The Thirty-Fourth Republic - Time to recharge our batteries and make the best of our festive break

[SantaAssociationRepresentitve]

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

Thank goodness for the neg result BreadSaucery!

Wow. Big jump in numbers. I can see why it has some higher-ups twitching. But to announce same day lockdowns is a bit much! DD couldn't travel back from uni on the weekend they wanted them gone and we were due to get her today.

Well, Drakeford's announcement meant that theoretically, going up to get her today was not an essential journey, so we went in a rush to do it last night instead! And came back to tales of shops who'd shut for the evening reopening and huge queues.

It does make me wonder what will happen in Jan regarding schools. We're primary and so far safe. So it seems. But will this more transmissable version change that?

Our authority has decided first week back is blended learning with only key worker kids in. And they will decide on the 6th regarding what the next week(s) will bring. Nominally we are required to have all kids back on the 18th. BUT will this change? Will they still not be required to distance? Will they still want the testing to replace the isolating? Will there be capacity in the testing system to even try?

It's all a mess.

@SaltyAF your DC can't be in the same authority as I teach as I remember the mess of the key worker provision from the first lockdown from your posts. We definitely accept teacher's kids in our key worker provision no question! In fact the long list of who qualifies is published by the gov and should prove to your dc's school that they should be accepting them.

Off for a takeaway now, as we had had a dinner booked for over the border on Tues and now can't do it, so we're having a takeaway and alcohol around the table together instead.

Fuckit!

Merry Christmas all. Our plans are well and truly blown out of the water. DH is mourning his recently departed mother and the covid restrictions are making it rather difficult for he and his brothers to sort things out. And wakes are cancelled so luckily we'd decided not to have one until this mess is over!

Rather long rant. Sorry.

@noelgiraffe

Any teacher tappers need to make sure they vote today and rate the government’s response to covid in terms of school policy and support.

Try not to smash your phone screen as you punch ‘very bad’.

What's this sorry? I can vote for the gvmt being shit ? Where !!!

@GleamingBaubles

knowing big hugs

I'm feeling drained and have a tight/wheezy chest. I don't have asthma - it sort of feels like a chest infection does. I've had to cough several times today just to clear my lungs, but I'm not really "coughing" iyswim?
So anyway, I've said I have a cough on the online form and ordered a postal test. I hope I've done the right thing?
I've also cancelled all the outdoors social events (mainly walks and playgrounds with friends with kids) that I'd been looking forward to so much

I think at this point any possible symptoms should have a test. I did mine only on the ‘official’ temp, which was transiently high, but the rash and the headache are also reported symptoms so I feel zero guilt about going for a test.

@ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas hope it goes ok for the last few days- feel awful for you all still going to the bitter end.

@KnowingMeKnowingYule, nothing but hugs for you and your family. I hope you get to see ds soon .

@TheHoneyBadger, no words, really. You will have made an enormous difference to that young woman, and the others in your care. I volunteer on a helpline and a young woman called anonymously last month. After speaking to her, I went to the loo to calm down and couldn't stop shaking. There is such a helplessness in not being able to do more.

@MrsChristmasHamlet

I would like Lego and a dress that swishes too please.

Me three

Thanks we'll be fine, at least I get to do a supermarket sweep of my classroom to pick up anything I might need for home learning!

@MrsChristmasHamlet me four

You know that tomorrow that Teacher Tapp survey will throw up a dismaying number of sympathy votes....

I am actually really tempted to buy myself some Lego now. I have a set in the present box for my goddaughter's birthday in may but I think it might be a bit lacking in challenge...

Just a minute, support staff don’t routinely do INSET days do they? (I certainly don't although know a couple who can't resist coming in anyway....) Aren’t they the ones more likely to be doing the testing??

@bornatXmastobequiet are you a NCer, can’t work it out?!

@TheHoneyBadger no results for you yet?

Ophelia you need to download the TeacherTapp app. They poll teachers every day on various stuff, and it does get used in the news occasionally.

teachertapp.co.uk/

I have indeed hit the "very bad" button on teacher Tapp

Support staff only invited in for relevant INSET, so Safeguarding elements etc. We can attend specific training for core subjects too but no obligation to do so and only go if it’s relevant to the role we have.
I expect secondary is similar. Support staff will need to be paid extra for attending.

[quote noelgiraffe]Ophelia you need to download the TeacherTapp app. They poll teachers every day on various stuff, and it does get used in the news occasionally.

teachertapp.co.uk/[/quote]
Ooooo! I'm there.
Is it anonymous? I'm a very anonymous human

[quote noelgiraffe]Ophelia you need to download the TeacherTapp app. They poll teachers every day on various stuff, and it does get used in the news occasionally.

teachertapp.co.uk/[/quote]
Sorry I've just looked again and now I'm laughing because I've just thought of the Tumble Tap.

Ok as we were

Don't know if this will work,but schoolzone have just asked teachers how they're feeling. The results are pretty telling so far www.questionpro.com/t/PHl9RZkQMq

Support staff do all insets in my school (and every one I've ever worked in). They are paid for 39 weeks, not 38 (plus holidays).

Support staff do insets at my school too. I think they are technically paid for 5 days in the holidays too. Some support staff come in at exam results days, while others build up Flexi time during term time to "pay off" the holiday days.

Yeah, I think data/finance/admin/IT people might be on anything from a 39 week to a 52 week contract. Site staff obviously 52.

LSAs are all on 39 weeks at my school (except, I think, one who has been there so long he is on 38 weeks and doesn't want the extra week's pay to go up to 39).

@DecemberStar I’m only a Christmas namechanger. Normally borntobequiet. Not new to these threads at all, though only post sporadically.

Support staff do inset at ours too. Newer ones have 5 days in holidays too.

I feel like I need a little non covid / non Xmas related moan. I've got really bad arthritis and other things as well although arthritis is the issue at the moment. My joints are just becoming abysmally painful. I've got two young kids so resting over Christmas isn't possible really and then obviously straight back to school, and my job is very phsyical being sen teacher.
I sometimes wonder why I do my job with my illnesses but I wouldn't enjoy anything else. Disabled I may be but I just could never accept doing a job I didn't love.

I was just wondering since this is a board of teachers (without the teacher bashing madness ) ...Is there anyone else who's a disabled teacher (who would be happy to share ?) or even if anyone works with a disabled colleague ? Sometimes I feel like I'm very much on my own.