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

I'm beginning to feel.it might actually be less stressful to be ill! We've had the head and SLT being right twats this week. Marking policy crackdowns, book scrutiny, maths policy check, and stupid bloody paperworkfor parents evening plus a full staff meeting and a timetable for observation. Because nothing says "caring for your staff in a global fucking pandemic" like scrutinising them to within an inch of their lives.

Oh, and we've also been told that we are not wiping tables enough. Because that will save us. And we need to have more than one symptom to be off for testing and those symptoms are only the main 3.

I knew my SLT were asshats anyway, but my god this has confirmed it.

The year group who is self isolating messed around with our live video lessons and seriously compromised it so we have been told to plan alternative work for them until it’s sorted. Reminds me of the posters in the first lockdown who said ‘nothing could go wrong with live video lessons!’
We can do live lessons daily but schools also need guidance and support when pupils behave appallingly and compromise it!

Yes, Phleb. Asshats. Especially that symptoms thing!! How dare they?

We also have a full five hours of work a day set for remote learners. They're not doing it, though.

Ringing home daily? We rang every child weekly in lockdown 1 but that involved splitting every form into 3 and every single member of staff taking a group. Not sure if it's feasible to call them every single day

And what about all the kids that haven't got access to technology especially now the govt are providing about 5% of what's needed?!?!

Not enough hours in the day to do both isolating and a normal job. I am finding it so stressful.

Also found this

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18876149.undercover-investigation-reveals-covid-testing-failings/

Schools should provide four hours of work a day for self-isolating pupils, with teachers expected to check in daily with every child under planned new government guidance

Fuck off. Sorry for swearing, but seriously??? I've already had an hour added to my day sorting google classroom. Where am I supposed to find the time to check in daily? And this is just the children in my form group, or twenty missing from my lessons across the day? Do I just abandon the work needed for the physical children in the actual classroom?

That's interesting phleb : where is that coming from? A staff member at my school was told the same about symptoms.

DH's staff were whined at about table wiping too. No one in m school does it.

It says contacting rather than ruining doesn't it - live registration maybe? For those that have the technology available at the right time.....

ruining

The year group who is self isolating messed around with our live video lessons

What happened Chloe? And how was your teaching in session?

Re the “check in” - I wonder if this means just if large groups are out, or if it’s individuals off waiting for tests/isolating as contacts etc. If it’s whole groups, that’s fine. If not there’s just no bloody time!!

Only about half of our isolating kids are turning up to live lessons. so now on top of all the extra workload I already have trying to adapt things and supervise kids at break and lunch I have to phone somewhere between 5 and 10 kids every day? (based on this week's numbers, when things get worse it will be even more unmanageable)

I'm ok with contacting my isolating pupils if that's something like a teams call to my while form during registration. I'm far less fine with it if I need to contact them individually.

My SLT are sticking strictly to the 3 main symptoms and brook no others hence we have had year 5 and 6 kids in with "colds" or "tummy ache" that subsequently tested positive. They carry on regardless - only a cough, a fever of 38.5 plus and a sore throat are allowed! Staff must have two - because otherwise they might be shirking....

Bloody academy trust guidelines.

Oh, and we've also been told that we are not wiping tables enough. Because that will save us. And we need to have more than one symptom to be off for testing and those symptoms are only the main 3.

That’s made me laugh because someone made the mistake of getting on the wrong side of me re: wiping down my computer this morning.

As for the second bit lie. Noone’s going to be able to tell whether you have a temp or change of sense of taste/smell over the phone. According to the government stats they seem to have a fair amount of capacity for doing more tests at the moment. They should be doing as many as possible, so I wouldn’t feel bad about the lying.

phleb that's appalling!!!! And I'm pretty certain it's illegal too. In your situation if I had one symptom I'd be lying to them about having at least 2. My school is allowing us to be professional adults and make our own decisions about whether our symptoms require isolation and testing.

2/3 schools for our family popped today. Not our bubbles but DH had a shocker or a day at his secondary. Their luck has most definitely run out.

No daily infection stats today? Any idea why?

Happy birthday Honey
I don't ever use our subject office thanks to vile management boys so I never take them cake. But we always have snacks in our office ... today's was panforte. There's not much left!

Re: isolating. We've sent whole year groups home each time. They have form via teams twice a day and a full live lesson timetable. Individuals just get work set which they don't do

Yeah, i was wondering that Angelina

Thanks wrapped goods it will be

Phleb that’s awful , how can they even be allowed to say that you need more than one symptom for a test

Chloe sorry to hear that about your live lessons. My dc school have sent home very strict instructions for students who do this. Saying they have excluded certain students who compromised a lesson. Hopefully you get some support from slt.

Squashedflybiscuits oh no sounds like a bad day. It’s just everywhere. And your right it’s most certainly luck.

I feel like there should be a way to report employers for encouraging people to break the guidelines.

It's one of the only bits that's been clear for a long time. You have one of those three symptoms, you isolate and get tested. Your boss should not be able to override that.

Individuals just get work set which they don't do

I've always found the phrase, we'll do follow up work when you've handed X in, very helpful. Put it in writing, though.

Late to the party tonight. My youngest has been Hard Work tonight.... Luckily he's now asleep and the other two are nicely playing a board game...

Happy birthday Honey!

I was most impressed with my HOD today - he went off on a rant about having to contact home for various things and said SLT can just "do one" and he'd back us up!
Re attendance for live lessons the most I've had is less than 25% in a top set.... Some I've sat there twiddling my thumbs waiting for someone, anyone to turn up. So that's a good use of time.

@echt

Individuals just get work set which they don't do

I've always found the phrase, we'll do follow up work when you've handed X in, very helpful. Put it in writing, though.

I got asked last week for a list of the work child x in y11 had missed. It runs to a couple of pages of A4. Hoy said he was surprised it was so much so I resent all of the emails I'd sent to him between March and July!!