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

Thanks phleb. DS had a fab primary experience so obviously the unknown is a bit unnerving. I’ve seen kids like him thrive at secondary so fingers crossed.

Yeah, the pass and everything is all sorted and he gets to use the disabled loo (which should mean easier handwashing away from judgemental 'what you doing that for' sorts and a full soap dispenser!) and has permission to eat in class if necessary. It should be fine. I used to work at the school so that helps as I know who to complain to to get things sorted. He has a CGM system in place (continuous glucose monitoring) which unfortunately is a bit bleepy and looks like a phone so I am geared up for a fight with the first teacher who tries to remove it from him! But even with all that in place, I am still very anxious. It's a horrible condition.

It will be good, noble, I'm sure. I think possibly it's worse as teachers because we know that some of our colleagues are better than others at the special needs stuff. And it's so different in secondary to primary.

Anyway, need to get on. My bag(s) is packed ready for the inset. I have anti-bac wipes, a wet/dry bag for masks, a lanyard with a pen and sanitizer attached. What could go wrong?!

DNiece has done really well at secondary with ASD.

My son is also starting Y7. I think he'll enjoy it more than primary; I just hope his smart mouth doesn't get him in trouble.

Oh you’re really on top of it all then. I’ve had a bath to relax and washed my hair. Can’t cope with wet hair in the morning as it makes my face even sweatier

In my youth I had bog standard panic attacks in my 40’s I just get a really hot sweaty face when panicking or flustered. Really attractive. Doesn’t help that I’d walk to school in the cold air then enter a ridiculously hot staff room with air heaters blasting.

I’m already feeling embarrassed at how sweaty faced I’m going to be from racing from one end of the school to the other and scrabbling to connect the laptop to the board etc.

I’ve had emails from my new hod and she seems lovely which is a welcome change on the last two years. Going in early tomorrow to have some time with her before everyone is in.

We’ve been out hill walking today and now DH and I are drinking. Probably not the best way to be dealing with the start of term 😆

Literally feeling sick with worry today. Going into to my first host school for inset tomorrow. Worried about the school, the staff, the PGCE, the covid thing, my own children moving up years. Just everything really. Also I thought I'd be eased in gradually and didn't realise that I'd be expected to teach 10 hours from the outset.

I have been packing my bag ready today. Have a notebook / diary, pens, sanitizer and tissues. Anything else I'm likely to need for an inset day? Will I need the teacher planner as well?

Timetable and if you can, class lists.

It’s really annoying sitting through a briefing where they say ‘Johnny’s dad has just died, Sophie has broken her leg so all lessons will be moved to the ground floor and Bertie has just joined Y8 from abroad’ and you don’t have a clue if you teach any of them.

I’d take your planner so you can put things in on the right date.

I hope tomorrow passes quickly for all those who are back in
Got my first negative test back, hooray.

@noblegiraffe

Timetable and if you can, class lists.

It’s really annoying sitting through a briefing where they say ‘Johnny’s dad has just died, Sophie has broken her leg so all lessons will be moved to the ground floor and Bertie has just joined Y8 from abroad’ and you don’t have a clue if you teach any of them.

I’d take your planner so you can put things in on the right date.

God yes! Epi pens, hearing aids, have to sit at the back etc etc when you don’t even know who they are or if you teach them.

Also emails that say so and so student has had a bereavement and they don’t even say what class or year they’re in.

And breathe.

@Enoughnowstop

Yeah, the pass and everything is all sorted and he gets to use the disabled loo (which should mean easier handwashing away from judgemental 'what you doing that for' sorts and a full soap dispenser!) and has permission to eat in class if necessary. It should be fine. I used to work at the school so that helps as I know who to complain to to get things sorted. He has a CGM system in place (continuous glucose monitoring) which unfortunately is a bit bleepy and looks like a phone so I am geared up for a fight with the first teacher who tries to remove it from him! But even with all that in place, I am still very anxious. It's a horrible condition.

I would ring school and ask them to put on SIMS under the note section or in the diabetes information bit for him, that his monitor is a bit bleepy and looks like a phone. Most teachers will then just ignore it, also being warned will help deal with other students asking about bleeping. I did once forget and say something by accident to a student who was testing in class once (but apologised when I remembered what it was, although I did point out to him that he didn't need to give a running commentary on what he was doing to the nearby students whilst I was teaching).

I’m hoping our planners are ready for collection tomorrow. Still can’t get my head around the idea of teachers having to buy their own planners.

I might go a5 this year if there’s an option. Usually I like the space of a4 but I have enough to lug about this year

What are thoughts about visors?

DS1s school has vulnerable staff wearing visors.

We don't at mine.

And then there's the emails which just use the student's initials .....

(GDPR, I love you not!)

Have just seen this on a Facebook page. Presume they’re worried about attendance in Scotland??

I'm vulnerable and i've been told no visors or masks because it's already "safe" in primaries (even though I teach year 6). Trust wide policy. It's wank. Our secondary is allowing them for vulnerable staff and BAME and over 50's.

I haven't joined in these threads before so hello everyone.

I teach 0.5 in a lovely secondary school which has 2 days INSET Thursday & Friday and 2 afternoons in a local primary with INSET tomorrow and kids in on Wednesday. The Head of the primary has just emailed me an invitation to Zoom INSET so I don't need to go in . Having worked myself up, I'm now not sure what to think. DH has a new job which starts tomorrow so he will be doing 160 miles of driving, but after that he can mostly WFH.

I hope everyone has as calm a week as possible...

That is wank Phleb.

Welcome to the calm before the storm Malbec!

Hi Malbec!

Even my lovely year 11 thread is getting infiltrated by anti maskers and anxious U4T types and I am avoiding my university thread until they stop with all their cliches about young people missing out on so much ....

Interesting thread started by NotDonna , though, on CAGs etc if anyone wants a proper civilised discussion about assessment and exams.

I found this on visors:

Seems masks are more effective.

www.insider.com/face-shields-did-not-protect-people-from-coronavirus-swiss-outbreak-2020-7

Sound, Appu they’re also worried about testing centres being overwhelmed by kids with runny noses.

Welcome Malbec!

You know the ones we aren't allowed to wear.

My test came back negative. Phew! Think I'm going to keep my mask on tomorrow though - I'm sure my colleagues don't want my stinking cold either :)

frl that's a relief! But yes, keep your cold to yourself by wearing a mask.