The Thirty-Third Republic - End of term and DfE threats- cheers all!

[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

Can you find details of contact eg when or where if pinged by app? Colleague just pinged and doesn’t know how to work out where it might be from?

@Piggyinblankets

Staggered means one year group (or two ) at a time. Presumably because DfE thinks that frees up teaching time?? Even though it doesn't...

The DfE don’t think

Oh yes; silly me.

schoolsweek.co.uk/non-exam-year-secondary-pupils-to-switch-to-online-learning-for-first-week-back-in-january/

Was just coming on to see if you'd seen. I've read a couple of articles - no real info yet. Utter dickheads as ever.

Beyond reprehensible.

I've broken up for Xmas. I feel depressed and deflated. Could do without more "unknowns" hanging over me

First two weeks in Wales likely to be blended learning with only key worker kids in...though the key worker list is apparently immense and it only needs one parent to qualify.
It will all depend on uptake whether we run it as a hub or in classes.

So they can’t possibly admit they were wrong to keep schools open at all costs so they are doing it by the back door and pretending time needed for ‘training’? What a load of old cobblers - they are just buying time for the inevitable 11 - 16 rise in cases to happen after all the Christmas mixing.
They can stuff their ‘essential exam years’ up their arse too, because they didn’t care about all those young people forced to spend 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks self isolating or the teachers having to try and provide work for them.

I don't understand how this ridiculous plan would give time for training. If we've got to teach online and look after students in school at the same time...

Yep. It's going to be MORE work in the first week back, not less. For all staff, not just teaching.

We've already got a fully planned inset day for first Monday back. Imagine we'll be practicing swabbing instead

How long will these test results take to come back too?

So have we. Really important medical training with an outside trainer for a child who needs us all to be trained in their care.

Have you seen that the first thing these new school covid labs will be doing in Jan will be testing the entire school population?

I'm sure that will go just fine

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4108933-Govt-plan-to-one-off-test-all-secondary-kids-on-return-to-school-too-late-to-Christmas-safer

It's laughable. Honestly we waste energy reacting because we don't even know what's true yet. As with all of their announcements everything is subject to yet more last minute change so I'm not reacting, I'm not planning, I'm not assuming anything.

I do know though that if they want me in school in my part time hours in that first week back despite not teaching year groups I will want a keyworker place for my son every time I have to go in so he can be sat at a computer there and access his 'remote' learning in school rather than me having to try and drag it out of him at school when I get back from school.

So if they want presenteeism for it's own sake they can have it at the cost of a kw child place. It's hugely awkward for me to know when I would be expected to be in as I have my timetable spread over more days than I'm paid for itms and I have trapped time in the mix. As it is I end up being in for a lot more time than I'm paid to be there.

I am responsible for producing the work including live lessons for remote learning for the department for one year group so I'll have that to do plus setting the work, dealing with queries etc for my other year groups which can all be done from home but maybe they will need me to be in school for the whole testing saga?! Feck knows and therefore no point stressing.

You couldn't make this shit up. Every.single.time it's a last minute crazy arsed scheme that newspapers find out about before us and assumes we'll just work through our holidays.

@hedgehogger1

How long will these test results take to come back too?

Oh we're processing them on the spot hedge - they don't go anywhere to come back from. We are full on test labs now which will be set up and ready magically by 4th January Reality is it will have to be at least 2 weeks before we can have them all back in. Couple of days training and setting stuff up before we can even begin to think of testing anyone.

I feel like we're being groomed to be the only government agency left - ie we'll be looking after the elderly, policing the streets, having prison wings, testing centres, triaging medical care, running deradicalisation courses for people returning from Syria, etc within a couple of years. Maybe we'll do a bit of teaching after hours as a sideline.

Sorry you can tell when I'm deranged because I do the mad multiple posting preaching to the choir

Our head's just emailed us with what she knows (obvs, not much) and an "obviously all staff will be in school" Not sure why, and it wasn't obvious!

But I can see that might change, who knows?!

Jesus H Christ:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945441/Weekly_COVID-19_and_Influenza_Surveillance_Graphs_w51.pdf

We’ve had an email to say all staff in school, teaching exam classes as timetabled and other year groups via teams as timetabled. Keyworker/vulnerable pupils to be in a classroom in bubbles to complete online learning. How that’s going to work I have no idea. How we staff the keyworker/vulnerable students while teaching classes remotely I have no idea.

And test every. single. child.

I'm fuming about the staggered start sounds like Y11/13 will be in which is great but then we will still have to educate those year groups at home. There'll be no extra time for doing anything because we'll still be teaching our full timetable and doing all the other jobs we do

I'd be most worried about my bottom set Y10s - lovely group but they really need to be in the room with you for support etc.

Waiting for further info before I alter planning etc.

On the plus side, had a lovely day today. Half a day to go which will be a quiz and watching a film in form.

From this side of the border, at least you are all getting a slight acknowledgement of the risks and some sort of scheme has been put in place.

We're working until Tuesday 22nd, back on the 6th Jan, and the government/LAs are making absolutely no changes at all, because 'vulnerable children'

How dare this government do this to school staff. After the terms we’ve had since September, they whack this bullshit at 1pm on the last day of term.

Why do school staff have to be involved? Universities are set up for testing with mobile sites in car parks. Why do we have to do it?

It’s such utter bollocks.