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.

If teachers aren’t part of a bubble purely because a single teacher could close the whole school then shouldn’t teachers be wearing PPE to protect those who are in bubbles?

A year group bubble in college would be grossly unfair because the workload difference between upper and lower sixth is massive for staff (in my subject at least)! Upper sixth classes are smaller, need less teacher input as they’re more used to the way we work, are usually doing coursework so more relaxed lessons and of course finish way earlier in the year. And also we don’t have enough staff to do it. Plus we have level 2 classes who don’t fit into any year group.

On a lighter note, I just had a department meeting on Zoom. My computer was freaking out and so I couldn’t see my video or anyone else’s, just hear everyone. At the end my colleague sent me a screenshot where due to the way my hair is falling over the straps of my dress, and the poor video quality, it totally looks like I was topless and in my bedroom to boot! Great..!

I had a great Teams meeting where the school cleaner was standing behind the Head's desk faffing with something. She had a black leather bag over her shoulder, which had studs and tassles on it. She had a vest top on, but you couldn't really see that. From the angle it looked as if she was wearing some sort of proper S&M style bustier/corset thing.

Unfortunately, due to inability to not shout whatever comes into my head, I yelled "Why is Mrs O wearing S&M gear? What are you guys getting up to in school?" Some of my SLT do not have a sense of humour. Oh well.

Are you me goats? That's exactly the sort of comment I'd make before realising who I'm speaking to!

Well my HoD did say "next time, Gravity, put some clothes on!" so it was taken in a light-hearted way, but still! I really hate video calls anyway and this hasn't helped. And has cemented that I NEVER want to do a live lesson if I can help it (not least because clearly my laptop isn't up to it).

Year group bubbles? So will there be a staggered change over of lessons? Staggered lunch?

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

ASTRID, OFF THE TABLE, STOP SPITTING AND COMPLETE YOUR MINDFUL COLOURING NOW!

Lunch in classes still? Jesus, the gravy...

If teachers aren’t part of a bubble purely because a single teacher could close the whole school then shouldn’t teachers be wearing PPE to protect those who are in bubbles?

Yes, no ppe for teachers though...

@RigaBalsam I know the questions are many: transport even if just walking; corridors; breaks; lunch.

And as for out of school.... my Y10 DC says she's seen 3 groups of her peers having lovely, un-SD get-togethers in the sun yesterday, on social media (ie she's seen them because they've posted pics). Some of them are seeing each other in school, but of course many won't be in the same bubble.

Oh yes that looks great Rafals. Might get some. Pure lanolin works amazingly well too, put in at night. (Breastfeeding nipple cream.) when they start getting stingy. (Hands I mean. Was great on knuckles when we were all still at work.)

God when you think it all through, all I see is a great big second wave...

That's exactly the sort of comment I'd make before realising who I'm speaking to!

Even better - our IT help desk phoned me at home to go through visualiser issues. He had remote control over my latop - before he took over, I said "haha, better close all the porn". He didn't laugh.

Then he opened up Teams to see a sideline conversation I'd had with another colleague who was sat with Mrs O during a meeting - I'd written "So, Mrs O not got her S&M kit on today then?"

Typical.

all I see is a great big second wave

It'll be OK until half term I think. I'm going to assume that we'll be expected to go back in September as 'normal' with hand washing. They might make some concession on visors for teachers or something. Then they'll wait and see.

By that point everyone will have just let things slide in other workplaces/social stuff, and it will be moving indoors. At that point we'll properly 'see' what this virus is up to. And we'll be glad of Oak National.

Let's hope not too many teachers die eh?

A parent emailed me at 10.15 last night to apologise for her DS not handing work in.

She said she would talk to him 'when he got in'...

Sigh.

ASTRID, OFF THE TABLE, STOP SPITTING AND COMPLETE YOUR MINDFUL COLOURING NOW!

Oh god that was me last week with DD. Not the spitting, thankfully. I picked the bloody colouring because I thought it would be a nice easy afternoon activity.

Allergy police here : do NOT use lanolin on people you don't know, or yourself, unless you know you are not allergic to it! Thereby, making problem worse...

Mine is MOHAMMED, STOP SHOVING PENCILS INTO THE HEATER. or MOHAMMED, STOP CHEWING PENCIL SHARPENINGS AND SPITTING THEM ON OLIVIA.

(Mohammed is lush, I've chosen to have him again next year)

Reception baseline assessments postponed to 2021.

Not cancelled entirely though.

Why do the DfE do this thing of insisting things are happening until they’re not, instead of saying it’s under discussion? Like the free school meals thing.

To be clear, the introduction postponed to sept 2021.

Which means that incoming reception will do Y2 SATs instead.

I’m baffled. A year group is too big to be considered a bubble anyway but even so how do you buffer them from everyone else? Will they be taught in different blocks, come on different buses, use different entrances and corridors?

Maybe we should bubble them by gender like the old days : boys' playground; girls' entrance ; boys do DT and girls do typing.

Simple.

Our sixth form is screwed because we minibus kids between different schools in the MAT for niche subjects.

Where did this news come from about whole year bubbles please? I’ve been news avoidant for a few days