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

Thank you everyone on the other post again x I have been very upset since that poster dismissed my post so callously. Vile poster.

I'm about upset AIBU / U4T. I'm going to tell working parents that they (we) have to consider a plan B for when things in their current form go tits up, because schools and teachers don't exist for their economic convenience; and that all parents have a responsibility for their child's covid-appropriate behaviour, especially at secondary age.

Wish me luck.

Put your hard hat on

Checking in. I'm so despondent after Thursday and can't help myself ranting at the TV/radio whenever there is something about schools on. Was watching the press review on BBC Breakfast this morning and the editor of The Sun on Sunday was drivelling on about unions blocking school reopening with their 200 point checklist.

My subject had almost 40% of its grades downgraded by one or two grades. Waiting for more guidance on appeals. We hadn't overestimated either, there is solid baseline, Y12 end of year and mock exam data to back it up and we fit our CAGs in with previous performance.

Not looking forward to Thursday.

I don’t know if I’m in an echo chamber on Twitter regarding the A level fiasco, but it does seem to be growing into something big. Not sure if I’m just being hopeful though?

What actually happens if there are widespread appeals (thousands?) starting tomorrow?

Obviously there are no remarks to be done as there were no papers in the first place, but who will mass appeals create work for? The DfE? Exam boards, ofqual? Teachers?

Teachers, exams officers and the boards I think, once the new appeals process is cleared up

It’s going to be fun!

Who are the exam officers-are they usually teachers or is it an admin role?

Ours is admin.

Most exam officers these days, especially in state schools, are admin staff. In my authority most are term-time only + a couple of days for results only, unless they have other roles in the school as well, so there's also the issue that some may not be expecting to work as much as they will need to in the next couple of weeks...
Yesterday we thought we'd end up appealing about 20% of our grades overall. In a usual season we'd appeal less than 1%. If every centre is similar that's a huge workload for the exam boards. Until last Tuesday evening (with the announcement about mock grades being a basis for appeal) the grounds for appeal they were expecting were so limited that they would have been expecting very few and I doubt they have the staffing capacity in place?

She is term time + a bit, but part time. She had already acquired a lot of TOIL before school closed, for various reasons. But she has a child in y11 and y13

Who is piggy's favourite Tory teacher?

My partner seems to think that Keir is just biding his time - he doens't need to do anything, they are just beating themselves up. He only needs to up his game in 2 years time. I don't agree with this.

Ours is admin. Term time plus results day and accrues toil for longer days in exam season.

It was my post teaching but not ready to retire plan, become an exams officer. I love the organisation side of it. However maybe not now!

If every centre is similar that's a huge workload for the exam boards

That’s what I was thinking. They won’t suddenly have hundreds of staff available to sort it all
out and A level students will be desperate for a quick resolution.

I wonder what on earth went on at Ofqual to cause the suspension of the 5pm release?!

Thanks for the new thread.

Our exams officer is admin. She's term time+5 days over the holidays for both results days and preparation for them. She isn't employed for any more days to start on all the appeals (and there will be a lot of appeals!!). So they won't be able to even start appealing until September.

Keir said he wants, “schools open, no ifs no buts”.

Re: not if it’s safe and he doesn’t give a fuck about but teachers have a right to workplace safety.

There is no one to vote for. Labour pretend they don’t know what a female is and now profess they don’t give a shit about workers right to safety if they happen to be teachers.

It’s as if Labour are having a competition to see just how many voters they can lose.

@TheHoneyBadger
*Keir said he wants, “schools open, no ifs no buts”.

Re: not if it’s safe and he doesn’t give a fuck about but teachers have a right to workplace safety*

I read that as: Boris, make it happen. Deal with whoever you need to deal with, put whatever measures in place to solve the objections, just make sure it happens.

I think we need further clarification from him to be honest.

He literally said no ifs no buts. I’m fuming. As if the opposition need to be raising the political stakes when it should be science driven not political grandstanding that guides policy now??

I can never vote for him

I get you want to see good in him but that’s what he said and he doesn’t have a sub normal iq so knows exactly what it means and the fuel it will add to the fire.

I think Starmer has been a catalyst in reopening schools unsafely. It pains me to say it.

On a lighter note:

I've just ranted on Starmer's social media. Who the fuck is there left with an ounce of simple decency?

I am so down right now. The poor students in my area - all large cohorts, all in "improving" schools, all in such a low attainment, low hope area, and screwed over massively.

The NEU lady was on radio 4 today saying that the posting and withdrawl of the appeal guidance was probably down to the fact that it acknowledged that teacher predictions were accurate and that went against the government narrative on teachers.

I can't even look at the news. I'm existing in a state of fury. I'm edging towards a big Bloody Mary before 4pm and sod dinner.

I’ve just poured a glass of wine phleb.

We’re on our own! As ever really

I don't even drink alcohol and I'm eyeing up the red wine I use for cooking bolognese....

Just watched this -

Wear masks!

@SaltyAndFresh - I'm already making contingency plans for more home learning for my kiddos (KS2 x 3 and KS3 x 1). After last time, I want to be even more prepared. And that's just my normal parent perspective.