The Tenth Republic - what is the new normal?

[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

If you come with a stick to beat us with then please do so elsewhere and not in the staffroom.

I've tried Neuro! My doctor has also written it on my medical certificate that I need reduced stress and workload which could be achieved by letting me teach my specialism.

I've told them I have A'levels in English and that my first at uni I did Linguistics as well as Anthropology (but it was piss easy and I got bored because I'd had an ace tutor for A'level English Language and it was looking like the first two years would be catching up to where I'd been taught to). I've told them I've taught all humanities at ks3 and RE at all levels including A'level. I've told them I'm a qualified counsellor and that I've previously led Equality and Diversity in an FE college.

They don't give a shit. They just want someone to lump 2 days worth of Science on. I can't get onto UPS because I 'lack subject knowledge at the depth required', I'm not developing any transferable skills because no sane school would employ a non specialist science teacher and I'm creating years of none of my specialist subject on my cv. They don't give a fuck.

I'm happy to compare episiotemies if you want? lol

I also missed the briefing due to my feral children.
I'm not surprised at the mention of class size bubbles though - it is what I've been expecting. I wouldn't be surprised if KS3 have (theory only for practical subjects) form room lessons with form group bubbles and teachers moving to their room.
Ks4 I think will be blended learning.
Wraparound care for primary - I wonder if primary teachers or TAs will be asked to extend classroom bubble cover providing limited wrap around care - maybe outside or wet play type activities with snack provided by home. Siblings could be put in the same classroom bubble where possible so fewer are needed. I know there's lot wrong with it, and would need to have volunteers with extra pay, but it is a work around.

whynot I'm having nightmares at the idea of being the teacher that goes into a ks3 form group who've been stuck sat in the same room for last lesson. It would be like Friday last lesson with the worst group you can remember having every single lesson, every single day.

I don't know if it's my school, or my area but our year 7 cohorts have been more and more off the wall and needy and... intense each year for the last few years. I can't imagine them coping with that.

Thanks Honey. You are correct. I shouldn't let it get to me.

It's just the proverbial straw really.

I'm normally planned a week ahead but at the moment I can't plan for the next day until the evening because the timetable for the day depends on which staff turn up.

I normally only teach ks4/5 so ks3 keyworkers are out of my usual age range and I don't have pre-made lessons to fall back on.

The keyworker days are set up so we don't speak to any other adults.

Our keyworker kids are fed up being in when their mates are at home x-boxing so behaviour/motivation levels are challenging.

Home is also a bit of a shitshow at the moment, for a multitude of reasons.

Exercise is normally the way I keep sane but it's not something I can do under the current restrictions.

It's just one giant shit sandwich and there's no end in sight.

Yes our classes have got increasingly needy as well over the past few years. We've even had permanent exclusions in year 7! I don't know why - the catchment has pretty low aspirations culturally, and there are increasing amounts of estates being built without extra facilities.
I just know I'm going to be KS3 based.

Can you get out for a walk Bea? Can you get to a green space and sit down on the floor and do whatever your version of meditation is for half an hour? Even a nice bath if water works for you.

It's all manmade and fabricated - the world isn't really coming to an end and all of this will pass - including what's going on at home.

Another few weeks and works over for the summer. If there's no reasonable way to plan then we can't plan - no matter how contrary that is to our usual approach. We have to somehow find the mental wellbeing and groundedness to be able to flow and let go out of our perfectionism and high standards. It's not your fault - it's how it is - it's so twee sounding but let go.

@WhyNotMe40

Yes our classes have got increasingly needy as well over the past few years. We've even had permanent exclusions in year 7! I don't know why - the catchment has pretty low aspirations culturally, and there are increasing amounts of estates being built without extra facilities. I just know I'm going to be KS3 based.

Yes! Kids in year 7 excluded, kids on report within a few weeks of starting. It's been crazy.

You can't escape the fact that as society goes to shit schools go with them. Maybe 10 years of tory rule and trashing of public services, ss etc is now arriving in secondary schools. Like the delayed effect - perhaps primary schools felt it earlier.

we don’t mix with other classes

Lovely. I have a mixed aged group class of children with abilities from reception to year 4. I have no TA. We planned to stream in our phase to cover phonics etc. This just means that loads of kids are going to miss out.

I wish I could resign.

I'm walking quite a bit honey, but even though it's good I never find it as zen inducing as 'proper' exercise.

I think a w/e of no work, a very long walk and absolutely no social media might help, so I'll try that

AND, in my phase I've got about 8 known runners, one licker/spitter/biter whose 1-1 TA is BAME, all my support staff are BAME, one of my teachers is an over 50s overweight Indian man with asthma.

Bringing them all into groups of 30, with those children, actually makes me feel quite sick.

We're very lucky - our 7 is improving year on year as we improve as a school and are becoming one people choose to send their children to, rather than have to.

@Beawillalwaysbetopdog

I'm walking quite a bit honey, but even though it's good I never find it as zen inducing as 'proper' exercise.

I think a w/e of no work, a very long walk and absolutely no social media might help, so I'll try that

I think no social media is a really good idea. Too much coming at you and swirling around. Have a break.

goats one of my teachers is an over 50s overweight Indian man with asthma. - sorry but that did make me laugh - that's winning the sweepstake on covid risk factors

Ha, I know! Bless. To be fair, he's coming in over the next couple of weeks to help me run some socially distanced Teams training. Mostly so he can learn how to use it. His wife's a pharmacist, she'd probably more of a risk than we are.

@noblegiraffe

You’re doing UCAS references already? Bloody hell we don’t write those till Oct/Nov. What’s the point in doing them now? We don’t touch references until the kids have finished their personal statements.

I know. Bugger knows why we're doing them. We used to write them in October til a couple of years ago. I suspect the head of 6th form we've now got is just keen/anxious.

Sorry...just read the whole rest of the thread.

I couldn't bear to watch our Gav. It's all bollocks anyway, so I've stopped listening. It just gives me the rage.

Sitting quite chilled with my youngest after a couple of days without Mumsnet. The break has done me good. I have thought for ages that Boris would just say all back in September, because he thinks that would be popular. Going to pour myself another beer and enjoy the long summer evening.

Am i the last person to spot that the year 7 catch up grant has ended and this new scheme replaces it.

Can I sit in here please? I’ve avoided MN and social media since pretty much lockdown began (deleted FB/news once a day/only go on S&B boards). Ventured in today and cannot believe the bile being spouted at teachers. I’ve been teaching for 14 years and have never worked as hard as I have in the last few months, but apparently I need to pay back my wages or work over the summer as I owe money to the taxpayer.
I did have to bite on a thread in Education where they were moaning about disadvantaged children getting tuition .

@Grasspigeons

Am i the last person to spot that the year 7 catch up grant has ended and this new scheme replaces it.

A friend pointed that out on fb earlier

So, they want us (from the webinar today) to change the language we use around covid in school.

Instead of --- use
Lockdown --- current restrictions
Social distancing --- safe relating
New Normal --- protection phase
Self isolating --- contact pause.

@DrMadelineMaxwell that's interesting, where do you think it's come from?

My first thought was "What a load of...." but looking at those words again I can see the logic. We do need to find a new normal protection phase vocabulary.

The CEO of Inspiration Trust is already getting excite don Twitter about summer school, Saturday school an dafter school catch up, and the reduction of social distancing.

It is like some MAT CEOs wet dream, it seems.

Can I just have a rant? Feel free to skip/ignore..

So once again we seem to have politicians making it up as they go - I find it bit surprising but horrifying that apple have called out that the government were working with them. Every fool knew the centralised model was a no goer - not least because who is going to trust trust this government who has monumentally fucked it all up (see our excess death rate), and has a track record of misleading (emails went to junk mail?), and the alleged misuse of personal data for the Brexit campaign.
It's obvious they didn't ask people who actually know what they are doing - too busy throwing the money to do stuff at the usual companies and people regardless of their track record.
Why can't they work with the people who actually know how to do things? Like schools, they should be actually working with real life headteachers and unions to find out what will work in the real world - not some ivory tower super earner of a multi academy trust who has probably not even set foot in a classroom except for photo publicity opportunities!

I'm so tempted to hit the alcohol tonight.i have absolutely no confidence in the government to even tell us anything straight. It's all going to be a mess. If it wasn't for my colleagues and students, I would just walk away now and go be a Tesco delivery driver or something.

Oooo....according to a new thread, teachers are only 'nice' if they don't want or believe in social distancing and want all 30 kids back to normal asap.

I caved. :(

Pandemic vocabulary change thing came from the Impact Education Wales people.