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

A lockdown is utterly pointless if schools stay open. How families mixing in a school?

I do wonder how easy I will find it to teach in a mask - at the moment I wear one if I go near the pupils but take it off to stand v near the board and do explanations etc. I think I will end up talking more loudly to compensate.

I don’t know about anyone else but I’m really, really upset at the prospect of “lockdown but schools are open”. The thought of everyone being exhorted to stay home and save lives while I go and teach 20 16/17 year olds in a room that’s so small literally the only time I’m 2m away from anyone is when I’m flat against the whiteboard and then half of them can’t see it...it’s like a massive “fuck you” to me.

Gravity - yup me too

Yep. I'm so fucking sick of people on here (I mean wider MN) saying their MH won't survive another lockdown. I don't say that lightly because we lost a friend to suicide in the last lockdown.

What about the mental and physical health of those of us who are taking the real risks day in, day out?

Well, I’m off to the pub tomorrow. We move into Tier 2 at midnight which is probably the kiss of death for the amazing local brewery we support (we’re friends with the owner/brewer too), so the least we can do is take the kids (in their Halloween costumes because no Trick or Treating) and get food from the food truck (who are probably also going to go under) and just live life while we still can. And all the posters elsewhere judging the behaviour of teachers can fuck off.

I feel like I've been in restrictions for so long, it feels wrongwhen I see people in other areas going to bars or days out etc. Iforget other places aren't as strict. Feels like we've not been able to do anything nice for ages. Last time I went to the pub was August. Last time I saw mates (less than 6) was a month ago in a freezing cold garden.

We're going into tier 2 from midnight too gravity. Have fun at the pub, I hope the kids enjoy their Halloween dressing up even if they can't go trick or treating. We've got a "pumpkin trail" locally, where there are pictures of pumpkins in local business windows and the kids go round looking for them, and look at people's decorations. But no trick or treating!! Parents are planning to give out their own treats to the kids.

Dd has decided that we're having a movie night with spooky movies (as spooky as a pg film can be anyway) and loads of sweets. Apparently sweets are the only important thing about Halloween, and the trick or treating is just a means to an end.

Ds really couldn't give a toss about Halloween. He's counting the years until he's old enough to watch IT and other horrors. Coraline will have to suffice. Or The Birds.
Dd is v excited about the roblox halloween update. I've said she can dress up if she wants and we can go and look at houses. Def no trick or treating.

Sorry but, don't buy a kettle, really made me laugh.

I'm lost on how you can force socially distanced businesses with good Covid measures to close whilst forcing schools to continue without sd and with way more household mixing to stay open.

I took the piss, massively, about everyone complaining about the 2 weeks of essentials only. Then our kettle started pissing out water and no one would sell us one. Apart from Amazon, who also sold me sloe gin cheaper than the supermarket.

Who reckons secondaries (at the least) will end up closing a couple of weeks into lockdown? Because of course death rates will still be increasing at that point.

I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but how have they managed to miss half term with this lockdown? It’s not the worst thing they’ve done this half term but it’s pretty incompetent.

What I don't get is why aren't the pubs/restaurants/hotels all calling out saying look at the stats- it's educational environments not hospitality where this is spreading. I don't understand why they haven't shouted that more loudly to protect livelihoods or have I missed it?

I think some of them are in half way land. Open with measures and very little money coming in. If closed at least know where they stand. Relative runs a pub and says it’s more like being the fun police these days, especially when the weather is awful. Think some of them pretty worn down by it all too.

Local pub industry said that they'd have preferred a full circuit breaker than the weird rule of no mingling with anyone outside your household we had in September.

It meant barely any custom. Some have closed.

Just catching up on the news. So we’re back to “SCHOOLS MUST STAY OPEN” with our magic hand washing to protect us. Feeling pretty expendable right now.

There's another reason schools open won't work, but I'm not brave enough to post on any of the lockdown threads. There are quite a few people saying that if schools are open they will carry on meeting up with others as normal. So not only will we have large groups of children having close contact in confined spaces at school, they'll continue to mix in different groups outside school...

I’ve started a thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4065520-Schools-MUST-stay-open?watched=1

Will most likely need support from you wonderful lot. I’ve tried to be honest but not place blame.

I think it's what is meant by "stay open."

They've stayed open throughout!

I now do feel our Sen schools should stay open as much as possible depending on the local rate. We managed a successful part time/ alternate weeks method in the summer which dramatically reduced numbers in class and halved staffing. It gave staff the opportunity to provide good home ed for those who didn't come in.

There's a quite a range of options and I think they've missed a trick by not extending the half term to a two week circuit breaker break.

If infections don't come down schools will completely shut due to staff sickness and bubble closure, as has happened to an academy locally.

Well, that’s nice news to wake up to! 🤦‍♀️
Unexpected in that govt actually listening to SAGE if it happens.

I do wonder how easy I will find it to teach in a mask - at the moment I wear one if I go near the pupils but take it off to stand v near the board and do explanations etc. I think I will end up talking more loudly to compensate.

Mistress I'm really concerned about students missing parts of explanations because they part lip read. We all do in some form. Talking more loudly will help a but but probably won't be enough for all. It will be interesting to see how students cope. I'm imagining missed learning or lots of repeated explanation. Also if you're streaming your lesson home, masks will make that harder.

Masks when circulating seems a much better compromise.

I have just posted on your thread mother because i can't bear a post which starts 'the data shows' by someone who has plainly not looked. But, otherwise, I may stay off Coronavirus boards. Too hateful and stressful.

Amazing how many people 'work in a school' this morning.

The desire to keep schools fully open at secondary is massively tied into a determination not tl deal with exams.

I am worrying about the masks thing - for my own kids (year 5 and 12) - no problem, they wear them in communal areas and if it was decided they need to wear them in class that would be fine by me and them. But I work in a SEND base in a primary school with a class of 11 autistic children. No social distancing possible obviously, but particularly my most complex children won’t cope with mask wearing themselves and nor will I be able to properly work with them in a mask. We do have PPE for nappy changes, but several of my class are minimally/non verbal and much of our work with them is on communication - I can’t do that in a mask and visors also make it difficult while not offering much protection anyway (tho it does help with the spitters!) . Not sure what the answer is for these children that both meets their needs and keeps them/us a bit safer. It’s complicated and it’s a good job I love my job, but def starting to feel more anxious about it on all fronts - worries about the virus, worrying about maintaining good provision for them, worrying about having to take time off to isolate or if my youngest needs to isolate. Can this virus just bugger off now please!!

Gah! I cannot take it this morning! Lockdown with schools open will be so super pointless but the usual cheerleaders are going on and on about how schools MUST stay open.

I notice not one of them has responded to the thread I put up showing that 40% of students in tier 3 are already off school and missing out because this bloody government couldn’t be bothered to sort out a system that worked.