The Twenty-first Republic - All back but for how long? Why is Big Gav still in post?

[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.

This was it... (obviously don't follow this if not in Scotland!)

It is essential that people who have COVID-19 symptoms, or who share a household with someone who has symptoms, do not attend school, nursery or other childcare settings, and must self-isolate along with all members of their household. If the test is negative, self-isolation can end for everyone. If the test is positive, Test and Protect will give you further advice.

Cold-like symptoms
If, however, your child does not have symptoms of COVID-19 but has other cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, they do not need to be tested and they and you do not need to self-isolate. Your child can go to school if fit to do so

This was posted on the numbers thread and is possibly helpful:

Not sure if this has already been posted (apologies if so) but the latest guidance from the Royal College of Paediatrics suggests that those children presenting with cold symptoms, including sore throat, should only be tested if they also have a high temp:
www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/covid-19-talking-children-families-about-returning-school-guiding-principles

Interestingly my friend in the NHS was told to stay home until all symptoms cleared.

Wouldn't be because they want kids in at all costs??

As an aside, I've had my temperature taken at a hairdresser and a cafe, and both times it was in the 35s, borderline hypothermic. Forehead thermometers are worse than useless because they will be missing high temperatures.

@NeurotrashWarrior that goes to Error 404, but is it the coloured decision tree one?

It is beyond ridiculous that we - educated, concerned people - don't understand the rules. You can see why other countries have HCP advice for all.

Maybe I should say, can't find a concensus/ easily remember the rule for each situation.

@Piggywaspushed

Interestingly my friend in the NHS was told to stay home until all symptoms cleared.

Wouldn't be because they want kids in at all costs??

Our policy is not the cough of the loss of taste/smell because those can last for a while.

It does however say isolate and test for any upper or lower respiratory tract infection, which would cover colds.

When I got ill with what I suspect was covid in January I started with a really tight sore throat and then a constant cough for a day that was like trying to clear your throat but there was nothing to clear. My chest then started audibly creaking and I had to sleep propped upright on pillows to avoid the crackling and the sensation of not being able to breathe. I was wiped out energy wise. My breath never really got back to normal and I ended up back on inhalers for the first time in years. It also took ages to get energy and stamina back.

I suspect that was moderately severe covid but presumably mild might just be a bout of dry coughing for an hour and feeling a bit tired. Asymptomatic nothing at all.

I worry that I keep reading oh the cough didn’t last long so we sent them to school on the boards. Short lived is characteristic of covid where a chesty cough tends to drag on.

If we had enough tests people wouldn’t be making up all these interpretations. The lack of tests when returning to full schools is ridiculous. If it was quick and easy people would comply but as it stands many won’t bother

@TheHoneyBadger have you.been offered an antibody test? I had a negative one but I'd be interested to know if anyone's had a positive and thinks they had Covid some time ago.

Apparently the French government paying one parent of a isolating child is only until November; speculation goes that after that schools may be closed anyway, possibly....

My negative test a couple of weeks ago included the instructions that I could return to work if I had not had a fever for 48 hours and felt well - so I assume it's fine to return to school with a cough.

NHS advice says both cough and change to taste/smell can linger so fine to return with them if Negative.

The antibody tests only pick up relatively recent infections apparently. The immunity comes from memory T cells as I understand it.

I think schools should be reminding parents that children with d and/or v shouldn’t be coming to school anyway. This is under emphasised and might help us avoid kids in whose first symptoms are gastric.

Yes easy to forget advice on other illnesses/symptoms at the moment...

Been exchanging messages with a friend in Australia. She says their coming out of a second wave. Schools only opened for a couple of weeks between waves. $200 fine if you're out without a mask. 8 pm Curfew. Can't travel beyond 5 km of home.

On an entirely separate note, how many hours do secondary teachers in here teach? I have always thought our school is at the top end?

If you are a HOD how much time do you get?

@WhyNotMe40, @NeurotrashWarrior - we woke up to a coughing child this morning. Disappeared when we gave him his inhalers and he's not coughed once since so going with seasonal asthma again and making sure we do the morning/night inhalers.

Friend is freaking out about her parents even though school have done their best to reassure her as have I.

All good fun! And a reminder not to congregate in small rooms. I can just see the next note being not to be in staff rooms with more than 3 people being next.

@Piggywaspushed

On an entirely separate note, how many hours do secondary teachers in here teach? I have always thought our school is at the top end?

If you are a HOD how much time do you get?

We do 21 a week.

At my old school Hods did about 10 a week and my current school hods teach about 15 hours a week.

DH is still insisting we send the kids to school tomorrow then it's up to them to send them home.
He doesn't understand why I'm stressing about setting cover and kids potentially missing school. I want to book a test but he's adamant that we should wait for tomorrow morning to see if they are still coughing.

What an arse, Why.

Is he the one who takes them to school or is he expecting you to take them in against your better judgement and be the one to pick them up and face the school as an irresponsible parent when they get sent home?

After ppa a full timer would teach 22.5 hrs at our school (we’re on a 2 week timetable so basically 45 lessons per fortnight).

Not sure how much extra non teaching time hods get.

Plus tutor time and phase.

21 sounds generous compared to ours.

@noblegiraffe

What an arse, Why.

Is he the one who takes them to school or is he expecting you to take them in against your better judgement and be the one to pick them up and face the school as an irresponsible parent when they get sent home?

He takes them, I pick up - on the days I work anyway, otherwise it's down to me. He's so cross with me.

You’re the expert on school procedures. Wtf has he got to be cross about?

why can you book a test anyway? I assume he isn't always this much of an arse (my assumption may be incorrect, and if he is always an arse may I suggest you ltb).

Piggy we teach 22 hours out of 25. We used to do 21, but that was changed as a cost cutting thing 2 years ago. Hods get between 4-6 hours of hod time, depending on how big the department is.