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

Back from distanced dinner in parents garden. Ds had to keep being told to back off from people because he’s so used to being a year 9 student he forgets everyone else is distancing.

All is shite if you focus on it but I’m making black currant gin in 2l Kilmer jars and have managed to blend my hair and roots fairly successfully so by 2020 standards all is 👍

I’ve drank a fair bit of family dinner plus leeway for covid alcohol so maybe overly optimistic but tomorrow and the rest of the week is looking good and that’s gonna have to do

I keep reading about this 2-week circuit break over October half term but haven’t seen any details about it. Has anyone else or is it another DM ‘testing the water‘ idea?

I wonder if it’ll be 2 weeks off for schools plus pubs and restaurants, dentists, hair dressers and shops closed?

Or schools still open for KW, (plus providing online lessons) and pubs etc open but they close a bit early?!

I actually can’t see any restriction other than a ‘proper’ lockdown having much impact on decreasing the numbers at all.

If they leave it until Oct half term then it will be too late. We’ll be back at hundreds of deaths a day by then.

I reckon the switch to blended learning can’t be more than two weeks away.

Dh says there's some sort of announcement on Tuesday?? I've not seen it mentioned elsewhere though?

Cases in Newcastle have gone bonkers. I can't see the restrictions having much impact, especially when so many are ignoring them.

There's loads of different levels of restrictions being discussed, and time scales varying from within a week to half term or even later.

Looks like Scotland may hear from NS tomorrow, us from BJ on Tues. London local restrictions in next few days looks likely as Sadiq K doesn't want to wait for government, he's unimpressed to say the least.

All reported by BBC.

Nothing about schools closing or even moving to tier whatever though....

Surely universities in next fortnight are crucial to the picture? At least some of them can do their own testing though (eg Cambridge, but also others).

I think we’re very much into play it by ear territory but potentially with very slow reaction times.

They’ve repeated schools will stay open so repeatedly that presumably we’ll have to regardless of local figures.

I’m at the stage of having to hope we are magically immune or have already had it. My understanding of reinfection is the second time around you’re broadly asymptomatic but??

I want to go to Cornwall with my parents at half term. I'll be pissed off if I can't.

Oh my Good Lord, have a look at the last few pages of the sweeping measures thread if you want to see where the real nutjobs hang out (apols for lack of pc ness)

I was reading War and Peace today (as you do) and found this but rather apt and whimsical.

Pierre (our protagonist) spies a propaganda poster which tells the Muscovites that Napoleon will never reach Moscow and not to panic. Pierre therefore concludes the French have nearly reached Moscow and will be there within days.

They all also go out panic buying and in the next chapter Napoleon has a cold and bemoans his loss of taste and smell.

neuro, I read 'announcement by Tuesday'

Thanks for that cultural contribution piggy! Could never get into it myself.....

Only 580 pages to go....

DS read a comic strip version of War and Peace in his comic and asked me to get him the real version. He’s an excellent reader but I do think it’s just a little out of reach of even the most precocious 9-year-old...

Haha. I had a year 7 claim to have read it a few years ago. And Les Miserables. I grilled him intently on the sewer (LM) and farming (W&P) descriptions and, yes, he'd definitely read them!

Wowzer.

Never mind what the government say about schools staying open! When (not if) there's enough teachers having to SI / care for their SI children / shield (its return having been rumoured, and it obviously needs to be), schools will not be able to stay open.

I think the extended half term idea might be favoured.

Short sharp shock message saying if you keep on meeting up for birthdays parties and all that jazz then things will not get better. Wear your mask properly, stop thinking rules dont apply to you otherwise Christmas will be cancelled.

Took DS back. Went out for a long walk with DH. Thank you all you wonderful people on Staffroom for your lovely words. We had a lovely day. Dreading going back to the non socially distanced germ pit tomorrow... costing me about £30 a week for PPE for DH and I... just got it all ready for next week.

@Danglingmod

Haha. I had a year 7 claim to have read it a few years ago. And Les Miserables. I grilled him intently on the sewer (LM) and farming (W&P) descriptions and, yes, he'd definitely read them!

Oh my god, the sewer descriptions 🙄

My posts keep disappearing.

Speaking of PPE / face coverings, has anyone bought or made a fabric mask yet that isn't stifling? I'm having to stick with disposables so far because fabric ones are just unbearable.

My problem is they all make me sneeze!!

I'm using KN95 masks that i buy from Lloyd's online, after seeing another member of staff in them. They are quite shaped so stay off your nose and mouth area. I wear fabric ones for quick shop trips etc.

I really like the pleated ones with a nose wire. Because of the pleats they stand off your mouth a bit.
I got mine from Mabel and Mu.

Haha. I had a year 7 claim to have read it a few years ago. And Les Miserables. I grilled him intently on the sewer (LM) and farming (W&P) descriptions and, yes, he'd definitely read them!*

Maybe I’ll try him with it then! He could definitely read it and even understand it but seeing as he mostly chooses Dog Man books I’m not sure he’d find it as gripping as he hopes.

I’ve made my own pleated masks and they’re definitely best for me. I need to shove a bended paperclip in the top hem though to make a nose strip bit to keep them off my face properly. The shaped ones I don’t like at all.