The Thirtieth Republic ( 30! who would have thought) - Is it too soon to book a staff Xmas party?

[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

@Timeturnerplease welcome! This thread has been fantastic during this whole shitshow x

Welcome Timeturner. Go for that run Pumpkin, it'll reset you.
My school is going with the 'all windows open all the time' model - not comfortable for me as I have severe reynauds. I've just spent lots of money on kit to enable me to teach in the cold - am resenting spending my own money, but school doesn't have any.

Thank you @MsAwesomeDragon. CBeebies is our friend this weekend!

@RobertsUncle One of our TAs has Reynauds and it makes me flinch just to look at her hands after playground duty. No one would judge you for wearing skiing gloves!

I've been having massive problems caused by jaw and tongue clenching! (Ear ache and numb lips anyone?)

A dentist made me a mouth guard thing years ago, I couldn't get to sleep with it in, so let me know how you get on with one (hopefully better than me....)

All discussions on BBC I have heard/read this morning re tighter tier restrictions made absolutely no mention of schools, not even if masks in communal teas might continue after lockdown ends.....

I'm working my way through Noble's thread and fighting the urge to shout and swear at the usual deniers.

We need to form a lobbying group to expose and fight this corruption.

Brilliant thread, noble. Well done.

Just when I think opposing views have to be snookered because every possible argument has been covered and verified with links, up pops someone to say, "that's fiction," with no further explanation.

Thank God for this little safe haven.

Just been sent a link to this twitter.com/cyclingkev/status/1330419415557562369?s=24

Should say thanks to @WhyNotMe40 for most of the list in my OP!

I know, MrsHerculePoirot, we'd discussed how dodgy that occupation data was on the Boffins thread but that twitter poster really lays out just how dishonest they have been.

West Yorkshire MAT announces it's closing schools a week early:

https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2020-11-21/trust-announces-plans-to-shut-primary-schools-in-west-yorkshire-a-week-early-for-christmas?fbclid=IwAR0wQTTygsRZryW4ISt8YIL6RtGG1T-HA3jNE6TcOjp6fXebrjnn_aEdDQQ

[quote MrsHerculePoirot]Just been sent a link to this twitter.com/cyclingkev/status/1330419415557562369?s=24[/quote]
Wow. What we thought. Let's hope the unions run with it.

The data thread were perplexed by the ONS stuff too.

I find it interesting that one tweeter has pointed out that it took an interested (brainy!) individual to lodge this complaint. Why haven't the unions got their statisticians poring over the figures?

I first saw the issue with the ONS data on this twitter account over a week ago twitter.com/concernedofbri1/status/1327560058813689857?s=21

They were posting it to everyone they could think of who might be interested, I saw it on a response to a union tweet I think. They only had a couple of hundred followers at the time, that's going up.

Cannot believe that Twitter post. Disgraceful that the unions haven’t picked up on this. Explains why it was so difficult to understand when all of our experiences were so different.
Hope they run with this and something comes of it.

Oh for goodness sake, just had a call from my HT to say that one of the children in my class has tested positive. Luckily not one I have to have much contact with but still. HT waiting on guidance from PHE.

Matters considerably complicated by the fact that I am due in for transfer of a frozen embryo on Tuesday, our last ditch attempt for a sibling for DD before my OH gets too old. Have booked a test for myself today as a precaution, so I can hold on to some hope of it going ahead.

Also there is the issue of trying to teach from home with a toddler too 🤦🏻‍♀️

Wow-that Twitter post. I really hope something comes of it and not just radio silence.

I didn’t see any mention there (which someone posted on here last week) of the actual numbers for each category. Wasn’t it 2000 ish each for primary and secondary and 7000 for other teachers?!

Oh no, timeturner that's so stressful. Do you think you will be instructed to isolate?

Appu PatriciaHolm found the figures, I've no idea where and I did look!

Teachers of unknown Type - 7,714
Primary Teachers - 2,190
Secondary Teachers - 1,852

I remember thinking when the ONS first publishes this, what on earth are "teachers of unknown type", and how did they arrive at that category.

Have just had an idea: could it be simply that the ONS categorised according to the answers given when people requested tests, and that where a staff member put (eg) "St Peter's School", that went into the "unknown type" category? As opposed to someone putting "St Peter's CofE Primary School", which went into the 'primary schools' category?

They just put ‘teacher’ as their occupation, as most teachers would.

@noblegiraffe I think so - it’s Year 3 and while they’re pretty good at sitting at tables etc, they still randomly hug each other etc.

@SaltyAF

I'm working my way through Noble's thread and fighting the urge to shout and swear at the usual deniers.

We need to form a lobbying group to expose and fight this corruption.

I agree.

Oh no, Timeturner

Hopefully your embryo transfer can be postponed only a little bit if this week isn’t safe but how frustrating.

Aren’t our unions supposed to be lobbying and fighting this corruption?!

@RobertsUncle

Welcome Timeturner. Go for that run Pumpkin, it'll reset you. My school is going with the 'all windows open all the time' model - not comfortable for me as I have severe reynauds. I've just spent lots of money on kit to enable me to teach in the cold - am resenting spending my own money, but school doesn't have any.

I've got Raynaud's too and have also been buying things to help with my own money. Currently going for thermal socks under thick tights for my feet - still cold but no loss of circulation yet. I've bought turtle doves fingerless gloves for my hands, fingers very cold but have circulation still, and my coat has these little hand warmer pockets I can use when needed. Also found my face covering does a good job of protecting my nose from the cold.