The Nineteenth Republic - DfE guidance issued August Bank Holiday Weekend!

[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.

No DfE muppets allowed

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

Dilbert, in the same class, has an EHCP. He's in my class because his mum campaigned for it because I have a great tag team relationship with his 1:1. But she's not coming back. And is new 1:1 isn't allowed into the room. Which also means that Eric, who is autistic but gets no funding and is in the group to benefit from Dilbert's, isn't getting support. I'll do what I can but that's just 4 out of 28.

Apologies that came across as quite arsey. I meant it to be a suspicious smile, but it just looks mardy.

@DrMadelineMaxwell, as LSA, yes I am. I know some of my assigned students will fare better than others. I'm yet to see the ehcps of those who have them - which I will be asking to see - because our department is changing how we do things and now we have been assigned to students, so we will be doing everything from making sure they are fine in lessons to contacting parents and suggesting interventions.

I know one of mine was in through lockdown and really struggled adapting to a different style of learning. They will also likely struggle to return to a more normal school day.

As long as the plan to allow them outdoor time still holds, I know i can get them through a day. They need to be allowed to burn off excess energy.

Hamlet that sounds rough.

I have 3 waiting on ehcp - they'll certainly not go to mainstream. I have no TA. One is ok behaviour wise but just needs constant support. Two are going to be difficult. Also got one who is so EBD that he desperately needs an ehcp but mum is non compliant and social services are involved.

I just don't have room for a tent in my room. We've had to remove all "excess" furniture. I might see if I am allowed to have a single desk facing the wall for him as this can help. Make a sort of carrell space.

@MrsHamlet - it's a concern for us too. Some students were placed with others in a class specifically because they don't quite meet a threshold for echp, but do need support in class. It might be ok as there was talk of year group bubbles but letting them move to their sets within that. So those students should still be together.

I have learned third hand that our school will be having masks in class from a parents interpretation of a letter going home. Although I've not seen anything myself and typically the letter hasn't gone up on their website yet. I can only assume it's a misinterpretation of masks in larger communal areas and on entering school.

I had a moment in a class last week when some girls were mucking about, had already been given the stare, then told to stop, and then I kind of went "or I'll.." and couldn't think of anything to finish the sentence with! I can't keep them behind or send to another class (different year group). I could call home but that seemed a bit extreme. If I wanted to move their seats we'd have to reclean the desks and chairs first.
Fortunately most have been absolutely fine.

@Mistressiggi "make you stand up for the rest of the lesson!" - ??

We all need to think of new ways of reinforcing boundaries!

@Ickabog

which isn’t really the point when you’ve headed off a meltdown and they need their favourite corner in the library or a bounce around the Hall.

Do you work in my school? It's the same here. You can't predict when they need those 5 minutes away, and preventing them from doing this feels cruel. I also worry about how disruptive it will be for them and other students.

Haha, I didn’t take the as suspicious, there’ll be a lot of us doing what we can do with mainstream inclusion. The sad part of it is our school is bloody brilliant at inclusion and that’s down to the ethos of the school and the staff it recruits with that at the forefront. Now we are juggling bubbles and separation of staff and that just doesn’t work for those children.

The sad part of it is our school is bloody brilliant at inclusion and that’s down to the ethos of the school and the staff it recruits with that at the forefront. Now we are juggling bubbles and separation of staff and that just doesn’t work for those children.

It's heartbreaking.

Are we allowed to put Milejuppismybitch's list in here?

@Mistressiggi

I had a moment in a class last week when some girls were mucking about, had already been given the stare, then told to stop, and then I kind of went "or I'll.." and couldn't think of anything to finish the sentence with! I can't keep them behind or send to another class (different year group). I could call home but that seemed a bit extreme. If I wanted to move their seats we'd have to reclean the desks and chairs first. Fortunately most have been absolutely fine.

I am quite worried about my first lesson as it has a bolter/non complier in it, and as far as I can see I am not allowed to use any of the normal things that we are allowed to do?

I had a moment in a class last week when some girls were mucking about, had already been given the stare, then told to stop, and then I kind of went "or I'll.." and couldn't think of anything to finish the sentence with!
I had that with Dennis before the summer. I decided "slap your sunburn" would suit. He's got such fair skin that he was bright bright pink. His response was "yeah but you can't get that close" so someone else suggested that I use my sword to do it.
He then said "I've missed you miss" 😂
I normally threaten them with a stick sharpened at both ends. That's more effective than threatening them with SLT.

I've got the Teachers theme tune stuck in my head now.

Thanks Staff

I continually dispair at this government. We all suspected this.
Firm with links to Gove and Cummings, involved with the A levels

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/20/firm-linked-to-gove-and-cummings-hired-to-work-with-ofqual-on-a-levels

I’m also trying to ignore the predictable and ignorant teacher bashers elsewhere on MN today.
Having spent most of the summer turning my Key Stage 3 lessons from computer based to paper based, I was unfortunate that a flood in my school (just what we all need ), rendering more computer rooms out of action, means I have spent the last week manically changing an enormous amount of Year 10 and 11 lessons to ones for a traditional classroom (and the new guidance last night meant extra work for me today) that comments about ‘where have teachers been since March?’ can FUCK OFF!!

Sorry guys. Back to the toffee vodka....

Just read the angry thread and wish I hadn't.

One good thing about going back is I won't have time to read MN...

Oh chloe that sucks.

I've done nothing in principle this summer. I know nothing therefore anything I do could be futile.

Thanks Staff

I've had my official timetable today. Not quite the same as my unofficial timetable so I've spent the day tweaking my planning.

I think our kids will be quite good to start with, but when the shock of coming back to the 'new normal' wears off I think behaviour might deteriorate quite rapidly.

I have no idea how our TAs are going to be working - which makes doing seating plans quite hard. There's a couple of pairs where I'd normally have them close so one can take advantage of the other's TA but if there won't be a TA in the room they'll be better off apart.

I'm worried about my bottom set 11s. I didn't have them last year and they've got three Science teachers this year - so I only see them 3 times a fortnight. It will be difficult to build a rapport I think. None of them engaged during lockdown, so they'll be totally out of the habits of learning.

I’m SENCO. I have no idea how we are going to help the young people in our school who either have an EHCP or piggyback off of other’s support. I have had parents of students with SEND emailing me all week, because they, and their children are terrified... and, I have replied because what else can I do? Saying that we will do our very best to do the best we can do. Know long full well that it won’t be good enough. Meanwhile, shit loads of mardy parents on here are complaining Johnnie or Mary-Sue “wont like it”. Tough titties, they’ll just have to get on.

Ive spent the summer moving everything onto online in case as FE was going to be 50/50 so 50% of mine was to be delivered remotely. New guidance basically says remote learning not encouraged so now I need to replan everything face to face...

That sounds so tough Cheese. As you say there isn't much else you can say to them, but it's heartbreaking. You know the best ways to help your students, but you're not able to implement them. Simply because your hands are tied by some tosser in the GOV, who has never set foot in your local area let alone your school.

Which is the angry thread please?

Checking in. Wow moving quickly

@cheesecurdsandgravy My son is undergoing ASD assessment. When he was in reception he was barely meeting expectations. Last year he met all expectations and mastery in two areas thanks to the amazing TA who worked with him. She took him out for sensory breaks and massaged him. I am so angry at our government for not implementing proper safety measures and all the parents spouting rubbish on MN about the ‘vulnerable’ and ‘disadvantaged’ but probably have children who are neither or know any, it just suits the ‘back to school’ narrative. Luckily my son’s school said the would still run Cook Kids for infants only so he can still benefit from that.

Here’s to all the fab Sencos and TAs 💐

@ohthegoats www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4008760-To-be-really-angry-on-behalf-of-teachers

*Cool Kids