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
-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

The same thing happened at Weston didn’t it? I know it’s been touted as the first local lockdown, but I think it started with hospital staff. I don’t know how much further it spread from there.

I do feel a bit uncomfortable with the Tory rhetoric of blame the nurses for the pandemic but nonetheless.

The whole point of mask , I thought, was to protect others. Give the fact that shop workers are seen as high risk of having coronavirus, I find it astonishing that they aren't being told to wear masks to protect their customers from them.

Also, we were told as a profession that the no masks was for educational reasons.

DH has just heard this as 'if you are in a school you are stuffed because the mask won't work for long'.

Their stance on mask is just hogwash.

Hancock went pink, ummed and aahed and looked , frankly, out of his depth.

We go for 4hrs in the NHS. That’s probably manageable in school by doing the same. Take it off to eat lunch and chuck it, then put a new one on as soon as you have finished eating.

I work in Blackburn with Darwen, which from last night has been made subject to masks in all public places, and limits on numbers from different households mixing. Lots of info from the council telling people they have to step up measures to avoid a local lockdown. Extra testing sites available, even for those without symptoms.

I understand the use of face coverings in shops (from 24th) and on public transport don't apply to schools, but am I right in expecting them to apply In BwD schools while the whole area has these exra measures? Just like we adhere to current guidance regarding the number of students allowed in during July, and accept this will be different in September.

Am I right in thinking my Head shouldn't be clinging to PHE general advice that face coverings aren't recommended in schools, when in BwD they're mandatory in shops, libraries.... All public spaces. Schools have not been explicitly mentioned in any rules, but the secondary around the corner says all staff, students and visitors to wear masks in the building until term ends, and we're being advised teachers can if they want, but children won't be told to.

@Mistressiggi

BUT I don't just work with pupils I work alongside many, many adults and will be in proximity to them and to lots of other students I don't teach. I think face masks should be worn in corridors and communal spaces. In some office blocks you might work with a dozen people but to pass through the foyer and up in the lifts and along the corridors you could add in dozens more to your breathing "mix". So basically he's saying face masks aren't recommended because if someone in your class has CV you're going to be at risk anyway.

Yup @Mistressiggi I interpreted it the same

• basically if you’re with a lot of people for an extended period, you’re stuffed.

I’d this is the case can I please just teach in my classroom and do my 1 duty week, instead of 4 duties a day and moving up to 5 times a day? If I’m going to get it I’d rather not burn myself in the process.

Is there any reason we can’t just have a decent public health campaign on using masks safely if the major issue is people not using them properly? We managed to tell people how to wash their hands, I don’t see how this is different?

They might not choose to do it, but I don’t think that most teenagers are incapable following the instructions or understanding why it is important.

@motherrunner I wonder how they decided how much is a long time. One of my classes I only see once a week. Would normally be for about 50 mins but by the time I've travelled from one building to where their bubble is on the top floor that will have taken up a fair amount of time

Absolutely @hedgehogger1, it’s all ambiguous statements and ‘facts’ that are not quantifiable.

I mice between disbelief, sadness and pure rage at the way we are seemingly being forgotten about.

A friend messaged me yesterday and said ‘bet you’re looking forward to Friday’ and for the first time in 20 years I am not excited at all. I just feel dread. I think I need to see my GP as I know that’s an unnatural reaction. I can’t see ‘happiness’ in anything at the moment.

Sorry for the pity party! Don’t know where that came from!

Masks are a lot easier for most than endless handwashing

With lots of kids/people in a room your hands cannot be clean.
Maybe shop owners resisted paying for masks for staff.

I think it's about t&t random shoppers and one infected person impossible to trace. Vs school or workplace they know who everyone is and contact details. What theyare missing is shielded/vulnerable and how fast this moves Ie 170 or so casesin that Oz college so even 10 of those in all the schools is an issue.
You wouldnt send 70yo into secondary school but with some living with families that is what is going to happen.

Watching JV this morning the gov anti masks did a lot of damage as one of the guests still saying they dont help as thats what JH said at the start.

Yup I'd certainly like to see the science behind the Minister for Health's statement this morning...

EITHER
masks do give some protection over extended periods, therefore we should have them in schools
OR
they don't give any protection and we're stuffed anyway!

If what he tried to say is correct, why on earth do so many other countries wear them in school and every public place?

I see MN have now sided with the devil - I seem to get Daily Fail adverts 😂

As for results days we will be sending out results and anyone who wants to discuss can either have a Teams call or a physical meeting but they have to be booked

It is absolutely about track and trace : it's so obvious. I do think the government think we are all stupid.

There was a guardian article which wound me up because the headline was TBish but further down the article it said that 1 in 10 students live with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.

It also said 40% of students at uni don't want an immediate return to face to face teaching.

I can't even remember what the TB stat was : have wiped it from my mind as I was so angry it was the Guardian!

Oh, here we are...

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jul/14/half-of-exam-year-uk-pupils-given-no-school-work-since-march-finds-study

And the response to that should be ‘why the fuck did the DfE not decide they should be given work and tell schools what to do?’

I’d bet the % of year 11s and 13s that would have engaged with anything sent home once the exams were cancelled is a lot less than half.

Surely it's obvious that a lot of schools wouldn't be sending work home for years 11 and 13. Why would we? When we knew their exams were cancelled and they (the majority probably) wouldn't have engaged with the work. My year 13 class had 12 students in it, none of whom are going on to do anything mathematical at uni or apprenticeship. Why would they have attempted to get to grips with differential equations when they could be earning money as temp staff at supermarkets? They've ALL got temp jobs in the supermarkets, stacking shelves, as cashiers or pickers for online shopping.

I AM worried about attempting to teach the new year 12 in September, as they've missed out on the intense revision period before the exams. We did send work home for the summer, but it's our normal "prepare for ALevel maths" pack, r rather than anything more substantial.

It's just such a non finding. I can't understand how anyone would worry most about year 11 and 13.

They go for months without any work normally!

There are far bigger fish to fry than this non issue.

Meanwhile....

www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/one-in-ten-parents-may-not-return-children-to-school-in-september-survey-finds/ar-BB16LrtN?ocid=spartanntp_edu

Here is exactly what Hancock said:

The same logic applies for schools - we're not recommending masks for schools because if you're in a classroom with kids all day then a mask doesn't give you protection," he added

What the fuck does then??

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has also said that schools will all have to ensure they have a comprehensive system of online lessons in place before reopening.

yikes .... I am on that just in case.

Nothing. Catch it and be fine. Catch it and have long term complications. Catch it and die. Hancock could not care less.

Just checking in to say hello. We finished last week and I'm now in a remote part of the country, enjoying the lack of people, the scenery and the fresh air.

I'm thinking when I get back that I'll spend the summer making sure all of my KS3 lessons are ready for remote learning. Head hopeful for full time everyone in from September but says we must be ready to switch to remote learning at a moment's notice.

Not really listening to the news any more. Hancock gave me the rage on this morning's news and things will change again before we return.

Hope your test comes back negative, MsAwesomeDragon.