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

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Oh my, I have a year 7 with Attitude (note capital A). I'm sure they normally don't start huffing and eye rolling until at least spring term of year 8.

God knows what she'll be like by next year if she carries on like this.

We sent a right crew up from Yr 6 to Yr 7.
Apparently, one of the girls got a detention on Day 2 for skiving off lessons and extreme rudeness to a teacher.
We did warn them!

@CallmeAngelina

Ours don't believe us when we tell them what will and won't be seen as acceptable. They think we are exaggerating but, every single year, they come back saying how right we were. Usually, their stories are not about our former pupils though (thank goodness).

We have had pupils over the last couple of years swear at teachers on transition days.

We've consistently had year 7s in referral from day 1. They are just so cocky. I blame the cocooning they are getting from being "zoned".
By contrast, our other years (especially year 10 and 11) have massively improved their behaviour. I think they are genuinely grateful to be back on school for however long it lasts....

I've got a couple of delights in year 7. But at least that's the class I only see once a week. My poor friend has to teach them 3 times a week and she's treating her hair out with them already (they are still pussy cats compared to city kids though).

I also have a very glamorous image of piggy's mum. Shopping trips in NY, with lots of men falling at her feet. I suspect the reality is somewhat less glamorous.

My day has been rather full on, with a full day of lessons, detention duty at lunch and then bus duty after school. I'm knackered!!!

One of my year 7 classes reminds me of the year 8 "behaviour" class I had a few years ago, plus some usual types. They seem to have bunged them all in one form group and allocated a permanent TA to help. I am however having communication difficulties with this TA due to their strong accent, and due to them being with the class full time, they don't really do emails either.
I know it's my difficulty, but it's got to the point where I try not to talk to them because I was asking them to repeat whatever they said so often, it was embarrassing!
To be honest I'm not used to having a TA either. The only time I've consistently had a tA for a class was when I had a BSL signer in my lessons, which was amazing!

Just got home after 'just' being asked to update my CPD log with 5 minutes to go before the end of the session. Also been landed with a phone consultation evening soon. Still haven't marked half my books at all this term.

Omg some of you are really having a tough time of it at the moment.
I feel guilty as I'm actually having quite an easy ride - I'm part time anyway, don't have a tutor group, and due to 2 maternity returners I'm even under time tabled!
I'm sure the work will pile on soon though (haven't set an in depth piece of work to mark yet, which I should have done last week.... Oops).

I've got the difficult class this year. Ah well.

I made a 55 year old man cry today by talking through his planning and discussing how it wasn't really alright. So that was nice. Erk.

We also had inset, because what we're all worrying about right now is dual coding, working memory and cognitive load.

As a bonus though, next Monday and every other Monday for the forseeable, I am having supply in my class so that I can take out the kids who need a boost/have fallen behind most during lockdown. We got £80 per child, so that's how we're using it. Not every child is getting anything extra, just those ones who could be at age related if they got a little kick now. Not the SEND or PP or EAL kids, but those other invisible ones. So that's nice. Been planning some lovely activities with children who won't push it all on the floor and walk out.

ohthegoats sorry you had to do the talking to the underperforming teacher. We had one of those a few years ago, partly in my department and I had to plan together with him as I had a parallel class. That was hard going, but at least someone else had done the difficult conversation before we started planning together.

It's lovely that you'll be getting to do lovely activities with the invisible kids each week. I'm sure that will do them, and you, a huge amount of good. Enjoy it!!

Ohthegoats such a difficult situation.
I'm glad the invisible children will get a bit extra - I'm always aware of them in my classes, but short of cloning myself, it's difficult to give everyone what they each need!

I gave him some planning to sort out for the next 3 weeks. It's not the hardest thing, it's a subject we always discuss together before the planning happens... but he totally panicked. We basically carried him through some mental health stuff last year, but it can't carry on indefinitely. He went to the English lead for support/help, and from her feedback to me, it's as if he's not been registering anything for months. Probably it's going to grow legs.

My head has decided all ups teachers will coach 1-1 after school for 20 hours in the spring .

I'm ready to quit after being invited to a formal meeting to discuss my attendance. I've had to test twice this month for a cough, and then self-isolate while waiting for results. But apparently now I've had too much time off sick

Actually, what I am going to do is quietly look for another job, and leave as soon soon as I can. I'm very good at my job, and this school doesn't deserve me.

to everyone else dealing with poor leadership

My head has decided all ups teachers will coach 1-1 after school for 20 hours in the spring

But.. but... the class teacher knows the children best, and knows where the gaps are?! I'd hate to have to tutor a child I didn't know.

I'm not even going to spend any time with my year 3s initially - I know the 4s so much better, so going to hit them with it all first. Arguably their need is more urgent, I've still got another year with the 3s.

@marplemead

I'm ready to quit after being invited to a formal meeting to discuss my attendance. I've had to test twice this month for a cough, and then self-isolate while waiting for results. But apparently now I've had too much time off sick

Actually, what I am going to do is quietly look for another job, and leave as soon soon as I can. I'm very good at my job, and this school doesn't deserve me.

to everyone else dealing with poor leadership

I didn't think Covid related absence could be used in normal staff attendance records?!

Our kids have been told they have to use internal stairs to go up and outside fire escape stairs to go down. Been raining today and there were a couple of "incidents" so now we need to teach them how to go down stairs safely...,

@marplemead

I'm ready to quit after being invited to a formal meeting to discuss my attendance. I've had to test twice this month for a cough, and then self-isolate while waiting for results. But apparently now I've had too much time off sick

Actually, what I am going to do is quietly look for another job, and leave as soon soon as I can. I'm very good at my job, and this school doesn't deserve me.

to everyone else dealing with poor leadership

I hope you're taking a union rep with you!

@marplemead I'm so sorry.

We also sent some shockers up to year 7 this year. The hardest yeargroup I've taught in a very long time. One y7 lad got detention on the first day (only y7 in for the first 2 days) and has carried on in that vein and won't be long before permanent exclusion.
Like a pp, we warned them!

My new class are lovely, but blimey you can tell they've missed nearly 6 months of y5. Getting any year 6 worthy work out of them is a trial at the moment. As is getting some of them to realise that they need to sit quietly when they are working and not hum/sing/talk to themselves.

U4T are frothing tonight ... anyone seen?

@colourofblue

U4T are frothing tonight ... anyone seen?

The thread about teachers willing for schools to close?! What is that poster on?!

Oh it’s on social media ... some school did a role play they didn’t like, or something. Schools initials are AT.

@colourofblue

U4T are frothing tonight ... anyone seen?

Have you got any links?