The Twentieth Republic - all back and its time to bubble bubble ...

[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, especially if you have not used the hand gel. Close the door quietly on your way out and put your mask on.

Or in both my dc schools and the one I work in - you wear your kit all day, no changing.

Sorry, "pe" not "or"

Ours come in kit on days they have PE, but not on days they have Games.

Secondary here and ours are wearing kit plus blazer for any PE/games/dance days.

Interesting morning here (only 8 emails so far today!). We were randomly selected by the ONS for a years worth of COVID testing - they come bi-weekly for swabs and monthly for bloods - the nurse came for the first set of bloods today. She was very disparaging about the GVT and schools . She had to ask lots of questions about how many people in each age group we had had SD (>2m & >1m) and not SD contact with. She asked my school roll number, and just put that for every single answer about young people

I like her!

Yeah, it's not working at my place. Not SLT fault, the logistics of school are making it nigh on impossible.

I'm exhausted already.

That sounds useful, @cheesecurdsandgravy. Do you get to know results each week?

Yes. Ours are wearing pe kit on pe days. Ds is doing gcse pe and I suddenly realised he needs more days in kit than out of it. I have one school uniform normal pe top and one rugby top. Uniform shop is shut. Wtf?

I meant fortnightly. Dur. Anyway, yes, they will contact us if we test positive. The blood tests will check for COVID and antibodies. So that’s cool too!

Thank you. It appears ours are taking their kit in on pe days and getting changed. They've not got their lockers, which is inconvenient. But I am much more concerned about the actual getting changed and messing around potential.

Right, I spoke to a member of SLT today who has said that I can give out essential paper

We can't give them glue sticks and can't pass paper back and forward between pupils and teacher but I can use some paper.

This will make my life less stressful!

That is cool cheese. My own school kids seem to be changing at school (I don't teach pe.)

But I think DS has to go in in a kit.

@phlebasconsidered

Salty, primaries vary enormously because they are essentially fiefdoms. Your child's sounds great! It's good to know there are good ones. Good for your child too. Mine is utterly shit. Not even a one way system. Still handing everything out and collecting it in. No masks or visors, not even a bit of tspe on thefloor. Nothing. Business as usual. But it's ok because the head says we "own" the risk. And i've been given a bottle of hand gel.

That is fucking disgraceful. Your HT needs their arse suing.

Of 30 mins lunch break, I'm now down to 20 mins after wiping tables, sorting a register and distributing books for next lesson. I've been run ragged since 8:10 and have only just had chance for a wee. I've just realised we're on break duty every day unless we can find an opportunity in the staggered timetable to share with a colleague. I've cleaned four times today already and will have to do so again before someone else's form comes in.

I've just inhaled lunch alone in my classroom as half the dept is still teaching. My next class is due in 5 mins.

I can't do this for long, it's miserable and stressful (I cried again! )

No bloody wonder Salty, that's awful.
Our schools the pupils spray and wipe their own desks.

No spraying of kids desks at all here.... it’s really bad you get no time. Our school has kept a canteen area free for staff one of the two breaks we now have.... we can’t buy any good at the mo but we can sit there. Socially distanced. Like we’re in a big detention 🤣

That's rough, @SaltyAndFresh. Parents would be up in arms if pupils cleaning meant they had just 20 minutes break and then they had to eat in a room on their own. Yet being an adult means we have to accept it as part of our working life.

I'd love to know how many U4T parents have a day's work that looks anything like yours.

Not for the easily offended Boris supporter.

Just come back. No cleaners on site til 3.30. (that's not quite true ; their is one who comes in around lunch). The sixth formers come in and wave dirty cloths at things. There certainly is not a new regime!

SD is definitely not a thing.

THERE! Aaargh !

First day teaching today. Was nervous but it was fine. I actually have my planning for Monday done and all resources.

I have a document folder for each year group with plan and resources and put the ones I need in a cloth bag with laptop, remote, board rubber and pens. I leave my trolley in the large rarely used main block staffroom and use that as home base. We’re moving they stay put obviously.

Loads of sheets today. I’ve gone for having them in a folder in advance, sanitising and taking them out and putting them somewhere then getting a student to sanitise, then hand them out, then sanitise again. I don’t see what else we can do unless we learn levitation spells.

I am surprised that I’m not feeling anxious and there’s a nice atmosphere around as you pass staff between lessons. Does feel like we’re all in the same boat and supportive.

I honestly feel like I work in a different school now I’ve escaped science I’ve only done one short day of teaching though so not sure this positivity will last. It was nice being Miss Badger again today.

The sixth formers?
I wouldn’t be allowing my teenager to act as an unpaid cleaner. Not that I agree with teachers doing it either.

You won't be surprised to hear that my school ahs kids get changed in the filthy unventilated overcrowded changing rooms.

@bettsbattenburg

Not for the easily offended Boris supporter.

Is this real?! 😲 Wonderful work! 😂

@Piggywaspushed

Just come back. No cleaners on site til 3.30. (that's not quite true ; their is one who comes in around lunch). The sixth formers come in and wave dirty cloths at things. There certainly is not a new regime!

SD is definitely not a thing.

It's appalling that the government has supplied no extra money for more cleaners.