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
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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

@Piggywaspushed

That was not me telling you to eff off! It was a cryptic response to appu ....

Ahhhhh!!!

Watch out for the Them 4 Us thread starters on there....

It was a bit autobiographical asuitablecat!

I was going to do the pgce then my nqt year during which I’d get a mortgage and when the year was up I’d rent out the house and go travelling.

Best laid plans

What's going on in the Times? Can't read it online, won't pay for the bastard.

I was going to do the pgce then my nqt year during which I’d get a mortgage and when the year was up I’d rent out the house and go travelling.

Ha - my plan was to do GTP, do NQT, buy smaller house with courtyard garden, spend all summer travelling. I was 33 and single, with no interest whatsoever in men or relationships. I just wanted to travel. I was taking unpaid leave from my previous career every year to do that, so thought that the summer holidays would be enough, and a steady job around it. Then I met my partner and everything went out of the window.

It was yesterday. the one where the 'government scientist' (who the paper doesn't mention is a disgrace lockdown breaker!) says there are no documented cases of pupil to teacher transmission in the whole entire world ever. No evidence , no back up, no counterpoint sought or provided by the paper. The sloppiest journalism I have seen in a long time.

It's take a day to get on here which makes me ponder either a nudge by Times journalist, an awareness that a MNer will read it and put I on here, or Them4Us picking it up and instructing its members to post it. I unfollowed them on FB so don't know but suspect the latter.

The BBC must know it's shite because they haven't picked up on it.

@Piggywaspushed

It was yesterday. the one where the 'government scientist' (who the paper doesn't mention is a disgrace lockdown breaker!) says there are no documented cases of pupil to teacher transmission in the whole entire world ever. No evidence , no back up, no counterpoint sought or provided by the paper. The sloppiest journalism I have seen in a long time.

It's take a day to get on here which makes me ponder either a nudge by Times journalist, an awareness that a MNer will read it and put I on here, or Them4Us picking it up and instructing its members to post it. I unfollowed them on FB so don't know but suspect the latter.

The BBC must know it's shite because they haven't picked up on it.

My DF-loving mother in law has just gleefully sent me a screenshot of that Woolhouse article, she seriously believes every word, despite there being no evidence.

Ah Ok. I'd not heard of it.

Can't prove anything in terms of transmission. Even if 4 children and an adult in a school bubble had it, all 5 might have caught it elsewhere.

In fact, they probably did. SCHOOLS ARE SAFE.

Eminent as he is, said professor has no background in child health at all.

Just remember that virologist on tv after the danish teacher all those months ago. Talking about what germ factories children are...

And, hang on, on the last thread there was a diagram showing clearly two cases where children spread to adults, so of course it's bloody possible.

We had an interesting video appt with my son's CAMHS dr today. The feeling both dh and I got was they're not expecting schools to go back anywhere near like the guidance which is being sent out to us as parents - bubble year groups, staggered lunches, starts and finishes - both my school, dd1 and dc2-4's schools have all advised they will be in year group bubbles. Secondary pupils will have an area of the school and will move to setted lessons within that, eg year 8 will be in the English department. Bus pupils will come in on their normal but routes, no mention of extra buses but they will have to wear a face covering on the bus as per public transport guidelines. I don't know how they are going to police that as dd1's bus driver regularly stops the bus on the journey when students stand up. Nothing mentioned about having specific seats for them.

Primary have said they will only be allowed to mix with their own year group and staff. Staggered lunch and their morning break will probably happen in their own outside area - most classes have access to a small outside area. Two classes have no division between so I guess they will alternative and two classes exit onto the main playground so either staggered breaks or dividing the playground up I guess. Don't know what's going to happen with lunches yet as we have had the new menu out for cooked lunch.

But primary are running breakfast club. This has been confirmed by the headteacher, so I am relieved as I'm not sure me going in late in the new school year would be as possible as it has been over this period. I know it's not been practical but it's been managed by the lessons officially starting a lot later.

As in, CAMHS/nhs are not expecting things to be easy. They said they're already seeing an influx of COVID related referrals.

The feeling both dh and I got was they're not expecting schools to go back anywhere near like the guidance which is being sent out to us as parents

Can you explain?

Do you mean they think the schools won’t follow the guidance or they will be closing all the time due to outbreaks?

That's interesting mini. Bizarrely I think I'll loose the plot if we don't go back now. Mind you going back will also induce loosing the plot at times I'm sure.

I suppose it could be very area dependent. We are very low round here. Having said that, the last three weeks has seen a steady +2 to 3 case rise week on week. Not much, max 12 cases. But still.

I'm concerned that with the opportunity to go on holiday, more people will down play symptoms to be able to go away.

We are going back into very strict SD now to be able to go away and see my parents and keep them safe. I can imagine a few thinking differently for the opportunity of a holiday.

They could also be alluding to this:

covid.joinzoe.com/post/weather-covid

That’s a depressing but unsurprising read. vit d levels down in winter too. I have a deficiency so already supplement and hope you all will too. It’s especially important for darker skin tones in this climate

110 cases in my area in last week. Not sure how that compares to others

Not sure about country wide but my 3 local authorities were 12, 3 and 8. I've started checking the bbc each week. So much lower than 110. Nothing else seems as clear. Though there's asymptomatic cases of course no one will know about. A slight uptick could be due to more testing.

I feel more comfortable going back knowing those numbers, as long as it stays like that.

I feel fairly sure the winter conditions will impact cases considerably though. Just less generally going outside etc. Mind you, if there's no where to go but home that could help.

I've been taking vit d but I think I was a bit low and being on thyroxine and breastfeeding, I'm trying to take that more seriously.

@TheHoneyBadger

That’s a depressing but unsurprising read. vit d levels down in winter too. I have a deficiency so already supplement and hope you all will too. It’s especially important for darker skin tones in this climate

And whatever your skin colour you should take a vitamin D supplement from October to March if you are in the UK as there isn't enough sunlight for anyone to make their own vitamin D www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-get-vitamin-d-from-sunlight/

Can anyone point me to where it is said that there will have to be 2 positive cases of Covid before a bubble has to isolate, and that the teacher won't count, as they will have been at a 2m distance? Is that just for Secondary?
Anyone know about Primary?

Section 1 of the guidance parts 8 and 9.

1 case only immediate contacts, 2 or more cases in 14 days and PHE gets involved and may send more students and staff home to isolate.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools

CallMeAngelina - same for primary. Was given for us not having all 4 year group classes as a bubble. If one in class A got it, and one in class B, then officially we'd be closing a bubble of 120 children and 9 adults. If class A is its own bubble, and class B is its own bubble, then only two children go home.

Although - my main question is, as a parent are you going to send your child back to school if you know there has been one confirmed case in their bubble, even if their bubble is 26 children (which it will be in my case)? As soon as the WhatsApp chats start, kids are being kept off. It'll be the same as the two weeks before lockdown.