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

PS, it helps if you say “Fuck off, Colin Robinson” in Nandor’s voice.

Ofsted will carry out visits to schools in the autumn term to discuss how they are supporting the return to education for their pupils

Oh, and FUCK OFF.

I got an email from AQA today that said NEAs were not needed for autumn exam and not to both with things like Geog field trips.

Personally, I doubt there will be trips in the autumn term and probably not in the spring term either

All teachers and other staff can operate across different classes and year groups in order to facilitate the delivery of the school timetable.

Erm...

You what now?!

Is that ppa staff?

Including CV and ECV ppa staff?

Thanks @noblegiraffe. It's all kicked off a bit since I asked that

Geog and history are the only tow subjects (oh and Ancient History, done by SO many) that seem to have had content culled.

I am sure that's great for them! (although not so much Geog?)

Gravity are you on Eduqas Facebook? they are hopping!!

I am not posting on any school threads except this one.

Art exam cancelled, so that's 40%?

I'm not an art secondary teacher, but did do it. I've never been sure of the benefit or purpose of the art exam (or is it now written?)

Yeah, it is literally completely school as normal for secondary. You can't have staggered start and finish times in secondary school because transport. You can't have staggered lesson changeover because teachers. You can't have social distancing because corridors (and teenagers). You can't have extra handwashing because sinks (about 5 per 1000 kids in secondary).

Those guidelines want everything back as completely normal-ready for statutory tests next year, but with additional hygiene, staggered breaks and entry/exit times and lots of ‘catching up’...but with no additional funding and nothing else can ‘give‘ in order for this to happen.

Though maybe we can shorten their breaks and lunches to give us a bit more time.

Except we will somehow have to timetable the whole school to move from lesson to lesson and for different breaks and lunches so that year groups/classes don’t mix PLUS clean everything between uses?!

How does that work? Each class gets 10 minutes to eat in, then back to lessons?!

No, it's 10 hours over 2 days, plus months of prep. It said portfolio only for art, which is currently 60%.

@Danglingmod

Yeah, it is literally completely school as normal for secondary. You can't have staggered start and finish times in secondary school because transport. You can't have staggered lesson changeover because teachers. You can't have social distancing because corridors (and teenagers). You can't have extra handwashing because sinks (about 5 per 1000 kids in secondary).

And you can’t have masks because money. I mean teaching and learning.

The thing is; we know from prior experience that they set the bar as high as they'd ideally like. That's plan a.

Schools meet halfway, as it's impossible to fulfil. Plan b.

Then a plan c which is roughly now.

Plan d which was what happened during lockdown.

If all schools came up with a model for each level, we could attempt where they and the LA believe is safest.

The thing is, we have to get this right or we are back to square one.

Did anyone clock the line about the Olympics in the guidance!

The guidance would have been better if it just said we are going to open schools as normal. At least that way there is no ridiculous pretense of it being covid secure. It would also save a lot of planning to try and make the impossible work. Added bonus the 3-4 weeks in September before the inevitable school closures would consist of proper teaching where you can support kids

Ah OK, and art.

It feels a lot like Starmer has allowed himself to be sucked into a who wants schools open most/cares least about teachers squabble.

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/02/paramedic-working-nhs-test-trace-yet-make-call

So fed up of them going to lovely, open, airy, sparkly clean schools on the news with extra washbasins.

Or possibly, I am just annoyed I don't work in one!

I want to know who this 'Us' is because they aren't the ones doing the sacrificing, frankly. 'You for Them' would be more accurate or'Them for Mine'.

Well, quite. I saw one “I’m fine with it” comment today and I thought, yes, you would be, it doesn’t actually affect you. That’s like me being fine with people working in illegal sweatshops or cutting corners building skyscrapers abroad. Fine by me!

Who mentioned the Colin Robinsons? That’s great, I’ll definitely be thinking of that from now on.

And I was on the Eduqas Film FB page this morning - posted a comment and within about two minutes my colleague WhatsApped me saying “ooh look at you getting all annoyed on the Film page” - luckily a good colleague and nothing I wouldn’t rant about to his face.

I think the consultation is really important for film as it is quite a small subject all comments will count. (in theory...)