The Seventeenth Republic - The Pick Your Grade Show continues as we edge towards INSET days.

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff only – a sort of room of requirement. Baiters, haters, goaders 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 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
Do not give ‘The Every twat for Themselves mob’ the staffroom password as a number of them are operating in an alternative reality.

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 goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom. Close the door quietly on your way out

What is happening with BTECs? Those poor kids.

They're being regraded to make them more comparible to A levels and GCSEs but it's a "We'll let you know when we can," type of situation.

Not good enough in the first place but especially not for those who need to know their results in order to continue their studies.

Thanks staff. 17 already!

Which Republic do you reckon it'll be by the time that everyone is back?

I think I might cry

I have days s fortnight with no break or lunch. The lesson time changes and my timetable have conspired against me.

I've emailed about it.....it can't be ok for me to go from 8:15am to 2:40pm without a break?

It is amazing that we have reached 17 which just shows that we need a sounding-off board. I guess it is the constant flow of material supplied by Big Gav, OFQUAL, U4T and the like.

@GuyFawkesDay - impossible - you need time to at least pee!

I left my SLT job in a big state school because the new Head wanted all SLT on duty from 8am through to 6pm which meant break and lunch duties everyday and being the first call for cover. It is not sustainable.

it can't be ok for me to go from 8:15am to 2:40pm without a break

That’s not ok. I swear people think teachers are superhuman. We don’t need to eat or wee at all.

Thanks again to those who suggested starting the Physics thread, it’s brilliant already.

And thanks for your message honeybadger it means a lot.

I don’t think it’s legal. It’s over 6 hrs so there has to be a half hour break in there.

Keep meaning to ask, are you happy for ex school staff to have the code to the staff room? If it helps, not only do I have a swipe card for the photocopier, I’m pretty good at fixing it.

Thanks, Staff.

Anxiety ramping up a gear now reading all the school closures or outbreaks in Scotland, France, Berlin.

Oh, the BTec situation is absolutely terrible.

Our FE college starts back next week, the week before the schools. How the hell will the year 12s know what to register for?

And the 18 Yr olds with level 3 quals will almost definitely lose top Uni places.

Thanks Staff 😀
I think I am currently most worried about how much work no practicals is going to give me. Basically means rewriting about 70-80% of our ks3 curriculum ( fully written and spec’d out with lesson plans, worksheets, ppts, practicals etc. We are very big on collaborative planning at our place)

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

I don’t think it’s legal. It’s over 6 hrs so there has to be a half hour break in there.

Keep meaning to ask, are you happy for ex school staff to have the code to the staff room? If it helps, not only do I have a swipe card for the photocopier, I’m pretty good at fixing it.

Of course - need all the help we can get! Anyone who can fix a photocopier gets automatic sainthood.

I fear at my school there will be an expectation to upload all lessons onto Teams as some parents will keep their kids at home at different times. As an indie we have a wide outer London catchment area.

Had a reassuring chat with HT yesterday about mask policy. I've picked up some KN95s from Lloyds pharmacy and he is happy for me to wear them all day. Tbf the whole way through this my HT has cared more about safety than official dfe policy. Feel very lucky and thankful.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay you're definitely getting my vote!
I'm sure the "lunchbreak" has to be between 12 and 2 or some such. Aeons ago our timetabler managed to timetable me across both p4 lessons, which meant that a) I got no lunchbreak and b) I taught classes which overlapped by 20 mins. She came up with keeping me free p2 for lunch. At 10am. My union put her right on that.

@Kashtan

Thanks Staff 😀 I think I am currently most worried about how much work no practicals is going to give me. Basically means rewriting about 70-80% of our ks3 curriculum ( fully written and spec’d out with lesson plans, worksheets, ppts, practicals etc. We are very big on collaborative planning at our place)

Its crap isn't it? With all the changes to A level and GCSE specifications after the past few years we are still having to faff about with planning.

Have people seen the new masks thread (in Staffroom not AIBU, don't worry!)? Their use in classrooms is spreading on the continent....

@Kashtan

Thanks Staff 😀 I think I am currently most worried about how much work no practicals is going to give me. Basically means rewriting about 70-80% of our ks3 curriculum ( fully written and spec’d out with lesson plans, worksheets, ppts, practicals etc. We are very big on collaborative planning at our place)

At least you can share the workload, despite my best efforts to initiate it, there is absolutely no collaboration where I work.

I can never understand it, as everyone is really supportive in every other way but literally no-one is happy to share. If I have a left my USB stick at home disaster people will share but there's no appetite for long term collaboration.

Think it's a combination of some being insecure about what they've planned and others liking to do everything their way.

I used to use Tes a lot to compensate (and also put a fair bit on as well) but since they started charging I've sulked and left. Wish there was a proper place to share resources.

Our lunch break isn’t between 12 and 2 but wouldn’t surprise me at all if our old head had just ignored the rules.

The new head tbf has sent out letters to parents and students that cags were not solely decided by individual teachers but moderated by departments and then again by slt. Making it crystal clear that no one should be blaming their teacher for their marks.

I can’t believe how quickly summer has flown by. I’m back at work on the 1st

Thanks staff!

I nearly started one, but clearly teacher hierarchical reverence is now in my bones....

I'm starting to lose sleep over September. DS woke me in the early hours and after that it was one long anxiety party. I can't believe this is happening to all of us. If U4T tell me to quit my job when I have to take the risk until Christmas and wouldn't be able to find another job anyway, I will virtually punch them.

I'm so worried about becoming ill and my DCs having to see it.

Checking in. Already had two emails from girls, (one upset at not getting a 9 I know I know...)and one with her 6, which should have been higher.

Thing is I am cross too, especially the latter who was reranked and regraded without me knowing putting people in the same class ahead of her. I can't tell her this and it's actually very unfair.

Pupil Support Assistants on school transport are allowed to wear masks, even if not in close contact with children. LEA Transport policy sent to me today.
So if I was one of those and had a job in a school too, I could wear it on the bus but have to remove it when I got to my other job. Ludicrous.
They are worried Transport Escorts are going to say “fuck this for a game of soldiers” and resign, aren’t they?
The rest of it is “walk to school if you can, drive your own car if you can’t walk, get a bus if you must”.
No extra school transport whatsoever, so our LEA are either not getting a slice of those millions extra or are siphoning it off somewhere else.

@SaltyAndFresh

I'm starting to lose sleep over September. DS woke me in the early hours and after that it was one long anxiety party. I can't believe this is happening to all of us. If U4T tell me to quit my job when I have to take the risk until Christmas and wouldn't be able to find another job anyway, I will virtually punch them.

I'm so worried about becoming ill and my DCs having to see it.

Same here.

I've had no September info yet which is making things more stressful.

Thanks for the new thread staff.

@NeurotrashWarrior

Thanks staff!

I nearly started one, but clearly teacher hierarchical reverence is now in my bones....

Lol - don’t worry