Temporary broom closet in lieu of staff creating a staffroom

[TheHoneyBadger]

Just in case she got lucky and is in the one school that still goes to the pub.

That's a lot of equipment required- do clinical waste bins, gloves etc get delivered with the test? How are they disposed of - special collections or just left of the street?
(Good morning everyone- just popping in to grab some delicious ginger bread before heading off on an anxiety reducing run)

Sorry to hear your plans fell through, Herc, that's really disappointing.

I have stopped planning to do anything because I'd rather not plan than have it not happen. We had to isolate for most of the first week of the holidays due to DC needing tests at different times (inc Christmas Eve to Boxing Day) so not having any plans to cancel turned out to be a good tactic. But I am a bit worried about it as well, nothing to look forward to is pretty dreary.

It does, however, sound like it might be the only part of a school with a functioning one way system and SD!!

And I'm primary, but at the moment our hall is being used as a classroom, as they're replacing the central heating in each classroom in turn.
And the gym is a central thoroughfare and also used for lunches.

@HarrietDVane I've done 5 stone since March but have put a few pounds on over the last week...

We are back to 'down the throat' in that propaganda informative article.

That bright and breezy Schools Week article feels like a piss take but then also appears serious. I am confused.

Also - 90 seconds per test is def a piss take if the kids are meant to be doing it themselves.

I particularly liked the thirty minutes for the whole school to have lunch. Would that include clearing out the testing bays also as the hall would probably be needed.
And that the children being tested every day due to being in close contact need to all be done before the first lesson begins.
Walk in the park.

It's been ghost written.

Hamid Patel is very in favour with the DfE. They chose pilot schools who wouldn't fuss. but they also did the pilots when cases were lower.

A teacher piped up on Twitter for a while with some actual helpful answers to teacher's questions. He went silent so am guessing eh was told this was not DfE approved.

It's a piss take

Just shown my sixth form DC that article. He says that the school hall is currently split into two classrooms as part of the covid changes so it’s not even possible to use that. Virtually everyone is eating outside (as the hall was also the canteen) so it’s not like that’s an alternative.

Where the hell are schools going to put a varying number of people each morning-not just whilst they are tested and waiting for the results, but afterwards when they decide (with their fortune fish), who is positive?! Where will they actually physically wait?! Positive cases isn’t something that schools normally have in any great number, is it as they are normally hopefully already at home when the test has been done.

Do you shove them all in the PE cupboard whist the Head of PE wears a hazmat suit and pokes them with a stick to stay away?!

I can see head’s just refusing to even start with all this when the guidance comes out. Can they do that-just say no? Like the kids of Grange Hill?!!

His idea of year groups sizes is bollocks for so many schools too.

This is why current guidelines say no PE or Sport for first week back, though : to set up gyms for testing.

Can they do that-just say no? Like the kids of Grange Hill?!!
Of course they can, as long as they're happy to shoulder the blame for schools being closed, children becoming illiterate, futures ruined......

New thread running

Who is coming in early enough to test the kids so they can then be in lessons from 8.30?

Many of our staff are in that early but they need that time to plan etc, not administer covid tests.

I thought the article was a piss take. Shows how bonkers it is that we can't tell.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_staffroom/4119182-The-Thirty-Sixth-Republic-New-Year-approaching-no-clear-idea-of-what-is-happening-next-week-and-has-Gav-been-sacked-yet?watched=1

Up and running

If I am back next week I will not be touching any books, all marking will be online and I will wear a mask in the classroom.

@Hercwasonasnowball

Who is coming in early enough to test the kids so they can then be in lessons from 8.30?

Many of our staff are in that early but they need that time to plan etc, not administer covid tests.

I thought the article was a piss take. Shows how bonkers it is that we can't tell.

My DC get the bus in and don’t arrive until just before 8.30 anyway-I don’t think they can possibly be expected to have all this done by registration.

Who knows though!

Lurker here - teacher currently taking a year “off” (ha - it’s the hardest work I have ever done) to TA in SLD / PMLD special school. It’s astonishing how apparently no thought is being given to how our young people will submit - or not - to being tested. My school is 4-18 and the associated college goes to 25yo. When we have had young people with symptoms, they have by and large not been able to be tested by their parents/carers so just have to SI for the 14 (now 10) days or until symptoms are gone if longer. As others have said here and in the republic, we cannot socially distance from the young people we work with, nor can we wear PPE as it gets pulled off. We need to all - staff and students - be vaccinated as a priority. We are in Tier 4.

@noblegiraffe

That bright and breezy Schools Week article feels like a piss take but then also appears serious. I am confused.

Also - 90 seconds per test is def a piss take if the kids are meant to be doing it themselves.

I thought it was a pisstake as well

Don't most secondary schools use their halls for exams?

Yes and when not, ours is currently a Year 11 classroom. Where are those marquees, eh!?

My college has exams in the sports hall (no assembly hall) and all available areas for the whole of January. I know because I wanted a y12 class of mine to do a formal mock and there’s no time or space for them to do it until February.

Exams in Sports Hall at ours, too. We don't have any mocks in January - they were luckily completed in December.

Is ANY school likely to have spare rooms (for a whole day spare), not just the odd ten minutes?

Just sat down with my planner and immediate despaired - was planning to introduce my Ctec class to InDesign but can’t do that remotely, but m loathe to plan an alternate lesson because if we are in, that’s a nice easy-ish first week back and I don’t want to do myself out of it!

Just came up on Twitter: www.tes.com/news/exclusive-new-school-opening-delay-agreed-ministers

gravity we are over on 36th Republic now!