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.

@KatherineOfGaunt

I'm worried. My team are across year groups but we were together in a room for at least a day last week. If I'm positive and the whole lot of them need to isolate... What an absolute nightmare for our kids. I feel so guilty I'm not going to be in with them tomorrow.

You may be able to go in. I was tested at 4.30pm and had my result at 8.15am the following day. I would set your alarm anyway and check if your result is back before writing off the day.

I know others have answered this already, but having done tests for the whole family a week ago I didn't use any nhs numbers.
I noticed the form asked for our jobs, I don't know if it runs any kind of priority based on that or if it's just for records.

It said it was asking for jobs for track and trace. Don't know if it prioritised as well.

I'm just going through work for next week and my timetable.

Mixed age group class, no intervention time available. I've literally no idea how I'm going to do it. Logistically I mean, let alone mentally/consistently.

I'm going to ask TeacherTapp to ask a question after next week about how sustainable teachers think their Covid systems are from a workload perspective.

I have no idea where I have time to teach any foundation subjects.

The thing is, already (judging by a couple of threads on here) people are thinking that because schools are back, it should be business as usual. So, forget Social Distancing, even forget hand-washing (one notable poster > TAs can take them in small groups whilst the rest wipe their hands over everything in the room get on with something else!
Teaching as effectively as we used to do is almost impossible (manipulatives for Primary maths? Hearing readers 1:1? Marking work? (schools vary in advice on this one), but how long before we start getting slated for not doing all this? Not signing reading logs as quickly as we used to? Why aren't all clubs running?
It's all going to be our fault, when frankly, at the moment, just turning up is a major psychological achievement for me. I can function until someone complains - then I may walk!!
Not in the mood for it.

I'm already considering resigning, going to see how things are in a month as no rush. But have mentally told myself if it's still awful by mid-October I'll walk. Part of me thinks secondary will be online by then, which I didn't enjoy but I can cope with.

I'm not in the mood either. I'm never in the mood first week of September though! Going to give it until half term, then make a decision.

I only have a TA for 2 mornings a week - and that's only if no one is off sick, as she is our main sick cover.

To top it off, partner has seem to have forgotten that my job involves working part of the weekend. He's also forgotten that I looked after our child for 3 solid weeks everyday on my own while he worked during July and August. He's got a cob on because I'm needing to work today and he is on childcare. Raaah.

Goats mine has a cob on top. He’ll get over it/remember who cooks his dinner soon enough.

I think pointy sticks can be used on husbands too can’t they MrsHamlet?

Can reading logs go kline (i would find that easier anyway.)
In lockdown i just added to Tapestry.
Or you could maybe keep a log at shool but parent updates something online so not going home.
Im really hoping school will get online reading books as the thought of sitting on the bed with a book half the class have had makes me feel blergh.(as i say other bugs can last for longer on surfaces, not sure about paper though)
Dd1 is taking a home book in to read to herself at school. Which is i guess not ideal.either but at least it hasnt been shared.

Interesting it could be so quick, @Flagsfiend, thanks. I will get my lessons prepped so either way the kids will have something to do tomorrow.

Could you use a shared Google Doc as a reading log? Have one for each child and add parents individually to it.

That sixth form thread is really hateful. So much entitlement.

I hope you’re feeling better soon Katherine.

We’ve been told no books at all are going home. Mine have chosen a personal reader for school and are keeping them in trays. They’ll be quarantined before they’re put back in the library.

Why did I look at the 'my kid has a cold thread'. Parents are going to send their children in whatever and itll be our fault for getting ill/closing school.

So many threads of parents not testing because
They had snot
It wasnt a dry cough
They always get a cough

I'm supposed to be sending books home with a reading record, but I don't really want to, so haven't set it up yet. Books would have to come back in on a Friday to be quarantined over the weekend. Thing is, kids on book banded stuff get through 5 books a week sometimes, we just don't have the resource for that to be out of action all week. If they just circulate the ones I keep in their bubble for now, then I can put them somewhere else for the weekend, and then swap with another bubble on Monday.

Hope you're ok Katherine and you get results quickly.

All scratchy throats become coughs for me, it's how my asthma manifests. Can't wait!

All teachers have to add a day to what ever they do ime. For many years when I was single young and keen, I'd sometimes have to work both weekend days, if I was going to exercise classes during the week.

I've had to book an extra day at nursery for my toddler as I a) started to have so much paper work to do it was a full days work, b) Dh would get a bit of a cob on and it made the weekends smoother and nicer generally, c) I had some health issues and need to pace - can't work in the evenings anymore, and now resent it too.

I'm low part time so it's not a huge difference for him. I resent the cost as bit but pre Covid the in-laws were covering one day and we'd actually been able to use all the child care vouchers I'd saved during maternity till just before lockdown. In a year his pre school hours s should kick in and hopefully the in-laws can take him an afternoon here and there. So I reason it's 6 and 2 threes.

@Keepdistance

So many threads of parents not testing because They had snot It wasnt a dry cough They always get a cough

I think this is why some feel tests are swamped/ running out.

But they could have COVID and a bug. And symptoms are different in kids.

My school is adamant just the three symptoms.

I'm somewhat in the middle; I feel more testing is a good thing. At the same time, I don't want there to be huge shortages! Not our fault though...

Lunch tip; high protein, quick make, quick scoff.

Precooked bag of brown rice or mixed, grains does two days, pop in a tub. Throw in frozen peas and edamame beans, some salad and hoisin sauce the night before. If want more, add cheese (or tinned sardines/ mackerel if you want to annoy people!)

Quite liking that at the mo!

Neuro

I'm the same, my cold has given me a cough (negative test) that will last for weeks now. If I do pick up COVID I'm not sure I'd notice. I'm being super alert for any loss of taste/smell and temperature, but I am a bit worried I'll miss the start of it if the unlikely happens and put more people at risk.

Thank you everyone. Just had my test. I'm not ashamed to admit I got upset in the testing centre. The whole thing is so alien, not being able to see faces properly and everyone staying back and having to follow all these instructions and everything else. I really felt isolated in there (which is how it should be, but felt so unnatural). At least I could hide in the booth and focus on the task at hand to keep the tears at bay.

@NeurotrashWarrior - what do you mean by a "cob on"? Not heard that before!

I was thinking of emailing our pastoral head, questioning his use of a BBC article which says that "sore throat is not a symptom." He linked this in the parents' weekly newsletter. Sore throat is listed by the WHO and others as a symptom, just not one of the main ones!

But I know it's difficult as school has to basically follow government advice. And normally the BBC is a reliable source.... or at least, used to be....

A 'cob on' is a strop.

Aww Katherine sounds tough.

We're going to do some work on our house later this year (yeah, I know, this is probably a stupid idea). After that I'm going to ask to go 4 days a week. If I can, it means I can work a bit on that day, while also getting a bit of time to do things like have some time on my own, but also drop child off and pick her up and do a playdate option/go swimming/whatever. Frees up a weekend day for partner to go and do the time on his own at the weekend, and me not have to spend some time when we could do something the three of us, on work.

I was 4 days a week until last September, and it was great. Although I had child with me, we used to go swimming, do the weekly shop, change bed sheets and do loads of washing, clean the house a bit and so on.

I'm not bothered about a 'career' thing right now, so this would tick lots of family boxes while we can afford it.