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

School near me closed earlier this week.

Multiple cases in multiple year groups. Heard on the grapevine it was chock full of Covid last week when they had 2 yr groups home.

And it's in a very leafy, middle class "we don't get the type of disease here!" area too.

Welcome to the second half term of autumn if we carry on like this 😩

Every single secondary school in my "half" of our city has cases (except ours) and almost all our closest primaries. There's no way we don't have cases, too. People just aren't keeping their kids home or getting thrm tested.

We allegedly still have no cases. I do not believe it at all. Our parents are not getting children tested . Three reasons :

1. they don't want to have to SI themselves 2 they don't want DCs missing school for two weeks
2. the government has told them it's a cold and not to be so silly

Gav is beginning to show why he was chief whip. Don't let noteven know he nearly apologised on all our behalfs there.

FOURTH reason:

4. they know their own DC is unlikely to be very ill so can't be doing with the faff.

I’m mentally preparing for an announcement that, despite schools desperately trying to follow the ‘guidance’ given, we are all stupid, wrong and should now only isolate children with a positive test.

OMG is that Dutch thing actually happening??

Read the BBC article about how the contact tracing app works. If you have a total of half an hour within 2-4 m of a positive, you're a contact and told to self isolate.

So that would be in a classroom then......

Interesting issues for schools, will teachers be told to turn tracking off whilst in school?

What about students?

NB as the data is kept private (on the phone) neither you, nor any authority, is told either who is positive, or that you've been told to isolate, so there is no following this up/potential fines etc.

Here we are:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54250736

It's for over 16 year olds so could affect some of Y11 upwards.

I did see passing mention of this on Schoolsweek. DfE a while back supported schools who banned phone and now want schools to use them.

IMO this will be another incentive for parents not to get their DCs tested...

schoolsweek.co.uk/government-suggests-schools-relax-phone-bans-to-allow-use-of-nhs-covid-app/

I was thinking phone bans irrelevant as your phone only needs to be on inside your bag?

It has to be intentional here.
They know kids should be wearing masks. (And have to to go for covid test or i imagine hospitals etc).
It just looks like they are incompetent or care about kids being uncomfortable etc.
Then the fines too.

It doesnt seem like london is as effected so make it more likely to continue this way

Well that article means loads of us get up 900 points in a classroom potentially don't we?

My DSis was at an outdoor, SD gathering Inna garden at the weekend (Wales) and her care-home worker friend tested positive yesterday (the test was done last Thursday). My DSis works Inna primary school so is SI but hasn't been contacted by track and trace Her details have definitely been given.

Two schools near me have sent bubbles home. One primary one secondary.

I’m just hoping I get a week with all my classes so I can drill them on the plans for working from home. I honestly thought it would be October / November before there were bubbles removed and school closures.

Ha! my school's web protection blocks the Fail!!!

Omg kids complaining about being cold and open windows. Told them to put a vest on and they looked horrified.

School will need to issue something about jumpers and coats in lessons because I cannot cope with having that argument five million times a day.

I had that argument about open windows the other day. Told the student concerned that such things as jumpers exist. Apparently no self respecting year 10 would be seen dead in a jumper. So you'll be cold then, says I. Student shuts window. I insist it is reopened or will have to issue a consequence. Still not opened, another consequence. Ended up "sending" the student for infringement of Covid risk assessment....
I'm now unpopular as parent complained...

I don't care about children being cold , but I can't work with the windows open! Last year the heating broke in my room in January, they couldn't manage to fix it. By Feb my chilblains we're hideous. I tried working in gloves but I couldn't type.

Apparently no self respecting year 10 would be seen dead in a jumper

My six year old is also appalled by the idea of a jumper. Not really sure why.
I’m with Robert I hate the cold. I hope we let the kids work in coats come winter time. Although it will make hiding and using phones in lessons much easier to do.

First positive case in yr11 today - whole bubble sent home to isolate for 2 weeks. Several other schools in the city have had positive cases, and this is an area with low cases. I was starting to feel okay about being back, but this has made me feel very anxious again.

Marking place. I've been lurking for ages. Am watching the calendar considering a last minute resignation.

Hi alldonein things must be bad if you want to resign. Hope it gets better for you soon.

twitter.com/tes/status/1309158575030382592?s=21

Only a third??!

Yeah that seems low!!
I am getting fed up of kids requesting work because they have a cold! If they have a cold they need to go to bed!

This is a big expectation shift.