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

What subject are you again @GravityFalls ?

I’m sure we can find some gin. All the Xmas chocolate & snacks turned up in the Tesco delivery on Sunday so we’re sorted there.

Work are sending someone round to do a test at some point. Maybe today maybe tomorrow depending on how busy they are.

Media and Film, sixth form only. This was from one of my level 2 BTEC class who on the whole are lovely, but, bless them, not usually the deepest thinkers!

I'd be wary of the non-covid symptoms. In hindsight I'd been ill a couple of days - headache, sore throat, achy, sneezing - I'd just assumed it was a mixture of a long term health condition, end of term tiredness and that I might be getting a cold... Then the coughing started, reckon I'd actually had it 2-3 days as a few hours later my husband got a temperature and we haven't been anywhere together to both have caught it from the same person so I reckon I'd infected him.

BMJ and Health service journal are calling for government to change plans on Christmas household mixing. Looks like the government might be getting attacked from schools and health care to avoid January being a total clusterfuck.

Damn. Greenwich have caved. They can’t justify the use of public funds to fight the case in court.

Happy birthday bread

Where does that leave Islington and Waltham Forest? Have they had the same letter from Gav? And other individual schools that have gone online with the agreement of their LAs? I know of some locally that have done that and it’s getting a bit late in the day to start changing things now. I will be interested to see what % of Greenwich parents sent their kids to school tomorrow.

Oh good rafals. I have some fancy wines but they're for taking to Christmas dinner if I'm allowed out so must resist those. I succumbed last night and opened the jack daniels that was supposed to be a gift for someone given I couldn't go to the shop. It's easier to replace than decentish wine.

There are hidden chocolates in the house for stocking fillers and I definitely must resist those!

Feeling less bad about isolating. Everyone else is meant to be careful and use a high index of suspicion where the not so subtle message for us seems to be the usual don't let your colleagues down and not going to work is the moral equivalent of killing babies. Or maybe I've just internalised that message over so many years that it triggers automatically.

Logically of course I should be at home till I know if friends positive. She's basically got what we'd usually assume were classic flu flu symptoms but started with a really sore throat she thought nothing of until she had a fever on Sunday then rapidly felt worse. She's laid up where she's usually the type to work through everything whilst I get wiped out so definitely not well.

Ds and I still just feeling grotty but none of the main 3.

Such a shame that Greenwich have caved but at least they tried, and if things are awful there over the Christmas break, we will all know who to blame.

I have a cough but it’s almost certainly the usual asthma cough. GP gave me steroids and didn’t quest it being covid other than asking if I felt unwell at all. Work are (understandably) saying it’s a new cough so need a test before I can go back.

Tbf I wouldn’t want to take anybody out this close to Xmas so it’s for the best. Surprised it’s taken this long tbh.

No it's an awful time to take risks. Shame the government can't concede that.

www.politicshome.com/news/article/two-more-london-boroughs-warned-by-government-not-to-recommend-school-closures

Looks like Islington & Waltham Forest are getting a letter, but not a legal one. Might give them a bit more room to refuse.

'Huge expansion' of secondary school Covid tests in January www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55318628

So sorry I've fallen off the threads, I'm looking forward to the virtual gin party on Friday (plum is coming on nicely!)

Yeah have just read the statement on DfE website re testing. All Dec staff offered weekly LF tests, and anyone who's a contact (don't know if they're changing criteria for this) offered 7 days worth of LF testing.

But sounds like it's to be done in school (by school staff?), just as @MrsHamlet's school was offered. How does that work at weekends??? There'll still be the option to isolate. Also why seven days not 10 like everywhere else??

*all sec(ondary) Staff

In other words, we'll have contacts of positive cases in our classrooms on the basis of a test with variable accuracy and on the assumption they've had it done.

Yeah I feel it's a placatory measure. I also doubt it will be everywhere.

The kids in the year group being tested will be learning from home.... or at least that's what we were told. So we get to teach online and stick swabs up noses at the same time. Lucky us.

Great!!

At least they've admitted a few things here:

*It is so important we drive down transmission rates among school age children, so we are rolling out rapid testing in all schools as quickly as possible, and asking everyone offered a test to come forward for a test.

About one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising it, rapid regular testing offers a reliable and effective way to keep schools open and children learning.

It will also help us to identify asymptomatic cases that we otherwise wouldn’t know about, and protect the wider community beyond the school gates.*

Well I'm now self isolating and have just been for a test. Pretty sure it's just an end of term bug but today I can't smell or taste anything so managed to get a test done. Had one positive case in school and 2 in my class SI. So needed to be on the safe side. My DC weren't happy about being pulled out of school today though!

Hugs and fingers crossed name

I am genuinely gobsmacked that teaching staff (who, after all MUST be chained to their desk/laptop at all times) are expected to administer tests.

Surely the unions will intervene? This is yet another burden and d expectation being placed on teachers/ school staff in general who are already social workers...

Lots of kids off today coded ill with a note saying 'not covid related'.

Pees me right off.

I might also point out in the news only yesterday was report on how inaccurate lateral flow tests are!

If a staff member does a kid's test and they are then positive, does s/he need to SI after that??