The Twenty-second Republic - the DfE have no idea, Gav MIA, bubbles in and out

[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

I’m really low about it to be honest. I feel horrible.

I wonder what the staff turnover is like at the letter school. I can’t imagine any HT that would write that letter hasn’t flagged up his bellend type tendencies in some other way.

I just need to winge: just spotted an email I missed from reception 'child x's mum says she can't read your comment on Satchel, can you call her'.

1. how the flip is she getting notifications of comments if she can't then read them?
2. I only extended the deadline, such a pointless phone call.
3. Am I the only teacher setting year 7s homework or something (as per policy), that makes it MY issue that they can't get on the system?
4. Why is getting kids and parents up and running with the IT not done and dusted by now? (Not a Covid issue, happens every bloody year)
5. I literally have no idea what their end looks like. If this is my job I need more training.
6. I know (unofficially) that homework is about to become 'optional' due to lack of effective sanctions, so doubly begrudge having to make time to phone home about this shite.
7. I bloody hate phoning parents.

@monkeytennis97 - I do accept that. Honestly. I'm saying what our nurse is going through right now. They're really tearing their hair out and fear they can't do right for doing wrong.

I've had emails this evening detailing the 'plan' - I believe we are at the stage where if we lose 1 more teacher, we don't have enough staff. Some are waiting for tests, others SI due to contact elsewhere than school.

I've learned that there is a dedicated 'education' line at the nearest test centre, where the schools can out a referral in and sort staff appointments for tests.

We've had a Lea reminder about social distancing - but in much more polite terms than that headteacher one. It still touched on making sure we SD in ALL locations, inc schools. I suggested to dh I'd have to take a metre rule in and make sure i was appropriately distancing. It was physically impossible with one young student today as they need an awful lot of input, almost constant in some lessons, just to be able to get some of the work done.

colourofblue.

Can you do something nice for yourself to distract you tonight? Perhaps watch a comedy on TV or something.

Colour I quit a teaching job in my twenties and got my Dad to phone up. I should maybe have done it myself but nearly 20 years on. I don't regret it as I was struggling at the time.

I agree don't start maternity early though.

Just read the nhs thread. Scary and depressing.
Why does BJ insist on running headlong into the crash.
The secrecy means the schools can't plan anything again.

[quote minisoksmakehardwork]@monkeytennis97 - I do accept that. Honestly. I'm saying what our nurse is going through right now. They're really tearing their hair out and fear they can't do right for doing wrong.

[/quote]
I'm sure it's stressful but being in a classroom with 30 of them, windows that barely open and a persistent cougher with no masks and less than 2m between me and the kids is pretty stressful too...if a known previous recent absence gets sent to you by two different teachers and all of their peers are stressed by the coughing too it should be taken seriously I think...

@colourofblue

I’m really low about it to be honest. I feel horrible.

I think that's pretty normal. I can vividly remember sitting in the car shaking about having to go in, and feeling shit about going home. I cried a lot every day.

Would anyone be prepared to look at an email I’m planning to send? I won’t post it here but on PM.

Of course

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

I might MrsH. I just didn’t want to be THAT member of the public who complains when schools have enough on their hands.

I still need to think about the issue of getting home once I go back though. In reality leaving anywhere between 2.45 and 5.30 is going to involve bus loads of kids who haven’t been practicing SD all day.

I honestly think it would be fine - I mean I’m assuming you wouldn’t be writing an angry accusatory type email and just saying you heard what they said, it’s not surprising given gov guidance it’s confusing so you just wanted to mention it type thing. It’s safer for them, for their families, bus drivers, all passengers and you so wonder all round!

@colourofblue been there too. Get signed off straight away, don’t self cert for five days. You don’t need to do anything at all. No work, nothing. I would probably say what’re I was in topic or whatever but that’s it. You will feel the weight of the world lifted once it’s done and you know you don’t need to go back. Take care

Re the coughers - we have both types. For the most part my school have been great, they fill in a form/get assessed. We make it clear to the student if we send them home they’re parents will need to take two weeks off work and so they need to be sure they really ARE unwell (obvs to those trying to get sent home/out of lessons). We’ve only had one who clearly should have been sent home, sent back to lessons. If that happens to me I am going to sit them in the corridor on a chair and not take the risk. I’m diabetic and I’m not risking it....

You’re right.

I might get one of those N95 masks just for the bus tbh. I know the mask is supposed to protect other people from you but if half the people on the bus aren’t going to bother I don’t really see why I shouldn’t think of protecting myself better.

@SaltyAndFresh

Can I confess something? I emailed the 'letter' school. The head is as rude one-to-one as you'd expect from the letter and has a lot of time on his hands. I genuinely think he's set a dangerous precedent, hence the email. I'd rather clean rancid festival toilets for a living than work with him.

I know I'm way over-invested

Good for you!! He replied? And was rude?? What did he say?

I won't quote him directly on here because it was a private email, but he suggested I hadn't read the letter (just seen it in the press), insisted he had been supporting staff who had made a mistake and made a PA comment about me thinking working parents should be kept in the dark about it. His tone oozed contempt.

What an arse.

And, ohthegoats, "bluebloodedamphibian?" May need another clue. Surely you don't mean our friend with the dh who's a HT and another arse?

Salty the worst thing is he has still stood by the letter as it’s still on the school website. So no remorse at all.

@ohthegoats I know who you mean 😁 (sorry @CallmeAngelina!) but, what’s the thread?

We understand working parents, as we are also working parents. Arguably working parents with less flexibility than lots of others.

The thread about keyworker children.

Basically schools should be childcare, and we shouldn't moan about it. Somehow keyworker children should be getting a test on day one of isolation, and coming back to school. Considering that's not currently allowed for anyone else, specifically their teacher, I'm not sure how that is supposed to work.

Just feel like crying today... so worried about DS in his care home and not being able to see him again over the winter. Last time was so hard (from mid March to early June), he didn't understand why we weren't there. Worried for DH and I as secondary teachers. Big blubbery tears right now.

@monkeytennis97. So many unmumsnetty hugs right now. You’ve made me cry too. I still haven’t even spoken to my mum since the week before lockdown. Her care home has never opened as her area has never for their numbers under control. When I cal the careers tell me she is in ‘good health’ but how can she be? She has had no contact with the inside world for 6 months. 💐

 @motherrunner  to you too. I'm so sorry you haven't been able to see your mum, it's so so awful and I don't think I'll be able to carry on teaching other people's kids if I can't see my own. My heart is breaking at the moment at the thought of it. DH told me to stay off the 'dot coms' this morning (he means MN, as he knows how upset some of those 'all back at school regardless' posters make me feel). It's unbelievably negligent (on the government's part) how schools have been opened. Where are the voices of the unions?! What with the coughing kid yesterday and worrying about DS.... hope you are ok @motherrunner , hugs to you too xx