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

Oh three coughers now!! That one was phlegmy...

Gawd! Where is your nearest sink for the hand-cougher to wash? Call SLT and chuck your toys out of the pram?

Sending sympathies from here. Proper support (with virtual gin) this evening on here!

Phlegm one might be OK.

I assume if you could send them out you would have.

I have nc’ed because I have had enough and need to rant without outing myself

Firstly, I had a bit of a (kind but firm and understandable) telling off which was partly my fault and partly because I was asked to do something I shouldn’t have been asked to do. Head is being kind about it but I’m stressed and embarrassed that I didn’t deal with it better.

On top of that, I’m also being asked to break our risk assessment with our intervention groups. We have different year group zones in our school which is working really well, but , like most teachers, I don’t have my own base to teach from. That part is fine, and works well for teaching normal classes but when I teach intervention groups, I just have to take them wherever is empty. So I would have to teach year 7s in a year 10 zone, for example. All the desks and chairs are cleaned between classes, but the doors probably aren’t, and while I was ushering in a group of year 7s, and few year 10s came last very close, and I’ve spent the whole weekend worried that I haven’t protected my year 7s

Posted too soon!
And it’s causing me so much stress to go against our risk assessment even though this is what SLT is telling me to do.

Now realistically I know that as year 7 and 10s have the same break and lunchtime as year 10s they’ll be coming into some limited contact with each other (and each other’s germs) regardless, but I cannot deal with it potentially being my “fault” if a year 7 gets ill because of where I’ve had to teach them.

Currently taking a late break in my car (staff room closed of course!) to scream into the void.

But Spanish, you can't "protect" your Year 7s. You do the best you can to follow the school's protocols (which you are, even if they're inadequate) but ultimately this is not your fault. You (we) are being put into untenable situations and expected to cope.
Please ease up on yourself.

I honestly think that if we're told to continue working in these conditions of there's any kind of lockdown, that should be the tipping point. Where are the fucking unions?

I have a cough, temperature and headache. It might not be Covid but with a case in our school on Friday it might well be. I've been chasing a priority test today from people who can't help me properly because they're WORKING FROM HOME

What @CallmeAngelina said. And remember the government guidance only says "where possible". All you can do is ensure windows are open in the classroom.

Do the bubbles mix at lunchtime at your school, ours are kept separate?

A couple of things that might help, Spanish. Firstly, the risk of catching Covid while passing is low. It’s one of the reasons why going to the supermarket is usually listed as a low risk activity. Secondly, while contact transmission is possible, it doesn’t seem to be very common. It certainly isn’t going to be the major cause of transmission in schools. Wipe down what you can, but don’t worry too much about what isn’t.

The big risk is in the classroom with lots of time spent in poorly ventilated rooms and lots of pupils in them and a lack of social distancing outside school. As Angelina said, you can’t protect your year 7s you can only do the best you can, but I’m not sure what you are doing puts them at a hugely increased risk anyway.

I don’t know if this helps at all. But the info in the top left corner might be useful in helping assess risk

Hadn't seen that one before @RafaIsTheKingOfClay, thanks.

Not too comforting in general for those in schools however:

• "Stop wearing face masks" is high risk - how's about never wear them?

• "Send your kids to school" is at the higher end of medium risk - never mind 'work in one' .....

I like the chart, but do disagree as it is showing risk but not time.
Time and repeated exposure would increase risk. So school 1 day may be medium but being there for 6x5 a week.
Same as 1 bar maybe ok but everynight for 6h would add up.
i guess as well the type of people you are mixing with. So planes i would expect risk takers around you.
Same with school you may have sensible parents or risk takers.
But obviously you have people's jobs too so it's not just social.

That’s why I hadn’t posted it before. Although school is slightly lower risk than I’d assumed.

I’m not sure how accurate it is tbh. There’s a few things on there that surprise me. I’m not sure how playgrounds are as risky as cinemas. I’d have assumed less since they are outside, but I suppose it depends on how busy the playground is.

I think maybe some havent revised enough to the aerosol transmission. Also in many countries wearing masks now in schools and until food arrives in some restaurants.
And yes is the playground risk surface or other children. The local zoo was literally buzzing round the playground areas.
Is it possible surface will come more into play with playground with weakening sunlight and colder nighttime temps. Ours are largely metal. As is the gate to get in

It does have time listed as one of the risk factors. I like the fact it considers covidiocy a risk factor. I suspect that’s high in schools.

But I think it’s important not to consider ‘school’ as one risk factor. Different things that happen will have different risks. So passing in a corridor would probably fall down the lower end, where as complete carnage as a whole year group works its way through the 1 way system would be a higher risk, and classrooms probably higher still. Which is why I think it’s possible to break a risk assessment in some ways and not significantly add to any individual child’s risk of getting COVID.

Aaaaannnddd now we have had the shingles alert go out!!!

Surely thats not a risk as they wouldnt be touching each other? Plus most teens would have had CP
Are they sure it's shingles not a covid rash (15% i think)

Oh piggy. (But I didn't know there was such a thing as a shingles alert?)

Don't know whether anyone's watched/listened to the Whitty/Vallance briefing yet, but I'm sad to have to report that my liking for the former has decreased slightly - entirely due to his succumbing to the modern misuse of "literally"!

Oh yes. Had this row on another thread but shingles is notifiable : ie of there is a case we must be told, especially for pregnant women.

We have coughers dropping like flies today. All being sent home.

Btw : PP laptops. My PP students are having to give them back! This isn't the deal surely?? That said, these were never HM Gov laptops. The idea is they only need them for remote work but my PP needs hers for her NEA...

Not that you were rowing august!!

No social distancing or masks blamed, huh?!

But I thought schools were Covid secure!?

Glad they're going home piggy. Ugh it makes you feel infected doesn't it?!

The thing that annoys me about the coughers though is they got sent in !!

Thanks Piggy. (However** your clarification left me momentarily wondering whether I'd somehow claimed to be using a pair of oars by mistake...)