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

[marplemead]

My school has sent out info that says staff and students allowed to wear masks inside the building if we wish to...

[Piggywaspushed]

Mask edict seems to have come from LA in my area.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

I've just found this in another area. Regarding any of us who are Cv or ECV, I think it's worth keeping an eye on as guidance changes nearer sept to check that school is making any necessary adjustments correctly at a basic guidance level.

Tbf though it's only really if they're blatantly breaking guidelines. But I know a few here have had issues this term where massive adjustments should have been made.


www.gov.uk/coronavirus-employee-risk-assessment

[Useruseruserusee]

ohthegoats
Why did they change their mind about year group bubbles? Every primary in our LA is doing them, even one enormous six form entry primary.

We aren’t staggering entry times but instead doing a 20 min soft opening with a one way system around the school - parents will all walk round the whole school and drop off their children at the correct point.

[ohthegoats]

Dunno - dictat from LA. Not even allowed 2 class bubble apparently.

To be fair to them, my LA has been really 'safe' all along. And that's important, so I'll try not to be annoyed about how shit it is going to make my year time until Christmas.

[ohthegoats]

Irritating thing is, we've got space to split our mixed year group classes into single year group classes, which would help a bit with maths particularly. But, behaviour is so significant, that the only way to manage the year 4s in particular, is to split them into as many groups as we can manage. Another thing is, I'm not sure how long some of those children will be able to stay in school. So many of them will be incapable of following new rules.

[TheHoneyBadger]

Interesting day in school. I feel really sorry for the vulnerable kids stuck in school all this time.

Picked up on a bit of a resentment vibe from tas. Bit of muttering about how teachers have only had to do half days and they’ve done a whole day each week. Obviously teachers have also been delivering remote learning and marking etc and the tas have just had one day a week in school so not sure why the resentment.

I was only in with the kids for 3 hours but it’s so dull. They were just getting on with their own thing on computers.

Sanitiser everywhere but closed doors everywhere so constantly touching handles

[MrsHerculePoirot]

Well my school’s plan for September is back as normal! Cross year group clubs etc all being planned for apparently 🙄 They’re just going to tweak it after guidance in August....

Interestingly the AHT I work in a team with actually is think about how we can continue our roles around the guidance so no idea if they are actually planning other scenarios behind the scenes or not 🤷‍♀️

Really helpful....

[CallmeAngelina]

closed doors everywhere so constantly touching handles

Ours are all wedged open, even the fire doors.

[minisoksmakehardwork]

@thehoneybadger, sounds like the TA's have been listening to too much spin on schooling. I am grateful that I don't have to bring much work home with me - what I do is through choice to make my day easier. Although I have recently been sent some links to online training that is not compulsory but is recommended.

[FrippEnos]

CallmeAngelina

Ours are all wedged open, even the fire doors.

We are doing the same, plus one way systems.

[Mistressiggi]

@Danglingmod

30 mins for lunch and a duty at break time is quite commonplace, though? You're only legally entitled to 20 mins break per 6 hours worked...

Not in Scotland it wouldn't be. We can't have any compulsory duties at break or lunch. They are both unpaid though so they are out own time. I've never worked in a school that had a lunch break less than 45 minutes (you could work through it if you wanted/needed to, but it's still your choice)

[TheHoneyBadger]

[quote minisoksmakehardwork]@thehoneybadger, sounds like the TA's have been listening to too much spin on schooling. I am grateful that I don't have to bring much work home with me - what I do is through choice to make my day easier. Although I have recently been sent some links to online training that is not compulsory but is recommended. [/quote]
Could be. Maybe they don’t know/believe that the teachers are working from home.

Lunchbreak is unpaid in England too and can’t have duty unless it’s voluntary and paid extra for. You can have break and after school duty once a week if full time or pro rata of that but lunch is off limits.

I used to do a lunch duty and was paid £20 extra for it

[TheHoneyBadger]

And I believe it’s mandatory to have 20 min break for every 4 hours worked eg in call centres, retail etc. Ours is unpaid anyway so effectively they’d be adding 2.5hrs of directed time pw. I’d make sure you’re union are aware and ask to see their directed time breakdown (forgotten the proper name for it but they have to have one).

[Subordinateclause]

The point about supervising lunches is interesting. There is the legal break entitlement aspect, but according to my payslip I'm only contracted for 5.5 hrs per day (27.5 hrs per week - although I don't really understand how that ties in with the number of hours we can be directed to do over a year). I suppose if I were asked to do an extra half hour a day I would be asking to be paid for it - it would add a half hour of marking to the end of my day.

[StrawberryJam200]

Just seen this on the Covid numbers and data thread:

<a class="break-all" href="http://go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/07/coronavirus-victoria-melbourne-covid-19-cases-clusters-hotspot-suburbs-hard-lockdown-family-outbreak-towers-flemington-keilor-downs-albanvale-hallam-coburg-brimbank-wollert-ascot-vale-maribyrnong-fawkner-tullamarine-truganina" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">http://go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/07/coronavirus-victoria-melbourne-covid-19-cases-clusters-hotspot-suburbs-hard-lockdown-family-outbreak-towers-flemington-keilor-downs-albanvale-hallam-coburg-brimbank-wollert-ascot-vale-maribyrnong-fawkner-tullamarine-truganina

Apparently one possible factor in the Melbourne outbreak is older school students not socially distancing.....

[pooiepooie25]

Our head just said this evening that we might have year group bubbles or Key Stage bubbles- primary. The whole thing is a complete farce.

[StrawberryJam200]

Sorry that link doesn't seem to work and I can't access the original article

[echt]

I'm not a bit surprised. I went in to school on the last day of term( WFH for COVIID exclusion reasons) to hand back work and give out lollies to my senior students. Had any of them sanitised their hands on entering the classroom? No.

Within the classroom social distancing impossible for students, though OK for staff.

We're back on lockdown for the next six weeks, though exam classes (11 and 12) will be up and running.

I think Melbourne will be a winter test case as well as a lesson in how quickly things can move from low and traced transmission to escalating community transmission.

As in the UK, while concern is mainly about adults contusing and spreading it in schools, the fact that senior classes are full of er... adults seems to have been passed over.

[echt]

www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/07/coronavirus-victoria-melbourne-covid-19-cases-clusters-hotspot-suburbs-hard-lockdown-family-outbreak-towers-flemington-keilor-downs-albanvale-hallam-coburg-brimbank-wollert-ascot-vale-maribyrnong-fawkner-tullamarine-truganina

[Whywhywhy1]

Can I just ask, are we all going to be able to touch children’s books etc in September? At the moment we are not allowed to.

[CallmeAngelina]

Not allowed to? Well, no one told me!!
I'm part-Way through marking over 5000 pieces of work that have been sent in from home, and the kids in school are passing me work to look at during the day.
If there's a bloody rule about it, surely it should be the same for all of us?!

[Piggywaspushed]

Well, that's happen in the UK then as our students don't have to socially distance at all!

[ohthegoats]

I don't know how to run the classroom. I'm assuming that if I'm in my own bubble for 8 weeks, then I can touch/whatever any of their work, and realistically, probably them too.

Having smaller bubbles makes me feel more comfortable, but it's going to be really hard logistically in terms of running a class. I'm also worried about the weaker teachers in my phase not being able to do it - and not really being willing to try either. Using this as an excuse.

[Whywhywhy1]

We have been told we have to keep a 2m distance from the children. I just don’t know how that will be viable especially in ks1 and primary in general