The Twenty-fifth Republic - circuit breaker before/during/after half term

[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 and you will receive a detention

@DrMadelineMaxwell my DCs are in one of the three LAs that offered one day in July but extended this half term. They are off now for two weeks, so we're having to juggle childcare next week. Really hope they offer key worker provision if half term is extended further.

@DrMadelineMaxwell what tier area are you in?

So confirmation that is schools who are in areas moving to tier 2 will require masks in corridors/communal areas etc as of Monday. Information came out this afternoon....

No tiers here. Wales and living in a local lockdown area. Masks already required in secondary corridors but no mention of primary, were fine to carry on regardless it seems. My own dd got a message not to go to school today amd is now isolating until the middle of half term.

I am so angry tonight. Watching pundits and scientists point to fancy little graphs showing a rise in cases, being used as some sort of social and medical experiment by the govt.
It. Is. Schools. Colleges. And. Universities.
Just like anyone with even a smidgen of scientific literacy said would happen.

Fuck it, I've jumped in💪

Evening. Very upset kids in first lesson today. A boy in their class wasn't in today because his mum got a positive result yesterday. Didn't keep him off whilst she was waiting for her results so had been in class potentially infected. Kids furious because none of them have been told to isolate even if they were sitting next to him.

I'm feeling better after my over tired and hormonal couple of days. Apologised to professional tutor for being overly negative about the hassle incurred from difficult trainee and explained why only to get a reply saying that she too had been tired and hormonal and over sensitive.

I will plough on with the trainee. She taught a whole class with someone else this week and got lots of pointers for improvement from them too. I've given her written feedback and set her a 45 minute slot to plan, resource and deliver for next week and recommended she uses it to show she has reflected on the feedback she has received.

I closed the classroom door for the first time today. A colleague next door had taken a kid out of the room and was giving him a complete old school bollocking and my year 8s were enjoying listening to it far too much to focus on their assessment so I shut it just till the shouting was over.

Had a 'drop in' today from HOD. Amazing how it doesn't matter how long you've been teaching if someone walks in to observe you you feel like you've suddenly lost the ability to speak or think coherently lol. Really nice feedback though so it went ok.

Can't tell you how glad I am that it's the weekend! Probably don't need to tell you as no doubt we're all feeling the same. Only 2 sets of assessments to mark and record this weekend, another 2 on Tuesday and one on Thursday which should mean zero marking over half term thank god. Meeting with HOD about targets and working towards threshold on Monday.

I'm still thinking circuit break unlikely. Maybe later on but pattern seems to be we have to have rumours and speculation for at least a month before this government acts.

Forgot to say I'm sorry about your Mum Piggy - hope your sister is keeping you update. Awkward if you're close and need her to know what's going on. I know you say you and your mum aren't particularly close but it's still tough so or or - whichever you prefer.

Sorry about your mum piggy hope you get some good news soon.

God this week has been hard. Most of my classes are lovely (ok maybe not lovely but manageable). Two however are horrific, 4 kids sent out. But when they were collected they refused to leave.

Means I can’t teach the class whilst they are being dealt with. I’ve had this 3 lessons in a row now, so the rest of the (really nice) kids just see me as completely ineffective due to the 4 disruptive ones.

Thank god it’s the weekend. I just find myself dreading every lesson with these two classes.

@CallmeAngelina

Hard to tell. This is the same child who told me his mum also had cancer - and then self-corrected and said, "Oh wait, I might mean asthma!" But I showed the Head who shrugged, put the note in her drawer and said, "Nah, doubt it." We're doomed!

Oh god! Rather flippantly shrugged off!

I'm just being plain rude on the NEU thread now. I don't give a shit any more. Speaking of NEU, I'm thinking of switching from NASUWT who continue to call for nothing at all.

They're a lot more expensive salty. I went with NASUWT because they offered me a year free as a new member and NEU wanted crazy money even for part time.

However my school doesn't have a rep and when I enquired with the local branch by email to ask if we had one they said no and asked if I wanted to be it. No clue what that entails but fairly sure it makes you even less popular with SLT.

@SaltyAndFresh I've come off the NEU thread now... wish Genie would go back in the bottle.

I'm a member of both....not that either are up to much at the moment.

I should as well. I'm feeling feisty rather than defeated

What's the monthly NEU fee? I think I pay about £13 a month.

No clue what that entails but fairly sure it makes you even less popular with SLT
It does Honey, but it's like going round with a holster on your belt. They know you know things

I need a proper TA. We just can't keep our children safe. An exhausting day, I can't wait until half term.

What is little owl's website address? The one about the updates for counties/local authorities.

@Mistressiggi

No clue what that entails but fairly sure it makes you even less popular with SLT It does Honey, but it's like going round with a holster on your belt. They know you know things

This is true. I am one of the NEU reps in my school!

Covidmessenger.com

@SaltyAndFresh think the NEU is approx 30-40p more per year for full time membership...

NEU full time: £191.79
NASWUT full time: £191.40 (without political fund, whatever that is!)

@TheHoneyBadger what part time are you? I am 0.6 and therefore only pay NEU around £96 for the year. I think with NASWUT I wouldn't have got a discount until I dropped to 0.5...

0.4 When I looked back in summer the difference was quite steep plus nasuwt give first year free which cinched it. Maybe it was the difference in part time fees that I noted. Too tired to go looking sorry.

I like the idea of a holster. I know things and have a habit of sending emails that clearly imply what I know when people are being dickheads but dickheads generally don't care lol

Thanks @Poirot.

Political fund means you pay a bit extra into the union's support for /membership of the Labour Party. Can't remember exactly how that works. Unions were forced to make it optional for members to effectively contribute to the Labour Party some years ago (by Thatcher probably?)

Really sorry to hear about your Mum, Piggy

Morning! Am dropping back in to say hi. I’ve been off mUmsnet for a while because it was actually making me ill to read all the horrible comments about schools and teachers.

Also, I haven’t had time to turn around three times since the start of term. Behaviour is deteriorating at an alarming rate and the kids have forgotten Covid exists- apart from when someone sneezes.

Have been giving it my best go on the NEU thread but it has attracted the same two posters who could argue up was down when it comes to schools 🤦🏼‍♀️