The Twelfth Republic - push and glide to the summer break

[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
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-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
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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

So, under 11s exempt from mask-wearing. Everyone out on the High Street and in Tesco is to be protected, but not us Primary staff.

Fucking great.

Means we can wear them if we want though, surely.

Sure, yes. But that protects them, not us. They can continue to cough and sneeze in our direction as much as ever.

@CallmeAngelina

Not as much as the shit they'd lose if invited in to view the school loos mid-way through the average day.

True. But the whole thing is nonsensical. Because I bet it’s the same posters that don’t want masks in schools that will be complaining about quarantine when someone in a bubble gets it.

You’d think the idea that the more precautions you take to stop the spread in schools the less likely your child’s learning is to be disrupted next year would be obvious.

Another day I’d being awake since 3am with the catastrophising about Sept. Still it’s meant I have been able to mark a set of essay - just got to get though a full teaching day 😬

I had an email from my union rep after I had communicated my concerns about the 20 minute break. She too has said she has spotted this (we were not told we would have a 20 minute break, it was implied through providing us with our new timetables and stayed duties). She said she would raise these concerns but as it’s legal she doubts nothing will change. DH, ever the pragmatist, told to not rush, go to the toilet I’d I need to, eat if I need to and I’d it’s flagged to make it known I’m doing it for my own health. Easier said than done though!

The news of mandatory face masks for over 11s in shops is interesting. DH took DS to her his hair cut and DH has to wear a mask, the barber had a visor and both were made to hand wash. The barber is now implementing an appointment system of 20 minutes so only the customer is in the shop and so prices have increased. I fully support this so why can’t we be afforded to the same protection? DS is 6. It takes 10 mins tops to cut his hair yet there was all that protection.

It will be interesting to see if mask wearing for schools just gets ignored.

Well, isn't it interesting how they are bringing it in during school holidays?

I guess the key difference with hairdressers is it's their business ; They los custom if they don't appear safe, and they can spend money how they choose. School are in a pickle because they must be one of the few sectors who have been instructed not to spend money on sourcing additional PPE, or on extra premises.

I know it is evil but I do hope the 12 hour family gathering over the fence form me at the weekend results in at least 14 of them learning a lesson. Sorry not sorry.

@Piggywaspushed I have often made those comments to DH but then he pipes back that they would probably be symptomless and it’s others who they meet who become ill 🙄

I have noticed my neighbour has set up a bouncy castle for today and erecting a marquee. I have 5 live lessons. Should be fun to content with that ...

I would rather see more cleaning staff in a primary school (I know how different secondaries are in terms of overcrowding etc) than masks on the children, personally. It’s going to be another vector for infection staff will have to clear up.
Our risk assessment says increased cleaning of toilets, door plates etc but I have not seen any of that. But on paper......yeah, we are so very clean
I mean, ideally I’d like a classroom where everyone sat nicely with a correctly-fitting mask on but that just ain’t gonna happen.

I think unions need to go nuts on masks in secondary school. Visors and screens for teachers if appropriate.

Ferk knows where we stand in primary - small children can't wear masks all day, so that's not an option. And they won't get the outdoor breaks without masks, because there is so little break time available once everyone is factored in on a staggered system. Think teachers should have the option of whatever they want to wear though.

Realistically, the only way this can be done safely is with smaller classes and tight bubbles. But that's not going to happen because we can't do blended learning and look after the economy, and we don't have any chance/time to get facilities up and running.

And, yet, they do in other countries saucer. I just don't understand what makes the British and the Americans so very different that we don't believe our children (or adults!) will comply?

To be fair, in the Nordic countries they also don't have masks, but they also have juts about zero infection rates (except Sweden , of course, where they actually can wear masks, and do in some schools)

It just always feels like the British government (or, more accurately the bit that governs England) is scared of appearing too authoritarian.

Yes, that’s true, piggy. I suppose I am thinking of the parents who go off on one if you ask their child to wear a coat or some such draconian and unreasonable request x 1000. If parents don’t see a need to wear one then they are going to want to make a point about their child not wearing one.

@piggywaspushed - I commented to dh on this coming in as schools closed, but also it's as they release the shielded from their homes too.

From the beginning of August there is no requirement to shield at home anymore, which means a lot of the support put in place for the vulnerable will be withdrawn. My in-laws have already been told they now need to get their own prescriptions instead of having the pharmacy deliver them - something they only introduced because of COVID. The supermarkets will likely follow suit and remove the marker for vulnerable person which allows them priority online shopping - Ocado have recently emailed us to say we can now use online again (we were very sporadic before so weren't able to log in to book a delivery with them).

To me, introducing mandatory face coverings now is because the government plans on life being as pre COVID with regards to distancing and other requirements. Putting the onus back onto us as individuals.

Ooh, I'm glad about Ocado - means I can start my Brexit stockpile without having to lug it all around myself.

We've not been able to get a delivery of anything from any supermarket at all since February. We have milk delivered from Milk and More, so added bread and eggs to that, but we've only been able to have that since June (even though he delivered to EVERY OTHER HOUSE IN THE STREET. Easier to deliver to us than not!

Yes, also all of that is true.

My summer holidays have started but I am converting stuff to allow for online delivery in the autumn - sensible prepping! Basically homework type stuff and assessment quizzes.

Yep - I'm going to do a 2 week basic writing/history unit over the summer too. Allegedly we have to keep up with normal maths coverage as they are doing in school if our bubble goes off, but not sure how that's possible if it's us with C19. I've also been told NOT to prepare a writing unit by the English lead. I know she'll snap my hand off for it when/if it's needed, so ignoring her.

@minisoksmakehardwork can you get them signed up with an online pharmacy so their prescriptions still get delivered. A friend has done that and it doesn't cost any extra

@FrippEnos

It will be interesting to see if mask wearing for schools just gets ignored.

There is nothing about it in the NEU twitter page. I really thought they’d have something to say about it?

I've just been informed that afterschool club will only be starting at normal 3pm, but children will be finishing school from 2.30 - so can I just sort out childcare by an LSA for them across my phase.

So that means LSAs, the lowest paid, are going to be bubbling all over the bloody place.

We did suggest this but they are reluctant. Our pharmacy does redi-repeat so once we get a physical prescription, we can sign them up and the pharmacy request the repeat automatically every month - similar to online delivery. We just have to collect it.

My DD’s primary isn’t running after school club, and where she used to finish at 3:30 (I finish at 3:00 so could get her at a push) she now finishes at 3:10 and no chance.

We were hoping to avoid her grandma having to pick up, I’m not sure we can manage otherwise now.

Tbh i think that might be the case here too 30min early let out for reception.

Surely if outside is generally ok different bubbles will be ok to be out at the same time aslong as they dont play together. Or as you are saying it ends up worse off as they are stuck inside more.