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

@Halifaxgirl

NeurotrashWarrior have you seen the revised EYFS goals ?They are dire in my opinion and written with no / little understanding of child development.More an attempt to push the year 1 curriculum into EYFS

Oh no really?!

That's shit!

Where is that from DrM?* * That's shocking!

Daily fail graph (sorry) from public health england figures.

Previous week for comparison.

It doesn't specify, so could schools and colleges also inc universities?

Another bubble popped. Not in the town I work in this time, but the one I live in. Nursery staff and pupils home isolating due to a positive case.

Think it must include universities.

Yes will include universities, they can't come under any other category.

There werent that many uni ones as they are only just opening. Expect lots more this week.
Maybe the focus was on pubs as it's within individual control
1 if you are vulnerable not to go
2 not much mitigation parents can do short of moving school.
3 i would suspect outbreaks in soft plays

If they are intentionally losing control i would have preferred them to do this in the summer holidays so at leastvapart from work it wiuld be people's choice and their immunity better and less colds.
At start of sept i justassumed schools would shut again within 4w with this useless plan

School in Merseyside closes after 40/1100 found to be positive in whole school testing, only 15 had symptoms.

PHE seem to think it's community transmission leaking into school....

www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/18753228.principal-pens-letter-parents-four-students-staff-member-test-positive-coronavirus-rainford-high/

(I should go and do something else,but before I do...)

Has anyone been informed by their school of the new guidance about use of the T&T app in educational settings? We certainly haven't!

There's a whole document, published on 22 Sept. It actually seems quite sensible and written by someone who knows something about secondary schools, eg this para:

Settings might also want to consider how the app features in their behaviour policies, for example making clear how they expect students to use the app in the setting and at what points it is appropriate for them to check their phone for notifications. It might also cover how intentional misuse of the app (such as logging symptoms they do not have in order to receive a recommendation to go home and self-isolate) or checking the app during lessons, in contravention of mobile phone policies, will be handled. Settings may want to think about whether it remains appropriate to confiscate phones as part of their behaviour procedures if a student has the app. If phones are confiscated, staff should ask students with the app to pause contact tracing before the phone is removed.

Covers staff use too.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-the-nhs-covid-19-app-in-schools-and-further-education-colleges/use-of-the-nhs-covid-19-app-in-schools-and-further-education-colleges?fbclid=IwAR2X7kLHiIVPmsVZeWQDejDkzY0xLRcc2S_-7FYYXRZv2JMxCAoPslRvepQ

DrMadeline that’s shocking. Why do they think closing pubs and restaurants for two weeks but leaving schools open is going to work

We had some posters with QR codes go up but I have heard literally nothing about it, and been given nothing to share with sixth form either.

What’s the point of logging into school when they will know I’m in school anyway?

BRTUS are calling for it for parents at drop off (primary obvs)? Apparently to counter the rumours that they are the ones spreading it although I've not heard that anywhere!

@noblegiraffe it's a more accurate track of who you've been close to than memory, I suppose (presuming it works)?

The guidance presumes that it will be a useful addition in schools. It will be interesting if it contradicts any school/PHE acting on school's info decisions!

Re: assessment in English. I only teach y10 upwards so this is bugging me a lot. I've always done timed exam questions for GCSE Lang and lit - so we might do a Paper 1 q1-3 in a lesson in timed conditions as well as the formal assessments in the calendar. I'm really ramping that up just in case. Same with year 13 who obviously need more time. We now have 100 minute lessons, which helps...

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8780333/Too-children-tested-coronavirus-paediatrician-claims.html

Apologies for the Fail link but is that the same paediatrician who publicised a paper early in in lockdown saying schools/kids didn’t spread it? Now he’s saying kids are being tested too much.

What’s his agenda?!

Those statistics are awful. Don’t schools in Liverpool go back a week earlier than most of us?

One of my ks4 students developed a cold so bad she had to leave school immediately last week. Back in after a day. Two friends now sick and being tested. She’s back out today. Clearly not a cold then 😖.

And tests @MrsHamlet. I’m desperately trying to do as many written pieces as possible but fitting these in + missed course + revision is proving difficult.

Appu this is the Fail nicking the Guardian's article published yesterday and upthread. Not sure what Viner's game is, really because he can be reasonable about some things. he is coming at it as an paediatrician not an immunologist or epidemiologist. He only cares about how sick kids get as such because he would deal with the really sick ones. Because this is rarely happening he doesn't see a bigger picture.

It's also all part of the British 'thrifty' culture. Mustn't waste tests. They are a 'precious resource'. Make do and mend etc. Goes directly back to the WW2 psyche.

Wait... schools have a QR code??

Annoying how they the media are jumping in the Viner report today.

Also I can't find the report on Brtus can anyone help about the Jama report?

@HerdyGerdy we've pulled the 19th century novel so we've just got Lang left do, which helps.

I think the QR code is for visitors. Obviously we know which staff are in and when and the app (if in your pocket and not a drawer) will help establish close contacts (only with other people who are using it, though...)

Anyone can generate a QR code apparently, using the website I think.

[quote MrsHamlet]@HerdyGerdy we've pulled the 19th century novel so we've just got Lang left do, which helps.[/quote]
So we hadn’t done the play. It would have been logical to drop that but that wasn’t the decision made. So now it’s desperate learning of the play + catch up and all that 19th century novel learning is lost.