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

the BBC reports of super spreadrs at parties and pub crawls. This is really worrying as this had been a low infection rate area. I do hope that closing schools for 2 weeks sends a strong message to everyone that if they want the schools to stay open then people have to follow the rules.
It makes my blood boil that teachers and school staff are being but at risk but selfish people who think their right to party trumps the health and well being of education and health staff. We ALL want to have our old lives back - but this is just going to back us have to wait even longer. No doubt another lockdown in Wales is on the cards now - but they will not be blaming themselves - no it will be Mark Drakeford's fault.

Ds has been identified as a close contact of a new case. Le sigh.

Toddler's nursery has now 7 confirmed positive staff members, latest 4 caught from first cases. There's positive children too.

That's a similar pattern to the sen schools I know of that have had to close a various points this term.

Had a long lecture in staff briefing about the importance of distancing between staff - obviously trying to avoid more staff going off if there is a positive case. I do understand the impulse but the way it was presented was very critical of the way staff are currently behaving - ignoring the fact that we are trying our best already!

Oh and apparently I have been signed up to a staff training tonight that goes on until 5 - I specifically said I couldn't do it if it went on that late, and we have parents evening this week. I desperately need the time to catch up from being off and losing so many frees the week before.

We have never had staff meetings the same week as parents' evenings. That's a tough one.

They seem to be saying that at least the first two vaccines announced will (should?) stop infectiousness too. And I was listening to a vaccine developer on the radio the other day, he said more than half the time it usually takes to develop vaccines is non clinical stuff: applying for grants, waiting to hear, recruiting participants for trials, sourcing labs etc etc. All of which were brushed aside this time.

Le sigh indeed @TheHoneyBadger !

Good prog on radio 4 this morning about the vaccines. Non infectious was hasn't technically been tested yet but early data shows it does stop spread too.

I don't really want to do this anymore. Just found out that my part time timetable kid is coming back tomorrow - had 3 morning's respite from him shouting and screaming in the corridors, now we're back to 25 other children losing out because he's a shitbag. I feel like i've checked out a bit this term, and I'm not sure I can check back in properly... maybe ever. Just too many things that make it crap.

Need to find another career. Again.

Local news - two staff from one school in intensive care. A member of staff (not teaching staff) has died at my children's school (senior).

@Isthatitnow oh no! So sorry to hear that - it's shocking!!

Yep. The two in intensive care are primary teachers as well. Where it's not supposed to be as bad.

Oh no! That's dreadful news.

On no, that's awful news

istjatitnow oh gosh that’s just awful.

Found out there were four cases last week in the year group that’s all been sent home. Can’t remember who was asking how many cases there would be to send them all home.

Too fucking little too fucking late Gav.

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1363373/coronavirus-latest-schools-open-gavin-williamson

schoolsweek.co.uk/trusts-quizzed-over-covid-cases-in-urgent-commission-for-education-secretary/?fbclid=IwAR1k4Ap9b82pHAAhYmTGpoZj01DtOSCoB9-km6qHVFbWyKI2xvBNEK0X-v8.

Wow suggesting reduced bubble sizes

Oh and the cherry on the cake is that my middle child has now been sent home to isolate as a case in his bubble (year 9). Fab. Upside is he's the most hermit-like, X-box addicted of my 3 so he'll sit happily in his room for the next fortnight without arguing the toss!

Are the english popping over to the welsh pubs?

It sounded like a few welsh were popping over to shop in England

Keep If my Uncle was still alive, he would have walked from the Corner Pin to the Brewery (and staggered back) 🤦🏻‍♀️

Gavin, why are the kids in the photo in your article wearing masks when you specifically said that was to be avoided?

@noblegiraffe

Gavin, why are the kids in the photo in your article wearing masks when you specifically said that was to be avoided?

This x 100!

Where the jeff has Gavlar been for the last bloody term, anyway?!

What is he actually doing?

My year 9 DC has been sent home for 2 weeks today. Got pulled out of class to go and fetch him as obviously I wasn't answering my phone! No doubt my 1:1's parent will be all "well who was looking after Johnny when plastic had to leave" .................

DH going to camp in the spare room. Not happy.

Wales is shutting schools left, right and centre now. Our rural local secondary is completely for two weeks, for a small a fraction of the cases that we had (England) by half term.

What is this testing that is being done to allow schools to stay open?!