we have so they’ll be miles away from me.

There’s also the issue that I have three y12 classes while other members of the department have none, or are shielding/live with someone shielding so I will be the only one in. No grudges against them - it’s the luck of the draw - but it’s fucking unfair and I’m grumpy.

Surprised to see that Wales have said they are opening to all year groups.
Our authority have said we aren’t opening next week but it will be reviewed Monday for opening the week after.

I was thinking that the more controlled atmosphere with smaller numbers might be better for those who have struggled with school previously. But yes, it is a worry that students have not had any "safe space away from home" for such a while.

To be honest, I ddn't buy the catching up academic progress thing because goal posts could be reset.

I do worry about school refusal, truancy, exploitation etc. But I don't think all (or even most) the responsibility for this is a school's.
I think we might even go back to the 70s in terms of those issues but witht he added pressure of a 21st century education system and a government that doesn't give a shit.

Schools in Wales are doing a third of pupils at a time.

Just spotted a week is being added on to the Welsh summer term too!!