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

@Appuskidu

Has anyone already posted this?

www.tes.com/news/covid-catch-may-mean-more-hours-and-shorter-holidays?fbclid=IwAR2_HnFuohLczGTQdJPi4vPmh0NDLp86n7wNIX5xHL_rfFcCGCCYd5b9eh0

FFS!

Halfon can shove it up his bum.

@MrsHamlet just read it to DH... his reply was "F**k that"

‘might mean staff working over the weekends’

Erm...most teachers already do...!

The kids that I need to catch up are the kids who are regularly absent and can't concentrate on the afternoons anyway. There is not a hope in hell that they'll be willing to come to school on a Saturday!!! And staying after school is nothing new as they have to do this a couple of times a week for detention after poor behaviour in afternoon lessons.

I certainly won't be volunteering to do extra hours, and I won't be allowing dd to do extra hours at school either. (I don't think she'd be targeted, she's one who kept up relatively well over lockdown)

mrmonkey is right

Funded of course he says. Presumably he also notes it would have to be voluntary.

You can't just shorten holidays or extend hours of work. Many won't want to do it and many won't be able to due to childcare issues.

The people who would want to wouldn't necessarily be the ones who'd be best to and the kids who need it most would be the least willing.

Yes, I agree with your H.

I don't want to leave my job, but if there is any sniff of this shit- a change in summer holidays, weekend working etc- before the 31st December, I'm out of it.

@MsAwesomeDragon so sorry Bloody awful virus. I know of 3 people to have died from Covid. One was a lecturer parent of a lovely former pupil, in their 50s, lovely person and very dedicated educator. Another a former colleague (support staff) in her 50s. Just awful.

Oh, that exams are fair mantra again. They honestly cannot see a world in which kids work without terminal exams. I find that sad.

Teachers in England already work the longest hours in Europe!

And the kids already have longer hours and more homework than most.

They just won't acknowledge we need things to change not to just do even more of the same.

@TheHoneyBadger that's ridiculous that she said you give too much feedback this is why it's often difficult for universities etc. to find placements. I don't think some trainees realise just how much time mentors put in.

For it to work there'd have to be candid conversations about limitations and how to navigate around them and how to work with those issues to be able to teach effectively. Obviously it's not impossible but would require candour and a willingness to push boundaries and expand self awareness and awareness of others. I would do that if she was willing or capable of going there but it would require her, the professional tutor and the training provider (not sure what they've provided) to be on board. Difficult

Sorry quick question have those of you that are CV (not CEV) had risk assessments done for you insividually?

Hello! Literally just finished marking on Teams (so tedious when you find so many kids just blindly copy and paste direct answers from the Web ) and just sitting down to read.
Cannot believe the guilt tripping into teachers and children working longer hours (and gaslighting teachers as if they don’t already work those hours. Sigh.
Thank goodness for the Staffroom!

Motherrunner- I'm in Sandwell- Lockdown? What lockdown?

MrsHP nope. I'm CV and am "included in the main risk assessment" apparently. No individual one at all. BUT, other staff who are CV (no more than I am, in fact possibly have the exact same condition) have had individual risk assessments, have big perspex screens around their desks, and a large box sectioned off around their desks that pupils are not allowed to enter. I suspect I'm just not a loud enough complainer to get that treatment.

I have just finished working.

I wish ofsted would do something useful for once and force schools up suspend data entry, pointless manadatory CPD, written reports and any other task that has no immediate concrete benefit to children.

Cv and no risk assessment here either. We were sent a list of very specific, and you probably wouldn't be working anyway given how serious they were, criteria for being needing additional risk assessment. One example was you had to be pregnant and have a serious heart condition and be in your third trimester.

Keep 2m away where possible and hand gel was enough for everyone else.

We do now have people living with CEV family members working from home. I think our school is unusual in this, but it seems like the compassionate thing to do. If your spouse has cancer the very last thing you want to be doing is bringing a virus home that could kill them.

Hello,
I’m primary and have been reading these threads all throughout. It helps when you feel so helpless. Teachers being exposed in this pandemic will be the subject of a Panarama-type investigation in years to come. No one wants to admit the truth, that our well-being is are being absolutely ignored.
I’m ready to quit.

Morning everyone

The extra hours/weekends etc. Had me fuming! I love my job but I do more than enough already

I feel for those who are CV and ECV. It must be so worrying I'm fortunate not to have any health conditions and still be fairly young but I feel more anxious lately with cases in our area being high so it must be so difficult for those who have additional risks.

Today should be fairly ok I think. Determined not to stay late at school so I can go running before it gets dark.

Managed to organise for a friend to bake DS birthday cake so I need to order minecraft decorations. He'll be very happy!

Oh my goodness, MsAwesomeDragon. That is unusual and very caring of your school.

That is my position and I'm going into school most days in tears.

And the news about the vaccine has made me feel worse, not better. To know that dh is so far down the queue, below healthy people aged 65-75, whilst I'm going into a germpit every day. It's unbearable.

Yes, mine too, , and he himself enters a germpit every day to boot. It's so frustrating.