The Twenty-third Republic - school attendance not great - half term to be renamed circuit break?

[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

We have been told to stick rigidly to the rota for teaching and then a TLR is uploading resources onto Google classroom each week which match the rota (a link to an oak academy lesson). So we only have to provide work for KS5 for isolating students. I imagine if we end up with a whole class/year out that might change - but for now we are teaching full time so not expected to be setting extra work. I think my school is getting a lot right, it's the government I'm unhappy with...

I'm marking year 10 books and uploading resources for / scheduling Teams sessions. Yay for the weekend.

What was it about riga?

Restrictions, shielding the vulnerabe and the wonderful' herd immunity view'

Not sure if this has been shared yet...

Covid-19 in Scotland: Sharp spike in infections among teenagers www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54314910

Surely to goodness they need to ramp up mitigations at secondary level (masks in classrooms/tier 2...)

Have just started a new thread about it

And quite high up in the Guardian - a third of all outbreaks now in schools and Universities (I think it's higher as a percentage in the UK? =

Where you have now encountered the Scots Mafia monkey….

I know thanks @Piggywaspushed xxx I haven't got the strength

In other news, I find this worrying

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/sep/27/uk-schools-told-not-to-use-anti-capitalist-material-in-teaching

I ma more concerned about the alt right in kids, tbh. This implies that's OK but not XR , for example.

Can't see how one teaches a whole swathe of A Level (and even GCSE !) subjects with this diktat! If I teach sociology ,am I supposed to create enquiry, or tell them Marxism is 'bad' and the New Right are obviously correct...

Our friend Prof Woolhouse. Note the bit at the end. Infuriating double standards!

Prof Mark Woolhouse, who sits on the government's pandemic modelling group SPI-M, said the situation was "entirely predictable" and had been modelled.
He said students were not to blame for the outbreaks and with students converging from around the country it was "inevitable there would be some spread".
Modelling showed the risk areas were first-year halls of residence and face-to-face teaching, he said

“ In the global league table of incompetent pandemic management, the UK is doing something highly unusual. Its school year is starting with minimal infection control” www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4035247--In-the-global-league-table-of-incompetent-pandemic-management-the-UK-is-doing-something-highly-unusual-Its-school-year-is-starting-with-minimal-infection-control

I actually think I hate this man:

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/27/too-many-children-tested-for-covid-leading-study-schools

That doesn't make any sense, piggy. Schools aren't opening and closing because we're testing too many children, they're closing because pupils are testing positive.

If we were testing 'too many children' then that implies too many negatives, but that would have no effect on school closures, because the kids are negative.

The move is clearly towards stopping testing them so that their attendance isn't affected by waiting for tests. I predict.

The paragraph in the middle about older teens and insufficient data on the middle one drives me bonkers. It's like teenagers don't count. Unless at university.

I was just reading an article about Israeli schools that said that middle schools were the biggest driver of infections because the younger ones were more obedient and the older ones understood the importance of following rules but the middle schoolers were just all over the place.

I have been working since 7 this morning, aside from an hour's walk and lunch. So flaming tired after four hours' sleep. And becoming more inefficient by the hour. New school, new systems to get used to, I suppose. Hope other people have had a nice weekend ☺️

Anyone with an ounce of intelligence can spot the spin here to distract us from Dido's cock ups and lack of foresight.

Guardian article quoting a GOSH doctor: we're testing too many children, schools must stay open. Quotes the JAMA research which says children (under 10-14) don't get infected as much, insufficient evidence as to their ability to transmit:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/27/too-many-children-tested-for-covid-leading-study-schools?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Oh sorry just realised I missed reading several posts. Yes I'm not feeling warm to wards Dr Viner either.

Viner is obsessed! What's his problem.

Still no care for the teachers and family members.

Viner also is not an epidemiologist.

Good luck everyone for next week.

That is an annoying article
Because even 40% less likely - im going to use 50% as easier
8m children
1/500 adults infected so 1/1000 children at 50%
Thats 8k children a week!
So it's about the huge number in none SD environment. Even if only 1/8 actually infected anyone at school that would be 1000 cases a week.
Also you would think he would be paying attention to that children have different symptoms and helping to push for testing kids for situations where they might actually have it. Because yes it's a waste testing the wrong ones. Kids do get flu and so the likelihood of covid+flu deaths due to combined symptoms being worse is a risk.
Children also need to see drs but try seeing one of those with a kid with a slight cough even if it's not persistent and thats unlikely.

I copied this bit on the numbers thread:

Most of the CTSs were undertaken when strict social distancing measures had been introduced, eg, closures of schools and workplaces and restriction of travel. This would have reduced contacts outside the home, especially contacts between children, but it may have increased contacts between children and adults by increasing the household contact rate. The number of contacts nominated and traced for those younger than 20 years was low compared with adults in some studies,12,23 which may have introduced bias

The tone of the actual research piece is extremely tentative. Why Viner adopts such a bullish tone in public is beyond me.

DS is now spluttering...