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

Cheers Herc thanks for reminding

Just seen a 15 second segment about Covid in achools on BBC news at 10 why only 15 seconds BBC? and 4 seconds of that were a shed load of secondary kids found down staircases in masks (no SD) and as soon as about 3 kids are in shot with their masks around their chin, it immediately cuts away!

We had excellent mask compliance first few weeks.

It has totally dropped away in years 9+. Once the cool kids start refusing, everyone follows.

schools and walking.
Sorry-I have a 5 year old phone on its way out!

We've made the front page of tomorrow's telegraph. Can't read the article but something like HTs can be fined for shutting early say ministers.

Just looking at the ONS graph here (middle of article) of London infection rates

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55275618

That line's not going to start descending in the four days from the 19th (when they'll presumably go into tier3) and the 23rd (Bubble Time). Can you imagine what it'll do a few days after the 27th???

And an expert said earlier in the week that Londoners could spread more virus to the whole country when visiting family over Christmas....

Yep, references the school in Herts which was in the Schools Week article Piggy posted.

They also post the graph showing the massive spike in cases in ages 9-14 and 14-19. Talks about govt preparing to go to High Court to keep schools open.

You can get a Telegraph login and read one free article a day.

Now wondering if other papers will follow suit?

Sian Griffiths of the Times tweeted about the fudged data on teacher infections and then nothing.

Great that you get to see your brother again, August, especially in the circumstances.

Just love this bit:

On Friday, the DfE sought to reassure parents, with the regional school commissioner for the East and North East of England saying that the testing programme "is not directly linked to transmission in schools or colleges".

Oops

Cut

Morning everyone, only one more week to go for me. Things have been easier for me than for so many of you and I am grateful for that but I am just really ground down with it all.

TMI but to top things off, I have thrush. I think it is the bundling up in so many layers and thermal leggings that has caused this. It seems I have two choices - burn or freeze!

I just feel so low about the fact that the holidays will be a 14 day count down to feeling like (hopefully) be DH is safe from all his close contacts and then there will only be a couple of days before we are back in again and it will probably be worse than this term due to all the Christmas mixing.

I normally support many others in my family, especially at this time of year, and I can't as we pose such a risk to them. It sucks.

Only heads of state schools are being prevented from doing this and that is a scandal.

The RSCs have received instruction to intervene and they seem to be behaving in a threatening rather than supportive manner.

I'm looking forward to finishing Friday (no moving of an inset for us) as I'm desperate for a break from the madness but what on earth will January bring! We had a very difficult autumn one with bubbles bursting all over the school but this half term so far has been relatively calm I fear it's coming in spring one!

COVID-19: Nearly half of pupils at Barking Abbey School off because of coronavirus http://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-nearly-half-of-pupils-at-barking-abbey-school-off-because-of-coronavirus-12158565

Again because it's around london. This has been happening in the North since October.

And this is why the gov was so keen to enforce things about remote learning. They don't think kids at home affects T and L at all.

@Danglingmod

Just love this bit:

On Friday, the DfE sought to reassure parents, with the regional school commissioner for the East and North East of England saying that the testing programme "is not directly linked to transmission in schools or colleges".

What the f does that mean?!

Page three of Times today having yet another pop at state school provision during lockdown. Otherwise... nothing.

Yeah, we're not sending in mass testing because you can catch it in school. Obviously. Because that's not possible

My dds bubble has burst in a spectacular way. In a school that had only had one case, within a few days 6 kids and a member of staff tested positive in one class. I'm watching her like a hawk now

RCSs piggy?

Thinking about it further, if even 25% of care homes are doing what my brother's is, allowing a relative to have close contact one time over Christmas, it will lead to a substantial increase in infections in the vulnerable/ CEV population. It's madness.

And it's run by a national company who've been very cautious to date.

@hedgehogger1

My dds bubble has burst in a spectacular way. In a school that had only had one case, within a few days 6 kids and a member of staff tested positive in one class. I'm watching her like a hawk now

I’m so sorry hedgehogger hope she stays okay.

It’s why those posters who keep saying there have been no cases in their schools, need to get their heads out of the sand.

There apparently will be a public inquiry into this regarding schools and those in the Midlands and North being ignored. My DH’s colleague’s husband is angling for a legal job on it.

Did you see the epidemiologist explaining the total lack of safety measures in school 10 minutes ago on BBC. Breakfast news?