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

I’ve just been for a walk and passed a little group of primary children on their way to a local school. They looked so happy, chattering away to their friends. It was bizarrely normal to see them.

That's nice @Saucery.

I was last a disastrous classroom teacher in the early 90s and my teaching nightmares only stopped about 10 years ago.....

@noblegiraffe I read Hunger Games for the first time this summer and absolutely love Katniss. It has to be said, formal education plays a very small part in that world. (Ritual slaughter, somewhat more....)

Thinking of you all today x

(Oh weird, in my last post 'disastrous' was crossed through but that didn't make it to the post, wonder why?)

Best of luck everyone

Whole NFER survey here :

www.nfer.ac.uk/media/4119/schools_responses_to_covid_19_the_challenges_facing_schools_and_pupils_in_september_2020.pdf

Morning

A friend of mine has been given a laptop from the government.

Her son has an online introduction day today via google classroom.

The computer has been set up to deny access to google classroom!

You couldn't make it up!

Hope all those back are coping ok!

@twinkletoesimnot 🤦🏻‍♀️

Just reading an interesting BBC (Wales?) article on how childcare problems are stopping parents returning to work. Grandparents not available, nurseries strangling with last minute guidance, etc etc.

Does anyone know, does the Welsh guidance mandate wraparound care resuming? I ask because of this bit from the article:

"It (the Welsh Government) added that school-run breakfast clubs were under a "legal duty" to resume at the start of the new term.

A spokesman said: "We would expect that as primary schools open, [school-run] breakfast clubs should operate as normal unless it would be unreasonable for them to do so." "

There's certainly no legal duty in the England guidance! It says wraparound care is possible but needs careful thought (or that's my summary anyway!) hmm depends on your definition of "unreasonable" I guess.

I want to cry. Not even hand wash in the toilet in our block let alone hand sanitiser in the block. No cleaning has been done in staff loo (toilet was disgusting) in our block. No removal of excess furniture.

Just a couple of tiny pedal bins and a poster saying how many people can go in our office.

Doesn't surprise me!

You might want to get your union to check they have flushed through the water system.

They never get schools cleaned for training days.

@monkeytennis97 that's awful and unsafe. Have you "voiced yr concerns" to anyone in authority??

[quote Augustbreeze]@monkeytennis97 that's awful and unsafe. Have you "voiced yr concerns" to anyone in authority??[/quote]
Am about to.

Definitely check the water system

@monkeytennis97

I want to cry. Not even hand wash in the toilet in our block let alone hand sanitiser in the block. No cleaning has been done in staff loo (toilet was disgusting) in our block. No removal of excess furniture.

Just a couple of tiny pedal bins and a poster saying how many people can go in our office.

That's ridiculous! You'd have thought that the bare minimum they would have done is put soap in the toilets!

Heard from our head today as we're not in till Thurs, still feeling a bit up and down with everything but the plans look good and our site manager is amazing so have every confidence it has been cleaned thoroughly in the 3 weeks the building was closed.

Sounds grim monkey.
Hope today has been ok for everyone else. We aren’t back until Monday, kids in from Tuesday onwards

I hope today has been/is going ok for everyone. Even though I am meant to be in the secondary school on Tuesdays and they aren't back until INSET on Thursday, I did my primary morning over Zoom and how rubbish was that! The best part was using the chat with some colleagues whilst the droning on was occurring. We couldn't hear most of it anyway as they were talking to the people in the room, not to the laptop. I don't want to out myself too much but when everyone was meant to be doing some bollocks activity, I did lots of catching up on Duolingo. The Head had bought everyone including the HLTAs a particular book of the latest teaching fad, but not me. They then did an hour on Rosenshine, which I did last year in my other school. Still, my German and Spanish have improved this morning.

Actual teaching of kids tomorrow but they are having 2 weeks of nurturing activities so I need to think of a couple of short nice pieces of music to play to them. Then I think I'm meant to be singing with Reception - what, how, why? Thinking of you all

Exhausted! Didn't even do thar much.

A couple of meetings and moved my books into rooms. Loads not wearing masks but apparently will once the kids come in.

Do I have to do it again tomorrow?

I'm in Wales. Our wraparound care opens monday but it is separate company that was set up and is run by a Ta who is also the manager of the club. No requirement for us to legal host it or make it reopen.
Other primaries in the area are not reopening theirs for a while.

Today was exhausting, and the kids aren't even back yet. Lots of last minute changes, sorting, preparing and finding things that have grown legs and gone walkies. Anyone else find it strange having so many adults in the building? Also the photocopier died on us obviously it missed the memo about moral duty and teamwork It doesn't bode well for the start of term. Is there any toffee vodka left, and can I have a socially distanced corner to rock in?

@WhyNotMe40

And whoever said about a WhatsApp group - I would definitely like to do that

That was me. I’m definitely up for that. Still catching up on thread

Turns out someone can't count. Not enough socially distanced chairs in the hall so sat through two hours of information in a chair in reception outside the hall doors. Couldn't really see or hear half out it, but that's ok because all the information has been sent out by email anyway.

No detentions at all - so our behaviour system is going to be a lame duck. Hopefully the kids will be so happy/scared to be back they'll behave!

No teaching tomorrow as year 7 have a transition day and I'm not part of it.

Go 4 schools will be updated by the end of the week apparently 😂

No duty rota as yet either.

Lots of 'play it by ear'.

My new department are so lovely and so on it and organised with resources and stuff. If it wasn’t for bloody covid I’d be the most positive I’ve been in September in years.

Covid wise it seems like other than zoning and staggered breaks and all the logistical rigmarole of that it’s basically business as usual but stay at the front of the room.

I may have exaggerated it in my head but it sounded like half of the new year 7s are on the Sen register and won’t have TAs and we need to differentiate to the max and keep checking in with their progress (when we’re not actually allowed anywhere near them) etc. We have kids coming who are working at ks1 level but parents are determined secondary mainstream is the way to go. Gonna be interesting.

Will stop my waffle there. How am I so knackered?

And is it too early for a glass of wine?

Omg I have information overload and yet still don't know everything I need to know!
Noone was wearing masks today.
Yr7 in tomorrow, but I only have one lesson with them so hopefully can get myself a but more organised.
Hope everyone had a good day

The way I'm feeling, it's not too early for gin!