The Twenty-Seventh Republic - rules or guidelines - Pandemic or Pirates of the Caribbean

[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

We have a season ticket to a local-ish (10 miles away) stately home - the house hasn’t been open this year but it has big grounds and a nice adventure playground. If they can stay open it’ll be a complete lifesaver for us. We go there every other weekend as it is. Are cafes allowed to do takeaway? If we can go there for a walk and a proper coffee I might feel like like is worth living.

Phleb, I definitely think you should get signed off. I know how extremely stressful this has been anyway, plus you have your own health to think of too.

It's not easy being signed off but your school has left you no choice.

I'm furious the government didn't create triggers for blended learning especially for secondary. 50/ 100k in Germany now.

Regarding CV, I physically cannot limit my contacts any less than I have since mid sept. Due to how our staffing and lunches work now, I am actually seeing more staff than I did pre coronavirus. We try to maintain 2 m but it's clear from modelling it's not just that. And I don't really have a choice on that. (I don't even mention kids as that's as pre corona. No difference bar hand washing.)

Chatter in The ST today about exams being cancelled . GCSEs anyway. An announcement expected soo in Wales to that effect.

Exam boards are being asked to draw up one 90 minute exam per subject.

Fine ... but a) how is content managed ? This need deciding sooner rather than later! and b) sorry to sound like a broken record, but WHAT ABOUT COURSEWORK???

I am actually really furious with my WFH exam board, who have modified GCSE NEA and cba to come up with proper exemplars or provide a specific markscheme. There is also an element that has to be done under supervision and they haven't even addressed that.

I sent the link to the NEU’s petition to my closest friends. One has just replied and said ‘Sorry, it’s a no from me. My mental health and my children’s mental health is important. I vote yes to schools’.

She WFH.

Oh when we had the Decree Not To Mingle I took my toddler to the park and a fellow mum and I circled each other nervously nodding and waving. Had no idea if we could or not. Which was ridiculous.

This is going to be awful for new mothers. I hope they don't count the baby as a person. To be able to walk in a park with a cuppa and another mum was a lifesaver. That was devastating when it was brought in.

I'm going to take ds to the park occasionally and if a mum is there have a chat at a distance.

The teaching and school leader unions are categorically saying they want schools closed unless they can be made safe. NEU has a petition.

What do you lot think? Will we limp on and then go to rotas? Will we stay open? I hate the fact I can’t rely on the govt to even stick to their own shite policies.

I am awaiting my rampaging DH to get up and hear garden centres and parks are open.

Apparently the LTA are trying to reverse decision about tennis. I mean, honestly, I am all for proper lockdowns but it genuinely must be just about the most risk free thing possible to play a round of golf.

gravity yes take aways open. So I imagine nat trust will be as normalish. Some cafes had started indoor seating but they'd got substantial outdoor stuff going on. Glad I spent my nat trust voucher last month!

@motherrunner same here, going to lay off the threads today. Go for a long walk and get my head in gear for tomorrow

I'm not sure I'm behind NEU saying shut schools either tbh. Their tweets aren't coming across brilliantly.

I'm more on board with the NASUWT message which seems to be more focused on a rota system and other ways to make schools safer.

Selfishly I'd rather be in the building on a rota than teaching from home.

I hope babies are exempt too. Me and a friend treated them as exempt during the last lockdown. My worry now is the weather. She's really struggling as still on maternity leave. I don't know how to help her

It's possible that the lockdown may bring R below 1. Whether my school will manage to stay open long enough for this to take effect is debatable, because we already had enough cases to close half the school before half term.

I give it 2 weeks before we are on our knees with staff absences and setting work for 2 places at once.

@motherrunner

I sent the link to the NEU’s petition to my closest friends. One has just replied and said ‘Sorry, it’s a no from me. My mental health and my children’s mental health is important. I vote yes to schools’.

She WFH.

Have PMed you about this

So miserable today. The worst thing is that I don't have anyone who will think to acknowledge how worrying this is for us. No one cares. I feel like such a mug for campaigning and contributing to crowdfunders on behalf of NHS staff - no one give the smallest shit about school staff.

I shall bloody well relish my Morrisons discount and think of the summer holidays (I've been in lockdown in Wales this week so haven't been anywhere, but I work over the border).

That’s good about the takeaway cafe stuff. It’ll be much better if NT type places are open (and not so packed now the weather has changed).

I can’t get over the exhortation in the guidance for universities and adult education to move to as much online learning as possible while insisting that colleges are open. A good proportion of my students are 18-19 - in fact in our department we have a foundation Art class of 33 who are obviously all over 18. But they’re not adults, of course...

I'm probably with you herc; I can't do my role at home. I suppose we are fewer children than full mainstream classes but the lack of SD can wipe out 10-12 members of staff if a bubble closed.

I’ve got older relatives who have a very strong work ethic, Salty. Basically, you get yourself to work unless you’re on your deathbed or you’re not worth paying in washers. Even they think the school situation is ridiculous and they think everyone who is still going to work in them is bloody brilliant. We have the support of a lot of people, they’re just not the type to splash it all over social media and get into arguments with twats about it.
The media has done a fantastic job of creating division, suspicion and envy. Everyone trapped in a sector where it is, or has been, dangerous to work has been ignored and their behaviour outside of work blamed for spreading Covid. The fact teachers have vocal (if toothless) Unions helps create that divide with the narrative harking back to the 1970s when Unions did have the power to make a difference.

I’ll write to my MP. I did vote Tory (Labour in local elections, I try to pick candidate not Party) and I will point that out. I do have a child in a year with significant exams and I will point that out too. He’s a time server and doesn’t really represent anything but the interests of rich landowners but I’ll do it anyway.

I think the government has to accept that attendance is going to suffer. They’ve got to plan differently for Y11 and Y13.

I think my news about exams might have got lost in baby chat ( spot the one with older kids) but EXAMS MIGHT BE CANCELLED SAYS ST,

If it is in the ST, it always happens

I think attendance will be low. I'm worried about CAGs or teacher assessment because currently we have SFA to use to compare students. Even classwork is tricky to know where they're at with distancing and no marking.

Too much to hope they will be replaced by meaningful teacher assessment?

I'm annoyed about the gym and exercise stuff, but it's got to be all or nothing I think. Tennis and golf might be ok, but they promote gathering. Outdoor pools are cross too, but if one sport starts, they all start.

Sorry @Piggywaspushed I had seen it but was brooding over the text I received.

Why can’t we have coursework? Even mock exams for CAGS will be disrupted to some extent of absences increase.

Maybe gav is busy on exam alternative prep? That's where he's been.

Oh I didn’t see that Piggy sorry!

Soooo the govt are floating that idea to see what Joe Public thinks....

I agree re the issues with TA this time round Herc. There’s no simple solution.

Maybe gav is busy on exam alternative prep?

Heaven help us if that’s the case!