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.

Primary whole class bubbles.

and

I can't see how much extra catch up input will work either.

That is what is worrying me about September. Those two things - they don't fit together very well. I was informed on another thread that I can easily teach SATPIN phonics and books like The Firework Maker's Daughter to a group of 7 and 8 year olds in one room on my own. "It can be done you know" .

Well, I don't want to do that - it's not in anyone's best interest. Mostly mine!! No, really - no child will have the best learning opportunities in that situation.

We are a department of four and one is part-time. Does that mean that one year group won't get our subjects? Do they mean for one teacher to stay with one year group?

I have just been thinking about whole year bubbles : how does that work for school transport then??

I doubt it tad.
It's bonkers.

And yet guidance to businesses came out the day after announcements made.

Michael Tidd's questions are good:

1. Will attendance return to being compulsory?

1. If we're working on bubbles, will 30 be a maximum, or will classes of 34 be okay? Or 36 as some schools have?

1. Will the restrictions apply in the same way outside (i.e. no mixing of groups/bubbles)?

1. What about sharing PE equipment like hockey sticks or tennis balls?

1. What about classroom equipment. Can bubbles share paint brushes across groups?

1. If we presume that bubbles are with their class teacher, will one PPA teacher be allowed to enter several bubbles?

1. Can peripatetic music lessons happen with children from several bubbles going to one music teacher?

1. Do we presume no inter-school matches?

1. Will swimming pools be open? Or will schools be relieved of their requirement to teach the swimming curriculum (and the ridiculous burden of reporting on percentages achieving the standards)?

10. Can a tutor teach pupils from different bubbles in a single group?

I'll just add that not all of these will be clear-cut, but a level of clarity is needed.

Tell us explicitly whether staff can move between bubbles, even if you also ask us to minimise it. Don't just use weasel words to leave a get-out for exceptions. We can cope with nuance!

More good ones:

Can the Ed Psych visit and do assessments of several children from different bubbles after she has been to another school in the morning?

Can we have RWI groups?

What about visiting sports provision? PE is taught by coaches.

Haha:

If PPA teachers and TAs can’t move between bubbles, then surely Ofsted can’t either?!

Surely the major stumbling block with the idea of secondary whole year bubbles is the staff!!

Our kids in at the moment are being made to hand sanitise upon arrival : has anyone's school invested in extra washbasins at all?

I imagine some kids with eczema might refuse.

Sensory issues too. Easy enough to avoid sticky activities for most (we spot an issue and work discreetly around it), but putting them in a position where they have to have something abhorrent to them squirted on their hands will be horrendous for some.
The hand soap we have at school is harsh as hell too and could exacerbate excema so much.

I know it’s a small number of children and I know hand washing is so important but I do worry about the effect on those who have it.

Presumably a whole year group bubble at sixth form would have to be Y12 and 13 because you can’t have an A-level teacher restricted to one year group as there wouldn’t be enough.

What would that mean for colleges?

It's hurting my head : what about unis??

People have stopped talking about 'other countries' (by which they usually mean Denmark, although increasingly France)

Does anyone know what Spain/Italy have planned for their return in September?

saucery I have flagged this up multiple times to my union reps..
I guess those with allergies and eczema have to 'suck it up' as that seems to be the answer to everything.

@Piggywaspushed

saucery I have flagged this up multiple times to my union reps.. I guess those with allergies and eczema have to 'suck it up' as that seems to be the answer to everything.

“Let’s all draw patterns in this shaving foam!” is the hill I would previously die on Bloody stuff stinks, dries skin out so much and some children absolutely hate it.

I don't think "year group bubbles" include staff. I think we're supposed to move amongst all of them?!

I work in a small school. Some depts are one teacher.

It can't be: only year 7 can have art lessons, only Yr 8 can have geography, only Yr 9 can have French???

Oh ahah Ohthe, I'd thought of that! Plus the little drop ins from the slt. Deep dives etc....

I've just seen a post on fb by someone who developed tonnes of fabulous free teaching materials all around black history, science and the arts. It was under Labour and apparently all on the strategies website. Which was then all shelved obviously.

She's pointed out obviously everyone now needs it/ wants it, and to get in touch...

Fucking tories. All their crap has caused so much extra crap.

So why the hell not whole year bubbles for primary? Then interventions could happen?

I thought they were all going on about less risk for under 10s?

If a whole year in secondary is 400+

Mind you, the local middle school has silly numbers in their years.

I don't think "year group bubbles" include staff. I think we're supposed to move amongst all of them?!

But if I as a ppa teacher teach 4 different classes over two year groups in one day and then test positive, that's 4 classes in quarantine for 2 weeks. Plus teachers. More if they count any of the other days I'm in.

I could close half the school.

Some of this comes back to how our education system is structured here.

Massive class sizes for example.

Not such an issue in countries with 15-20 in a class.

Can we have RWI groups?

That would be a no for us.

Unless we bubble much more children together. We are sen so could; but are we at more of a risk due to hygiene?

Neuro - probably because secondary just cannot function without a whole year group being a bubble.

I'm guessing staff will not count as part of the bubble for isolation purposes, otherwise the whole school would have to close.

It'll be, well staff should have stayed 2m away from any kids so they won't be infected.

Did anyone see the TES article on private schools using marquees?

Or the government guidance saying avoid loud conversations as it increases risk!

www.chemist-4-u.com/dermol-500-emollient-moisturiser-lotion-500-milliliter-with-pump-action

This is what we’re using at work. I’d recommend investing in some before it sells out.
Even if you don’t have eczema hand cream of some sort is going to be essential.

I went in to the key worker bubble yesterday - two teachers working right next to children - I mean, leaning over them to share a laptop screen. Staying 2m away from primary kids is impossible.

Can you tell it's another report writing day... I'm posting all over the place.

Oh, a kid in my class was in the park with the stabbing on Saturday. Poor wee beast. He's OK, but apparently a bit traumatised. Unsurprisingly.