Thirteenth Republic - School’s out for summer, no more pencils no more books!

[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

I thought if you had symptoms you isolated for 7 days and your household for 14?

Bloody hell, I didn't realise about the 14 day absence from school - I don't know how I missed that! Schools are going to be in constant freefall as we will also be coping with teacher absence. Last year, I wasn't off, but under the symptom rules, would now be off for at least 3 separate absences. We will all cope, but I am not looking forward to it...

I can see the logic but that's going to have a huge impact on staff absence surely? (I'm definitely behind the times here!)

Does just one symptom count? Between cough, sore throat, temperature and having kids at home I'll be off all winter.

Just curious - has the guidance always had the 14 day isolation even with a negative result?

Where is this?

It says Schools should ask parents and staff to inform them immediately of the results of a test:

if someone tests negative, if they feel well and no longer have symptoms similar to coronavirus (COVID-19), they can stop self-isolating. They could still have another virus, such as a cold or flu – in which case it is still best to avoid contact with other people until they are better. Other members of their household can stop self-isolating.
if someone tests positive, they should follow the ‘stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection’ and must continue to self-isolate for at least 7 days from the onset of their symptoms and then return to school only if they do not have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste. This is because a cough or anosmia can last for several weeks once the infection has gone. The 7-day period starts from the day when they first became ill. If they still have a high temperature, they should keep self-isolating until their temperature returns to normal. Other members of their household should continue self-isolating for the full 14 days.

Sorry - I was muddling up the guidance for symptoms and the guidance for confirmed cases, so I am quite embarrassed! The 14 days isolation despite a negative result is if there is a confirmed case. I'll stand in the corner and next time read the info more carefully :-)

Evening! I hadn’t realised the Staffroom was no longer in active. I thought you’d all gone quiet.

I come fresh from battling an ‘Us for Them’ troll on the corona threads. I see the back to school anxiety has started wit parents already. Lots of new threads today! I suspect some of the ardent lobbiers are starting to see and full Sept opening slipping from their grasp!

@Hercwasonaroll

I can see the logic but that's going to have a huge impact on staff absence surely? (I'm definitely behind the times here!)

Does just one symptom count? Between cough, sore throat, temperature and having kids at home I'll be off all winter.

The guidance on August 11th will probably say that applies solely to pupils, whereas teachers only need to self isolate if they have a temperature of 45 degrees, a cough they’ve had for at least a month and they’ve coughed up a lung (date stamped photo of said lung must be emailed to occy health). They will be tested during their lunch hour and when the government-issued (ie negative result only!) test is performed, will be sent back to work pronto. With an immediate lesson observation probably .

No problem MrsD. There's so much guidance out there it's easy to get confused! Let's see what 11th/13th August brings....

Thank you - feel slightly less embarrassed now!

I've been watching with interest the sway towards secondary teachers (rightly) having ppe if they want it.
Why are year 6 different? They're just more arsey and needy year 7's who i'm with all day. They still "corona cough" for fun. Usually we stream in 5 and 6 for maths and English as well - most guidance just assumes primaries don't.
To me there is a big difference between ks1 and uks2. If you teach 5 or 6 you need to be distancing. The nasuwt plea completely ignores primary and those teachers in three tier areas.

As for the illness guidance, god help us. We all crawl in whatever. I can forsee pressure on us to come in regardless. We get that normally and I can't see that changing.

If under 11s aren’t required to wear masks on buses then they can’t require them to wear them in school and it would be a nightmare if Y6 had to start wearing them on their birthday.

Secondary, also, I think there’s some recognition that the bubbles are stupidly massive.

My primary bubble is 3 year 5/6 classes. That's 100 students. Mental.

My dd is going into year 6, and I'd quite happily send her in a mask every day. I'm not sure anyone would ever hear a word she says, as she's very quiet anyway, but she'd quite happily wear the mask. She likes looking like a ninja when we go into shops, so wearing a mask for school would be fine for her

I think I've had about one day off in 13 years.

I think if I count the sizes of the bubbles I’ll be exposed to while teaching, I’m on over 1200 kids.

Well, we have middle schools so how does that work if some ages wear masks?

@noblegiraffe

I think if I count the sizes of the bubbles I’ll be exposed to while teaching, I’m on over 1200 kids.

This is just crazy. It makes me feel comparatively safe in my bubble of 90!

The thread sausageis on made me think. Does it still say the ting about no taking temperatures in the guidelines? I thought that was ridiculous.

53 schools closed in Victoria and the principals' union begging the premier to shut schools down.

Why are they closing echt? Staff absence, or virus outbreaks?

What I mean is - is it the same as ours was? I think you guys can get tested though? We were all going off with symptoms, without being able to get a test.

@noblegiraffe

Trust the English teacher. My username is because I like giraffes and ‘giraffe’ was taken.

@noblegiraffe I like giraffes too! They're very underrated, I find.

@Piggywaspushed I haven't read it since GCSE (over 20 years ago - eek!) and I remember we watched the colour and B&W films. A lot of it has stuck with me, so I know now there is plenty of merit in the story. But at the time I felt aggrieved we weren't studying any Shakespeare!

Ohthegoats virus outbreaks so shut down for cleaning.

One school has seven teachers testing positive.

They don't do bubbles in Victoria. Temperatures, compulsory masks, hand washing when you come in, and hand sanitiser given out to all teachers. Masks since last week but 11s and 12s have been back for three now. The kids do not socially distance, as I've observed when popping in to mass copy/scan stuff. They cuddle up like meerkats.

I'm allowed to work exclusively from home and have been feeling guilty as I know that remote is not as good as face-to face, but my God am glad I'm out of it.

The mask thing is going to become the big issue before Sept. Especially if ‘Us for Them’ is going to push hard against them.

They are probably unworkable for primary. But they are essential for secondary. It will be a pain in the arse to enforce- to begin with. But we lived through fidget spinner, dabbing and patterned hair styles, so I reckon we can persuade most intractable kids to play ball.

There will be moaning. There is always moaning.

Sorry everyone for not keeping up wit the thread properly.

Katherine, your job sounds interesting!

Mine is an sen school, mld but mainly asd / adhd. At the most able end, a few are able to do some y6 sats, at the lower end some are non/ pre verbal but it's autism so sometimes also quite bright. Lots of sensory needs too!