The Twenty-ninth Republic - lockdown light continues & good news for Welsh students

[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 staffroom password just in case it attracts the wrong sort

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 booze is stashed - Thirsty Tuesdays, Fizz Fridays now in operation.

If you come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

So is it quite common to want to drink wine on a Friday? I'm not a bad trainee teacher for feeling desperate for a glass by 430pm

to Queen Giraffe.

for supportive mentors

for negative tests.

I’d say reasonably common, name.

Along with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Cheers all 🥂

I must step away from the other thread and sleep.

Oh deep joy. Some of my colleagues are apparently desperate to start revision sessions with y11. Now we're being shamed into it.
I don't want to.
I don't need to.
I don't want my students pressured into going

I’ve also said no. I’ve said I’m quite happy to run a well-being session, but I’m not prepared to do any more teaching input.

Standard 8 name Some kind of naughty treat is required to meet it.

You sound like you’re having a nightmare at the moment, herc, def have a drink and a rest!

Well done @namechangedyetagain

I think Queen giraffe has a nice ring to it. 👸🦒
I shall now craft an origami crown for you, so you can look suitably regal.

2 more positive cases in our sixth form today. Kids removed from my lesson P3. By P4 year 12 had decided for themselves that they were wearing masks in lessons from now on, so I taught a fully masked class (them and me). It was lovely, I took my mask off while direct teaching so they can lipread if they need to (I think more of them do that than let on), then put it back on as soon as I'd finished.

Hercwasonaroll bizarre thread sounds horrendous for you at the minute

Chloe how many times are parents going to keep doing this. I have lost count of how many emails I have had from my / dc schools pleading with them not to do it. Hope next week goes ok.

Reading this is interesting but it makes me so cross. All the reasons schools have to stay open are really so we can mop up every other services' inadequacies:
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935192/spi-b-dfe-benefits-remaining-education-s0861-041120.pdf

The suicide bit is really manipulative use of data.

There is no evidence for much of it.

There is not one single educational expert on spiB (not that an educationalist would disagree).

But in the other documents form SAGE you will see why they did the ONS survey : so they could say our risk is acceptable collateral damage. Time for some actual; figures on teacher infections and deaths yet??

If this thread is anything to go by, teacher absence has rocketed.

Thanks starrynight- there is just too much selfishness going on at the moment!

That’s lovely to hear MrsAwesome-masks are not the devil!

a glass of the finest red all round. Well done getting getting through this week, comrades!

I've not been this tired since my NQT year.

It sounds like Hull are calling for their schools to be closed. The local infection rates are rocketing apparently.

So so grateful for a colleague who teaches my DD initiating what turned out to be a long and very useful informal conversation about what might be going on for DD at the moment. Lots of issues. The colleague is just fab, in every way, sadly leaving soon.

So glad neither of us were following the official advice to staff parents, ie not to use any routes which wouldn't be used by any other parent!

Speaking as secondary bods, what will the impact of no GCSEs be? No A levels in my DD's secondary as they closed the dept 5 years ago. But Wales cancelling the exams means that they will have, according to the minister, more time for education. So no study leave. And no exam leave. So I'm assuming school until the last day of term?

What implications will that have? I'm imagining it won't be great in terms of having room for the y6s on their transition days.

We won't be able to do transition week. No gained time to plan ahead. Examiner recruitment will also tank.

Staffing a bit stretched this week but made it through. All bubbles in. DS school has all bubbles in. Cases locally are rocketing so not sure how long our luck will last.

DH secondary school have their first pupil case. They don't get told who but it is in a year group he teaches. Must be the last secondary in the country to pop.

Have to give it to our SLT. Info about all X children is available to all teachers in a secure online document. Knowing what is going on is so much better than guessing and getting anxious.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

to Queen Giraffe.

for supportive mentors

for negative tests.

Seconded! I'll raise my (second) glass of wine to that!

Happy Friday

@Danglingmod

So many kids in school whilst family members are awaiting tests. Then they're off the next day when test comes back positive. Message just not getting through.

Or heads are pulling the same stunt mine did. Turns out there were 2 members of staff in same situation as me!

@MrsHamlet

Oh deep joy. Some of my colleagues are apparently desperate to start revision sessions with y11. Now we're being shamed into it. I don't want to. I don't need to. I don't want my students pressured into going.

Ironically, we have cancelled our Y11 revision sessions (we always run them as a drop in from the start of term) as it's an after school activity in lockdown and we didn't have strict seating plans. Lunch/break are staggered, so we can't do much then, either.

When are they proposing you do the revision sessions?

After school. On a timetable. With seating plans. So another lesson basically.

I am going to have to claim the title of most traumatic week.

There is NO ICE in my house for my vodka and tonic!

@namechangedyetagain so pleased the class move is going well.
@motherrunner glad to hear you will be safe at home for a bit. I lived in Express and Star land as a child
@noblegiraffe evening your maj
@everyone else one more week survived!

"There is NO ICE in my house for my vodka and tonic!"

I nobly volunteered to make the G&Ts this evening, but opened the freezer to find it completely frozen over, as someone had left the door ajar! Had to hack at all the ice to get it to close sufficiently in order to enjoy the G&T.
Defrosting it properly is a job for tomorrow.

Who knew?

Oh CallmeAngelina-what are we driven to do!?!? These are desperate times!