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

It's off though that th e AS have low-key rates but have high infections of covid/flu in schools. I don't think it separates it out.
Seems more like people are getting it but less ill with it so when they mix at school a more vulnerable person may get it.

*SW

Father of a child in my class is awaiting test results 😖

Thank you @Keepdistance and @monkeytennis97 I’m feeling a bit better now and at least it’s the weekend. Just got an email to say we’re now on 9 positive staff tests, it must be awful for them and their families

Hi. Exhausted and very glad it’s Friday. Have a really sore and swollen feeling throat but no temperature and not much of a cough.

Haven’t checked email since earlier in the day and will do now. Yesterday we still had no positives but about 40 awaiting results. Will check that hasn’t changed.

Sorry for those struggling with stress or not seeing loved ones

Oh @AnaisNinja how stressful for you all :(

I hope it's kept out of the press. I've noticed BRTUS have hardly any of the schools affected in the NE. (A lot I only know about verbally.)

This is what we all feared but as my Dh said today, we had no idea it would be this quick.

Many hugs to all affected and feeling unwell.

@motherrunner and @monkeytennis97 I hope your days were ok; you can collapse now

I had to query something to do with SD with SLT this week; they were very supportive indeed. But I cried afterwards as I felt I was SD policing colleagues. But I'm CV, as are many colleagues and pupils and we have zero ppe or masks etc. Or SD.

I don't think things should be kept out of the press, though...the Covid deniers thrive on that.

My friend got a key worker test at a secret site within 4 hours of booking today. For herself and her DC.

I don't get the stats. There are (supposedly) more positive cases in our county's schools than there are positive cases full stop. One figure is not right and I don't think it's the school one.

@Piggywaspushed

I don't think things should be kept out of the press, though...the Covid deniers thrive on that.

Agree with this. It needs to be reported so the public realise how easy it is.

@Piggywaspushed

Chloe, have a look at ALGI in Facebook.

It's an organised movement....

Took me a while but was able to join Piggy, thanks!

Wow.
In amongst genuine criticism of the whole CAG system, are posts among posts of parents with such unreasonable and factually incorrect accusations that I’ve sat open mouthed reading.
Almost all blaming schools, no mention of the algorithm and only a few criticising Ofqual and

Barely any taking up the option of an Autumn exam and the one that I saw who was really-sitting, was asking if they could sue the school if the child scored higher than their CAG or mock and saying the child would do better with no help from the school. So practically 2 years of teaching the course counts for nothing, eh!?

I’m going to leave the group for the sake of my blood pressure!

This isnt just incompetence
It is strategy. Or negligence.
Otherwise they would remove fines.
All the charts said increase in oct- they knew what happened with swine flu. They have data from other countries saying kids spread it.
They have been hiding cases from the media.
If it were an error, then they would mandate masks immediately in classrooms. Or go to remote/part time.
Instead schools are implying it's the parents mixing at the gate! Like us all wearing masks will stop classroom transmission. (No doubt it's a good thing but a distraction).

@AnaisNinja I hope you are ok. Such a worry for all of you.

I'm exhausted. I've got a sore throat and my voice is hoarse. I have to keep reminding myself that I often get a sore throat and lose my voice in September. I also keep bringing my visualiser home just in case I need to isolate suddenly and set work from home.

I'm getting quite good at recording my examples during a lesson to put up online for any isolating pupils who miss a lesson. That's at least a few in each class now, but no more positive test results yet

I got my IpsosMori test in th post today. I didn’t expect it to arrive so quickly tbh, as I would have thought the priority was those with symptoms. Hancock certainly wanked on enough about that on the Today programme this morning! I’ll do it though, as they’ve probably earmarked those tests and courier time etc already and it won’t help anyone else get their test quicker.
You’ve to put it in the fridge when you’ve done it. How hygienic

I am very down and deflated (I know, I know, Join The Club!) at the latest restrictions. It’s not too much to ask that we should be able to sit in the gardens of our loved ones, it’s really not.
Pubs, clubs and restaurants are driving the spread now, second only to schools. Sick of the spin that it’s because we can’t stop hugging our grannies when popping for a cup of tea.

I have every sympathy with any teacher or school worker who feels the emotional and mental burden is too much, for whatever reason. I am considering being signed off with stress. I don’t want my only outside the house human interaction to be with 90 children who are nothing to do with me. 🤷‍♀️

to those who are finding this particularly difficult right now.

Well, I'm self-isolating within my own house because my husband is CEV and my ds is CV. That's pretty shit, isn't? Work teaching other people's children all day and then can't spend time with my own child or husband (but definitely not as bad as those with children or parents in residential care )

I got my test in the post today too. Can be done any time between now and 30th September - wondering whether to hang on to it just in case we need a test by then!

I've ended the week feeling quite positive about my own school. Sorry for those who are having it much worse. I've got raging mouth ulcers, can't even eat chocolate (boo), so obviously am still hugely stressed beneath the surface.

9 staff in the same school is mad - that should be publicised.

We've been told to mark stuff now. Wearing a mask and hand san before and after.

Can't take stuff home and have to be out of our rooms by 4:30 for the cleaners. But they've going to keep somewhere open so we can all squeeze in.

We're to take books in opened at the right page to reduce contamination (you can tell the guy in charge of T&L teachers a subject with A5 books, that fit in a box open, and has never tried to make a pile of open A4 books).

Am I balls marking books. I'll get them to do stuff on paper and mark that, and give them a feedback sheet to stick in, but I'm not faffing with 30 open A4 books. I'll do presentation stamping laps in my mask, that's live tick and flick surely.

I’m signed off with pregnancy related illness for two weeks. Still can’t stop worrying!

@Danglingmod

Well, I'm self-isolating within my own house because my husband is CEV and my ds is CV. That's pretty shit, isn't? Work teaching other people's children all day and then can't spend time with my own child or husband (but definitely not as bad as those with children or parents in residential care )

Got to ask ourselves why we do it for children not our own? Especially in your case, which is like an extra dollop of shit on top of the normal pile of shit this all is.

I’ll go and be miserable offline, now! Had a lovely day, didn’t take my phone as I found it helps not to have it to look at when out and about in nature. So got back to Soz, you can risk your health 3 days a week but can’t see your parents or siblings at all headlines, which pissed me off a lot.

@Danglingmod

I don't get the stats. There are (supposedly) more positive cases in our county's schools than there are positive cases full stop. One figure is not right and I don't think it's the school one.

School reports could be ahead - if it missed the deadline for counting in statistics it could be in tomorrows.

Also if schools are near boundaries students could be commuting across and so their test would be counted in their home location (not school).

@Piggywaspushed

I don't think things should be kept out of the press, though...the Covid deniers thrive on that.

I think I'd worry about locals gossiping about personal circumstances. Especially all the stupid stuff that it's staff not SD properly.

But yes I see the point of it being known about from the POV of this being a such a danger to teachers.

I've been marking all along. I do it all during the school day, while the children are there - I give them holding activities. Fuck it - I don't want to be spending hours looking at books after school, I want to get out asap.

If I'm not going to get to them quickly, I hand in open books, fold them all over in one lump, shove them in the box that way.

I'm marking year 11 tests tonight (thrilling Friday night entertainment!). I've brought them home. School have provided gloves for marking, but I am just washing hands before I start, then washing hands again afterwards. I genuinely don't think handling their books/tests is going to be the thing that infects me when I've spent 4 hours in the same room as them this week.

@colourofblue

I’m signed off with pregnancy related illness for two weeks. Still can’t stop worrying!

Colourofblue, I'm so glad and sending many hugs.

I meant to reply to you the other evening, please try not to feel bad about it, though I know that you will be unable to! I had various health issues in my first pregnancy but also then a slapped cheek issue too. I wasn't immune. It was incredibly stressful and anxiety completely took over. I felt so guilty and paranoid that others couldn't see the risks, It's been strange seeing the world be so scared of a virus as I had all that on my own for a while.

The Gps recognised the anxiety and the sources of it and that it was important to not be anxious (near impossible by the time it was the third trimester so much had happened.) due to summer holidays and being signed off with "pregnancy related illness" I was barely in.

I don't know if this of any help but there can be a perinatal mental health support service via your MW. It might be possible to organise some counselling. I (and DH actually) were more prone to postnatal anxiety I think as the pregnancy had been so stressful. Alternatively, Pandas is a really lovely charity who can help and they have a helpline. Just hear in h someone say "I'm not surprised you're finding this so hard" was such a relief.

I definitely think it's very easy to slip into uncontrollable anxiety in pregnancy for so many reasons. It's also very lonely I found. But completely understandable due to everything you've got on your shoulders. This is not a normal experience for you and I'm so sorry it's like this. If you need another two weeks, or more, please take them, and do not feel guilty.

Many women have to be signed off the last few weeks or couple of months of pregnancy due to a range of issues but often also because work environments are unhealthy.