The Thirty-Second Republic - Christmas count down - end of term in sight

[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

Why will no hcp seem to swab kids here?

And its so many months since oz started using saliva ones. That would make a huge difference with kids.
In ny dn school joins together all the saliva of the kids to see if any positive.

Which does actually suggest uk is doing this on purpose as even doing by year group could shut down infected ones.

Cumbria is beautiful MsH. I know Carlisle has more than it's fair share of social problems and deprivation but I interviewed for a uni role in Lancaster once and so loved that town. Everyone was saying no, it's the wrong side of the pennines and the rain is terrible but I really liked it.

Feel better flag

@Keepdistance

Why will no hcp seem to swab kids here?

And its so many months since oz started using saliva ones. That would make a huge difference with kids.
In ny dn school joins together all the saliva of the kids to see if any positive.

Which does actually suggest uk is doing this on purpose as even doing by year group could shut down infected ones.

I think you can only batch test if levels of covid are quite low. Otherwise it ends up wasting time because all of your initial tests will come back positive.

My understanding was that the UK was beyond the point where batch testing was an option. If they'd done it in Aug/Sept it might be different.

How's this for cheek... my class sent home to isolate on Tuesday. A child who was absent Monday, Tues and Weds turned up on Thursday and the mother told HT she was 'entitled' to a place because she hadn't been near the positive child.

Can I have a quiet sob? It's not really about anything either - I haven't really got things tough, but today was shit. I feel shit (not unwell shit, just bad).
People I started my career with a deputy heads with super confidence and authority, and having a good joke with my colleagues in the work room. I feel very left out and excluded.
And I feel like a really crap teacher. I'm not good at behaviour management, I don't seem to be progressing, I bet if I didn't teach a shortage subject the school would be happy to let me go.
I'm probably that teacher that everyone thinks badly of, but never says anything to their face.
I just want to cry.

We're all knackered, Why. That doesn't help. Pour yourself a glass of something you fancy...

Aww @WhyNotMe40 I'm sure you're not all that bad. Not everyone wants to go into leadership and that's absolutely fine. We need experienced teachers in the classroom as well as in leadership roles.

Have you got anyone you can ask for support with behaviour management? It could be a couple of minor tweaks that make a big difference.

I'm very glad it's Friday. Had a decent day, although classes are now asking 'are we doing work?', 'can we watch a film?' Etc. It's normal lessons up to and including Thursday at our school but there are always departments who flout the rules which makes it hard on the rest of us. I have content I need to complete before Xmas or we'll be behind

Still planning to do as much work as possible next week so that I can have the Christmas holidays off. I really don't want to have to work during this holiday!

I have asked for BM support before, and been told I am doing everything I should, but maybe need to be a bit less nice.
It's not just being bad at teaching or Covid, it's being left out of departmental camaraderie (even though I've known a couple for over a decade through a previous school). Just feeling like I'm sidelined. And they are nice people, so it must be something wrong with me?
Just feel really really shit.

How's this for a twisted joke? I will be working in England until Friday. My children will now be learning online from Tuesday and are excluded from the key worker childcare which is only extended to NHS and social care workers. Why not shit in teachers some more, eh?

@SaltyAF

How's this for a twisted joke? I will be working in England until Friday. My children will now be learning online from Tuesday and are excluded from the key worker childcare which is only extended to NHS and social care workers. Why not shit in teachers some more, eh?

Prime example of how not to do it. What crap.

Oh and we had it confirmed today that there will be no INSET on Fri.

We will be in and finish at 12 as we usually do.

In a way, I am quite pleased. It will be a nice end to the term and an INSET would have been counter productive on Fri because everyone's too knackered!

@SaltyAF that's crap. What the heck are teachers who have no alternative childcare supposed to do

I am livid.

WTF Salty, how are teachers not included? That's bonkers. Will your child's school make an exception? (guessing there's a small number of people with this problem).

No, my kids' school isn't making an exception.

I should clarify they go to school in Wales.

Primary aged, I'm assuming, Salty?

What on earth are you going to do?

That is absolutely awful. On a human level you think they would, regardless of 'national policy'.

We now have inset Friday. Lovely head has actually given us the day off. I nearly cried when I saw the email.

DH and I will have to share the unpaid leave. Just adds insult to injury and I want to scream.

That's rubbish salty. Have you got any way to scrape together a plan for childcare? I know I could manage to share childcare between dh and a couple of other friends who work pt, but not everybody has that option.

We are NOT having INSET next Friday, we will be in as normal, full day. The only concession to it being Christmas is pupils are with their form tutors for the last lesson of the term.

The head sent a letter detailing that we are not having INSET because of the last minute nature of the announcement. We are also not doing the mass testing because it is too last minute to sort out the logistics. He also included the information that pupils are definitely not allowed to wear coats in classrooms, despite there being a massive difference in temperature between different classrooms (my room being one of the coldest, the room he teaches in a few times a week being one of the hottest).

Salty I know my head would happily phone the school your kids attend and have a conversation. It sucks because you're in a very small group of people who will face this issue and therefore haven't been considered at all. HTs should be helping each other out right now. Your kids being in school is the most sensible option all round. Sorry for another blow

I'm so relieved it's the weekend that I have drunk a massive mug of mulled wine already, and it's only 6pm!

Heard about 4 staff members and 3 pupils over last two days... nothing told to us officially.