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

We had a few outbreaks in our borough last week. NHS England did some random testing and there were five or six schools who had completely asymptomatic yet positive children in class. No temperature, no cough, no anything.

Found out at 2pm today that my primary kids are back.from 7th sept. But not every day. I, of course, am back a week earl I er. So that's 5 days of childcare to find..cm.might do it, but that's almost 500quid

I am done and done in.
Think I am going to try and spend at least the first 3 weeks of the holiday in denial and pretending that everything that will be ok in Sep before resuming the worrying again.
Happy holidays everyone. We made it out alive!

I thought I was getting my head around the changes for September but I got my timetable today. I’m teaching in 17 different rooms across 2 buildings with different lunch/lesson times depending on which year group I’m teaching that morning, a different form group to register every day and extra duties to be added in over the summer. I’m only in my lab once but teaching in the library, dance studio, dinner hall, computer room..... I don’t even know where half the rooms are and I only have 5-10 mins to dash between buildings.

I’m sure it will be fine once I get going but I’m exhausted just thinking about it. I’m going to ignore it all for at least 3 weeks.

Going back to reinventing the wheel - wtf is this?www.daynurseries.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1629686/boris-johnson-appoints-andrea-leadsom-to-lead-review-into-early-years-health

Perhaps we could invest money into the HV system or places where families can go for help and support. We could call them Start Sure Centres for Children or something.

Hello all.

Happy holidays though I imagine you're all feeling varying levels of exhaustion and hopelessness.

I'm struggling to know what to say, bar we all need to be especially nurturing to our mental health over the next few weeks

Andrea Leadsom???!!

Is that literary because she's a woman because I can think of no other reason why she is suitable for that role, other than she had a swipe at Teresa May for being childless.

Going back to the lunch thing our local union branch said teachers have a statutory right to 30 mins lunch... I can’t find it anywhere in writing but union might be able to supply you with the information?

Name changed for this.

We now have my DC’s high school plan. The year groups appear to be safely tucked away in their year groups bubbles of 180 () but the teachers are referred to as ‘peripatetic‘ which presumably they hope sounds fancy to the parents!

It just means they will all be moving around the school teaching all year groups.

What happens when a teacher tests positive?

Bubbles are not bubbles and they shouldn’t be referred to as such.

I find the guidance very confusing but I suppose if we are always two metres away from the kids then it wouldn't burst the bubble?

@Redlocks28

I think this is the case my the majority of high schools, my school is doing the same. I teach Yr 7, Yr 8, Yr 9, Yr 10, Yr 11, Yr 13 and have a tutor group. We have been told to keep 2m away from pupils but this is ‘where possible’ and many classrooms this will be impossible to do.

Bubbles aren’t for protection, it’s for ease of track and trace.

I think that's right, and it places a hell of a lot of responsibility on us. I worry about our head's plans to have all duties done in pairs. They are 15 minutes long. That, to me, contravenes guidelines.

We re set to have some ridiculous meeting on training day with everyone sat 2 m away from others. We'll see. We'll have to shout at each other!!

I think this also means that if a teacher doesn't pop a bubble because she ahs always been 2 m away, the bubble peeping because of a kid doesn't protect the teacher who will be expected to carry on. Presumably they will also argue that most of the bubble is safe, too. I think they will try to test them all...

Right, I see.

I’m primary, teaching large numbers in weeny classrooms where there is no hope of staying 2m away-I assumed secondary would be similar.

Is that the idea that then-you stay and teach at the front -2m away?

I wonder what will happen if a teacher tests positive and then children in the front rows of their classes test positive too.

The teacher will probably be facing a disciplinary for failing to stay far enough back!

That was a joke, but you can imagine what some people (The Daily Mail spring to mind!) would say!

[quote motherrunner]@Redlocks28

I think this is the case my the majority of high schools, my school is doing the same. I teach Yr 7, Yr 8, Yr 9, Yr 10, Yr 11, Yr 13 and have a tutor group. We have been told to keep 2m away from pupils but this is ‘where possible’ and many classrooms this will be impossible to do.

Bubbles aren’t for protection, it’s for ease of track and trace.[/quote]
Ok, so if you have it and test positive, and you have taught at least 7 bubbles (of between 30-270 children?), the guidance seems to say that if two people test positive within a bubble in 14 days, the bubble closed? Would you count as the first positive test in each bubble? If any one person (in that front row!) in each year group tests positive OTHER than you, that would close the whole school, yes?

Will the kids be arguing to not sit in the front row so they don’t catch it or to sit in the front row so they do ?

I finally got a clear negative result!!! So I may have missed the last couple of days of school but I don't have to miss any of the holidays!!

My school haven't gone with pupils staying in place and teachers moving, we're doing the normal school day, just with one way systems and more staff on duty to remind them to stay apart. I can't see how that will work if we get any positive cases. No staggered starts either, because that doesn't work with the transport.

I didn't have a classroom at all last year. I think I was in about 10 classrooms, so I might not actually be moving as much! And the added bonus that everyone's in the same boat. And nothing, nothing will ever be as bad as my nqt year, where the rule was that nqt s got the shitty end of the stick and moved everywhere. Different times

Good news, MsAwesomeDragon, you ( and your DH) must be very relieved!

I have no idea what I am doing in Sept. Days, hours, role........not yet decided, although teacher friend says it has been decided, they just aren’t telling support staff yet. I find this pretty shoddy and am actively looking for other jobs now. I understand they need a break now and that the last few months must have been like trying to knit fog, but not even an email to say “This is our outline plan but it may have to change with further guidance”? Not acceptable. I have other things I do with my non-salaried time and will be planning those as normal around my existing hours. I deserve more than the radio silence of the last few weeks.

I don't think that is that much of a joke tbh redlocks...

probably not a disciplinary, but probably a telling off...

Which is why my head's paired duties makes no sense.

I think a lot of staff at my school haven't read the guidance.

That's good news MsAwesomeDragon. Did the big test centre do it for you?

My special needs school is having tiny bubbles, as our school is less most secondary schools' year groups. And they've also created a couple of extra staff rooms, we are forbidden to socialise outside our bubble in school. There are some staff eg PPA that work across bubbles, plus the emergency support team. In bubbles there will be no chance of social distancing!!! None. Not even between staff in most classes as the ratio is so high.

@MsAwesomeDragon great news!

That is such a relief MsAwesomeDragon . I hope you find out soon saucery , fwiw we haven't had our timetables either but don't break up till Wednesday.

Someone on health saying that key workers' children will still be in school if their bubble closes to isolate. Just checking that's not a thing?

@ohthegoats - it would make a mockery of the bubble system if certain children were still allowed to attend school while the rest of their bubble was sent home. Key worker or not, my understanding is if there is suspicion or confirmed case, the whole bubble goes home until they've isolated long enough. I don't even know that a negative test would help return them to school quicker due to the incubation period.

It is shite for working parents but it's part of the deal when you have kids.

my understanding is if there is suspicion or confirmed case, the whole bubble goes home until they've isolated long enough

The guidance states that bubbles will close when there are 2 positive tests within 14 days. It’s nothing to do with symptoms or suspicions.

Are teachers considered to be in all the bubbles they teach in, or none of them?

We still haven’t had our guidelines.