The Sixteenth Republic - waiting on the GCSE results show!

[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 fear that will happen with us, @hedgehogger1 - we did our bit, then they were "approved" at dept and at SLT level. Which meant the high outliers got bumped down, and so did everyone below. I'm still passing everything on though, as requested. I didn't agree with where several of mine ended up, and if they care to make a SAR, they will find that out.

Same happened to me hedgehogger except I only found out on results day that the CAGs had been changed. I'm just passing on emails from students asking about grades to someone paid more than me.

Same here. And with passing it up to those higher up the food chain!

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

Why does Gav have a whip on his desk in this photo of him at his desk yesterday? And it might just be perspective, but that mug and the phone don’t look like they are a comfortable distance away unless he has really long arms.

That’s to whip any teachers who come into his office!

Any CAG requests etc that I receive are automatically directed to a deputy head who was ‘responsible’ for overview etc.

I have my notes and I have lots of emails. It will be interesting if we get any freedom of information requests 😉

It's an old photo : he was chief whip before , which makes me see him in a different light. He seems so namby pamby. Whips are not namby pamby.

None of this is meant to be euphemistic!

Do we think that the PHE research-proving schools are safe-that they’ll be releasing later in the year, will be the thing that gets the blame if schools all go tits up?

Use PHE as credible enough research to open schools, but then sack PHE and later say you were only doing what they told you in opening schools, and that’s reason enough why you had to sack them!

Brilliant end to that if you could choose thread noble 👏 👏 👏

Sorry I'm not on the thread much at the mo. Kids, life etc. Rising anxiety as cases are shooting up locally.

Fucking shit show regarding a levels. Hats off to you all dealing with that.

From the Guardian

Scotland’s largest teaching union has made a direct plea to Nicola Sturgeon, urging her to do more to make schools safe from the risk of coronavirus.
In an unusual move, the general secretary of the EIS Larry Flanagan has written directly to the first minister as a number of new pupil infections emerged: since Monday, there have been 8 cases of pupils with coronavirus, at 6 different primary and secondary schools across 3 NHS boards. Yesterday nearly one in four new infection cases were amongst school pupils.
After a staggered return last week, all pupils across Scotland are now back at school full-time. Yesterday, the Scottish government’s national clinical director Jason Leitch warned about the infection risk from older pupils attending house parties and large social gatherings with no distancing, as well as parents gathering at school gates and families failing to quarantine after returning from holidays abroad.
In his letter this morning, Flanagan asked “why the Scottish Government thinks that it is acceptable that inside schools these rules don’t apply, where up to 33 pupils may be in a closed confined area, i.e. a classroom, with as many different households as there are people?”
Flanagan also called on the government to fund the hiring of 3500 new teachers”so that we can reduce class sizes and make possible physical distancing” and provide stronger advice on face coverings: “You cannot visit a museum without one but again schools are different?”
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to address the matter in an unscheduled coronavirus briefing later this morning.

I’ve seen people implying that photo if a warning from gav that he’ll use what he knows from his time as whip if they try to sack him. Where has it suddenly appeared from?

I’ve been awol so just caught up with the u turn business.

Glad it went ok mistress pretty sure I’ve forgotten how to teach.

Schools should be putting out a clear message that cags were decided upon by the school not just the individual teachers. Horrible to have an email like that and not be able to defend yourself.

Re the Scottish cases: I suppose it can be seen as a good thing that these children are at a school where someone will treat their symptoms seriously and require a test. Were they at home parents might not have bothered. Hadn't thought of that as an advantage of schools returning.

Anyone free at 1245, listen to Radio One Newsbeat, my previously mentioned usually unflappable friend is being interviewed about (I presume) how her HE institution is handling the A level situation. Although they actually take a high proportion of mature, local, part time students anyway so am slightly surprised they've chosen her. Prof Claire Taylor.

@RigaBalsam

From the Guardian

Scotland’s largest teaching union has made a direct plea to Nicola Sturgeon, urging her to do more to make schools safe from the risk of coronavirus.
In an unusual move, the general secretary of the EIS Larry Flanagan has written directly to the first minister as a number of new pupil infections emerged: since Monday, there have been 8 cases of pupils with coronavirus, at 6 different primary and secondary schools across 3 NHS boards. Yesterday nearly one in four new infection cases were amongst school pupils.
After a staggered return last week, all pupils across Scotland are now back at school full-time. Yesterday, the Scottish government’s national clinical director Jason Leitch warned about the infection risk from older pupils attending house parties and large social gatherings with no distancing, as well as parents gathering at school gates and families failing to quarantine after returning from holidays abroad.
In his letter this morning, Flanagan asked “why the Scottish Government thinks that it is acceptable that inside schools these rules don’t apply, where up to 33 pupils may be in a closed confined area, i.e. a classroom, with as many different households as there are people?”
Flanagan also called on the government to fund the hiring of 3500 new teachers”so that we can reduce class sizes and make possible physical distancing” and provide stronger advice on face coverings: “You cannot visit a museum without one but again schools are different?”
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to address the matter in an unscheduled coronavirus briefing later this morning.

I’ll be very interested to see what Nicola Sturgeon says on this one.

Yesterday nearly one in four new infection cases were amongst school pupils.

That's pretty shocking, it really puts it into perspective.

Nichola saying its the community and not the school transmission.

Schools still safe and the usual guff.

I mean she is right in those cases, but just have a look at the Coatbridge thread : so many parents do not feel it is their job at all to restrain their teens, that somehow schools is socially distanced and nothing outside its walls can ever be for teens and that teenagers have no sense of morality ,restraint or altruism. It grinds my gears when I own two teenagers, neither of whom have been to any parties or even basically out, apart from traipsing around Wales with the rents.

So once it gets into school it doesn’t transmit, wow! Maybe everyone needs to move into schools and we will eradicate the virus with the schools’ special magic.

Right, I’m offering myself up for overtime and sleeping in the staffroom!

I'd join you, Saucery, but we don't have a staff room

Remember your masks in the staffroom. We keep being told this by helpful posters...

Do you suppose the TBs and U4T types are going to be the cause of the future ‘MIL from Hell ‘ threads?

MIL interfering with school choice
MIL told off DC’s teachers behind my back
MIL sorts out DC’s packed lunch/book bag everyday
MIL constantly moaning that teacher DH is a lazy effer and is always on holiday
MIL threatening to disinherit DC if they become teachers

So there is now an embargo on CAGs being released to students?

Not allowed to wear a mask in school premises at all, Piggy...

Well, don't tell them that. Teachers are only dangerous to other teachers, didn't you know?

Not allowed to wear a mask in school premises at all not even the staff room. That’s a crap decision.

@Saucery

So there is now an embargo on CAGs being released to students?

We can mention grades to our students. Head is worried about an FOI request.