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

My DD's theatre class has just confirmed that the latest govt guidance says social distancing must continue for out of school activities as the new school year starts. Makes me angry that they won't fund the same in state schools.

Have to be honest, I bloody well feel like appealing for two girls I teach who were moved down the ranks and had their grade changed without a discussion with me. In both cases , it is unjust. Grr.

It can't be counted in minutes... that way madness lies.

@WhenSheWasBad

That's all technically correct. The problem is that the school doesn't have 25 one-hour lessons. They have 15 lessons at one hour and 10 lessons at one hour and twenty minutes.

@MrsHamlet

It can't be counted in minutes... that way madness lies.

Yeah, it does need to be rounded (usually up) to the next measurable unit that the school organises lessons into.

What is the difference between a model and an algorithm? Nick Gibb says there was nothing wrong with the model just the algorithm.

Here’s a thread for you to all vote on

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4001279-This-government-don-t-give-a-shit-about-schools-or-your-kids

(Don’t read the post if it will make you angry, you know it all anyway!)

I think, piggy, he means it sounded good on paper.

Sorry for the minutes.

Basically I’m on 2 1/2 hours more than I should be. Thanks again for letting me drone on about this, I’m starting to feel better.

@Piggywaspushed

What is the difference between a model and an algorithm? Nick Gibb says there was nothing wrong with the model just the algorithm.

The model is what is built by the algorithms inside of it.

Though I'm not sure how that applies to what he has said...

@Piggywaspushed

Have to be honest, I bloody well feel like appealing for two girls I teach who were moved down the ranks and had their grade changed without a discussion with me. In both cases , it is unjust. Grr.

I had this too. It's so annoying that they will think its me and I can't say otherwise.

If I saw the students in person I'd probably say something like "they were CENTRE assessed grades, I didn't have the final say". Some will be smart enough to read between the lines.

I've had a couple downgraded and it feels strange. Still passed but not as strong as they could have been. I'm concerned about resit maths pass rate being shocking this Jan because so many of the borderlines will have been CAGed as a 4. So we'll be left with the real weak 3s and below. Also getting a 3 excludes taking functional skills at college which may have an impact on that too.

Oh that really makes no sense now iam. Which makes sense if you see what I mean. Shit in, shit out. No sense out of Nick Gibb.

I am rapidly losing my mind and the will to live on the safe schools thread. Typical pattern of behaviour from the ironically named one.

@WhenSheWasBad it isn’t contact time though so form time doesn’t count. We had a directed time issue a couple of years ago and had to look into this very thoroughly.

Upshot was form/tutor time doesn’t count so it was just about allocates lessons. I’m not saying I agree that’s right but that is the rule as far as I know.

So on a timetable of 25 lessons, which we also have all staff get 10% PPA so 2.5 lessons per week. Assuming your school isn’t on a two week timetable then mIn scale teachers teach 22 periods.

However to calculate the extra NQT time we were told to work out 90% of the 22.5 lessons which takes you to 20.25 lessons. Therefore you should be teaching 20 periods according to the NEU!

Definitely contact your induction tutor or anyone else. When it got raised at ours the NQTs got to not go to a load of after school meetings to gain back the time they’d been robbed of!

@MrsHerculePoirot

But if these sessions aren't in form groups or called form time, do they count as form? If they 20 minutes each afternoon is designated as a PSHE lesson, is it not a lesson?

Genuinely asking - I'm primary so all our PPA or NQT time just comes as a block afternoon.

[quote Iamnotthe1]@MrsHerculePoirot

But if these sessions aren't in form groups or called form time, do they count as form? If they 20 minutes each afternoon is designated as a PSHE lesson, is it not a lesson?

Genuinely asking - I'm primary so all our PPA or NQT time just comes as a block afternoon.[/quote]
Good question! My school call it tutor time so that it doesn’t count. I think if it could be counted as pastoral time they could argue it or rename it.

I reckon if you had to plan the PSHE then you could argue it is a lesson and should count. If the resources are provided I think ultimately they could rename it/get away with it not counting.

The 20 mins in morning sounds weird though! Is that usually the but changed due to Covid or just a random extra 20 mins?!?

All time in Scotland spent in front of students counts as contact time, our max is 22.5 hours a week.

The 20 mins in morning sounds weird though! Is that usually the but changed due to Covid or just a random extra 20 mins

It’s a Covid thing. I think the plan is for them to slowly arrive over 20’minutes to avoid bottle necks.

@WhenSheWasBad

The 20 mins in morning sounds weird though! Is that usually the but changed due to Covid or just a random extra 20 mins

It’s a Covid thing. I think the plan is for them to slowly arrive over 20’minutes to avoid bottle necks.

You see, that could be part of the problem here too and they could just use that as a justification. Many school staff have seen their contact time increased or lunches cut in order to adapt to Covid-19. Unfair? Yes but is it always avoidable? No.

what kind of mask are you wearing? I've tried fabric ones on the supermarkets but I find them stifling.

Fabric too. I did find that at first, and on hot days it's a bit hard going, but in general I've got used to it.

I'd ignore the 20 minutes and just include that as a one hour lesson if it's a covid thing. Sounds like it'll be more babysitting until the bell rather than a lesson. Surely the lesson can't start until they're all in school?

You see, that could be part of the problem here too and they could just use that as a justification. Many school staff have seen their contact time increased or lunches cut in order to adapt to Covid-19. Unfair? Yes but is it always avoidable? No

The 20 minute baby sitting duty doesn’t bother me that much. It’s the fact I should get an extra 10% less lesson time than regular teachers. And I’m only getting 4%.

They can’t argue it’s because I have fewer other duties.

You should be on 19 or 20 hours a week, depends how they calculate it! Definitely raise this with the NQT person at school.

Usually our NQTs don't have form groups either, however it sounds like this PHSE is form time? Is it a v small school?

We're doing the trickle in thing as well (morning meetings scrapped).

If you get no joy from your PM/IT contact your awarding body, mine was very clear that we should get all our entitlements and that they would come down on the school like a tonne of bricks if it wasn't happening. 20/25 a week should be your maximum timetable.

Out of interest what years/exam boards are you teaching Physics to? I'm also a non-Physics specialist who teaches physic to GCSE so while I'm not super-duper at it myself I might be able to help a little. I leaned on my Physics specialist in the classroom next door a fair bit for the first couple of years, always good to have a friendly Physicist.