The Thirty-First Republic - oh the joy of on-line parents evenings

[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

We will be made to mark in the summer holidays if we want our contracts, presumably with no pay enhancement. I see my marking role as my key to retiring at 60 (way in the future, but I'm a senior) so I won't be in a position to say no.

What do you mean, "if we want our contracts?"

The contract has a last marking date which we have to be available until. We could pull out part way but that would go down very badly!

Sorry for all you secondary lot and the exam shitshow.

For myself, I'm bloody raging that KS2 sats go ahead as normal. So just when I could be preparing them for secondary I'll have to be forcing them through the curriculum by May as per usual even though they are eons behind. FOR NO FUCKING REASON AT ALL!!!!!!!!

Well, I was told today that the SPaG element of SATs for KS1 and 2 has been removed, that the KS2 ones have been given a 2-week window, so not completely as normal (although they should still be scrapped).
The Yr 4 Multiplication test is now optional, I believe.

Yes, no SPAG. But it makes eff all difference to the emphasis on getting the combined score. SPAG is ignored anyway in terms of combined. It's a sop to make it seem as if something is being done but the pressure will not reduce at all if we still have to get pupils the combined.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/940832/2021_KS2_ARA_V1.0.pdf

I hope Big Gav is still cringing about his ' tongue in cheek' comments.

Pure cringe as y11 would say.

Gav was playing to his Brexit crowd. DS told me a boy in his history class was lapping in up and repeating it.

Until DS told him the vaccine was coming over from Belgium.

That's my boy.

👏🏻 for piggy's DS

Just listening to the union chat. Nick Gibb has said that schools and teachers need to ‘hold their nerve’. Righhhttttt......

I’m so angry that the unions are bigging up their contributions. No one in government is listening. What on earth do the union think they're doing? Lots of people on the chat calling for strikes / ballots.

Anyone asked about the pay freeze?

Yes, i will have to mark @SaltyAF
Also a senior on 2 papers and my pension is shafted by a career change so the only possible way I can retire before 67 is on the marking money.

More and more cases here

@TheHoneyBadger

Anyone asked about the pay freeze?

It was bought up - disgusting apparently. No actual action I think.

@Piggywaspushed

Gav was playing to his Brexit crowd. DS told me a boy in his history class was lapping in up and repeating it.

Until DS told him the vaccine was coming over from Belgium.

That's my boy.

Joining August in clapping your DS Piggy! We watched news round today and discussed the vaccine as lots of children had qs.

In a wierd lull at my place, no cases that I know of yet, although we only find out if they are in our class so there will probably be some I'm unaware of. Still loads more I'll codes than normal but only one covid code today in a full day, normally it's at least a couple per class. Hope it's not the calm before the storm!

We discussed the pay freeze in my reps meeting tonight. The fear is that we might ballot for strike action and there wouldn't be enough votes. Lots of people are apathetic.

@MrsHamlet

We discussed the pay freeze in my reps meeting tonight. The fear is that we might ballot for strike action and there wouldn't be enough votes. Lots of people are apathetic.

This is exactly what will happen, especially in schools that haven’t been touched badly (by sheer fluke) like ours.

Having said that we had our third positive today... less than 15 contacts identified and sent home...

My mum had her op and it went really well - better than expected and she is doing well. So despite being cold and wet and work being miserable I’m feeling pretty happy tonight!

Dd2 is gutted that the SATs are still going ahead. She wasn't appeased by not having to do spag, as "that's the best one! I wish they'd got rid of the maths ones instead" I think I might have to disown her, how can my dd hate maths?!

Interesting interview with Glenys whatshername, Ofqual, on R4's PM tonight. She claims the pre-notification of topics at the end of Jan will help those who've missed school because teachers will have 4 months to focus on those areas of the syllabus.

Will it work like that, teachers?

Obviously the teachers of those who've not been disadvantaged so far will be able to focus this too?

@MrsHerculePoirot

My mum had her op and it went really well - better than expected and she is doing well. So despite being cold and wet and work being miserable I’m feeling pretty happy tonight!

That’s great news!

Yay MrsHP! I feel in need of some good news tonight.

@MrsHamlet

We discussed the pay freeze in my reps meeting tonight. The fear is that we might ballot for strike action and there wouldn't be enough votes. Lots of people are apathetic.

Lots of people are apathetic indeed. Most of my department are just grateful that we still have jobs when so many people are losing jobs. None of them would be prepared to take strike action. And the general public aren't on our side tbh, so strike action now would not be well received by parents, even though I agree that it's completely justified.

Good news, MrsHercule! That must be a weight off your shoulders. One day till the weekend!