The Eleventh Republic - countdown to summer holidays

[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 am sure TAs become TAs for a lot of reasons , but surely one is an interest in helping young people by working directly alongside them in a classroom? Not squinting at their work from 2m away,

How will any TA be able to do the most important aspect of their job?

Sure, I know , once upon a time in primary the TAs cleaned out paint pots and were more like the American 'Teacher's Assistant' but now they/ you are 'TeachING assistants' . I'd definitely be handing my notice in. But they may be relying on TAs not being able to afford to do that, and/or wanting term time/school hours jobs.

I assume sixth form will be a bubble?

We’ve got vertical tutoring and if it goes because of Covid then that will be one tiny positive from this.

Still have no idea how our cross MAT sixth form will work - multi school bubbles?

We have vertical tutoring in my new school. No idea if it will stay or go. Glad I am not SLT. Even vitriol in the Guardian this morning about how teachers are lazy and the unions are a disgrace. Feeling very downhearted. I think I should step away from the news and social media for a little while.

Wrap around is going to be a huge issue. The TAs that run ours have both handed their notice in, to add to the fun.

Snap-this is the case at my school as well! I can’t see any sort of wraparound happening until we can recruit replacements!

What is vertical tutoring in a secondary setting?

It’s not looking good for the supposed army of retired teachers and volunteers waiting to step up if the people currently in the job are abandoning ship.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-revealed-dfes-16-point-september-school-opening-plan

Vertical tutoring is when a few students from each year group (maybe 4) are in one tutor group, so you have from years 7-11 in one tutor group (and the 11s that leave are replaced with four new 7s). There are up and down sides, obviously.

Form groups have children from years 7-11 in them and are often attached to a house.

Where’s the vitriol in the Guardian? I found this article and it seems pretty supportive?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/30/boris-johnson-teaching-unions-closed-schools-teachers-children

I just can’t see how it’s legal on several levels. Safety at work obviously but also people have contracts that name what they’re employed to teach don’t they?

Try to stay 2m away but if not don’t spend more than 15 minutes 1m away. Because it takes 15 minutes to breath in enough virus to be infected? And they know surely how diffusion works is in an enclosed space? I cannot see that being sufficient protection for workers.

Unions better speak up loudly. If those are the rules they would be justified in strike action

Those little diagrams from research showing how it spread in a restaurant, office and bus demonstrate that in an enclosed space, it doesn’t matter if you’re 2m away because the air circulates.

Yes, we have cross-MAT sixth form lessons, too, Noble, all mini-bussed around the city.

Just remembered my dh project managed a pilot about 12 years ago in our city for really unpopular A level choices to be taught remotely to up to 11 schools at once. It didn't last because the technology wasn't up to it. Not much has changed

Ah OK. Thanks.

Is tutoring time just registers and having a adult to go to like it was 30 years ago? Or are some of the fluffier things taught then? Like PSHE type subjects?

A lot of the comments below that article noble . Perhaps I am feeling over sensitive today. New job in a different school and I feel a bit out of the loop.

In my last school we had a full programme for form time for the last 25 minutes of each day. Group reading, lots of PiXL edge type stuff. My form were great but I can imagine some found it hard going.

Another thought is how would the fines be enforceable without solid evidence that schools are safe. There were test cases against term time holidays and there will surely be parents willing to do the same over this. They can argue they can’t be legally mandated to send children into an unsafe environment.

Hell we can’t be mandated to work in an unsafe environment. If unions don’t act on this they’re finished. There’s absolutely no line if basic safety is ridden over

If that is the real guidance I find it 'interesting' that we can't have PPE as it hinders education. I'd argue not being able to go near the children is a bigger hindrance, how can I support them if I can't see what they have written? Also it puts lots of my soft behaviour management techniques out of the window - I'm sure I'm not the only one who stands next to the more challenging students whilst teaching as it helps them remember how they should behave. Anyway I can't get my room into rows (I've tried), the gas tap islands are in the way and I like my layout as all students can see the board. When I did rows(ish - wasn't proper rows), students complained that the heads of the students in front were in the way of the board.

Can’t have PPE because it hinders education is utter nonsense.

Can’t have PPE because they have nowhere near enough is more like it.

So many things that have happened have by necessity hindered education.

Teachers going off sick because of lack of PPE hinders education.

Name changed for this.

What do we think the unions will do about all this?

Half term was hideous here-having constant communication and meetings with staff, union reps and area reps trying to get my school to open safely.

I really don’t fancy that stress al over the summer again.

We don’t know this is the guidance that will be released, no doubt amendments will be made up to the wire.

The question needs to be asked that if PPE hinders education so much, how are other countries using it?

It’s surely an issue of money. If they mandate PPE they need to source and supply it.
I suspect that is also why no temperature checks.

None of the guidance is allowed to cost the government anything.

There will inevitably be some long term sick. People can’t voluntarily make themselves unemployed and receive benefits so people who feel they have to shield for their own health or that of a dependent can’t just quit unless they’re independently wealthy (don’t know any tas who are and unless married to a very good earner teachers too) and will have to be signed off instead and have to go through the multiple levels of absence management before they can be sacked on medical grounds.

That has massive impact on budgets and workload of those in school and morale.

I don’t blame those people as I’d be in the same boat if my health conditions made me extremely vulnerable.

I'm going for it today - no more voice overs on powerpoints, takes me fucking ages, the kids don't watch them, or don't really learn anything from them. I just recorded myself sitting in front of a whiteboard and talking. Dreadful hair roots, but never mind.

So much easier too - pick a key point, talk through it, end. 5 mins. Do the work in the workbook kids.