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

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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

We're definitely teaching remotely from school. Which is annoying.

Honestly Gav is as much use as a fart in a storm.

The sooner they announce online teaching for secondary (in some form) the better. Maybe just 11 and 13 in and the rest online for January

Oh I completely agree regarding the vaccine as couldn't find any news to back it up. Definitely expect an announcement to deflect from Brexit.

Shopping done. It was fine not super quiet but not mad busy -you could walk around peacefully. Everything was well stocked as well.

We are also teaching live from school during the first week (plus Y11/13 in school and I teach both).

I think they need to cancel exam. It’s really obvious that Y11 and 13 are going to be further disrupted.

Then the pressure is not on to keep them in the building - but we could potentially bring small groups in to do assessed pieces of work.

Parents United Against Unsafe Schools - PUAUS, formerly BRTUS - have links to articles this morning saying that a lot more laptops are coming, and something else significant-sounding which I now can't remember. Will go and find links to post here....

Definitely looks like we'll be closing in some way shape or form in January. And the mentions that the new strain may make children more susceptible.

Just come back for supermarket. Not as busy as I thought it would be. Sell by dates absolutely awful which annoyed me.

I do wonder how much of the crap decision making is due to Johnson allegedly being a barely functional alcoholic.

I am so stressed all over again about not being able to teach my subject remotely. My school, the exam board, Ofqual have completely failed to address this.

I might have to venture to the shop today - I really fancy cocoa pops, and I've not got much in to eat. Sigh.

Good chap on BBC atm. Scientist who says we have not tackled issues in schools properly and mentioned chronic underfunding.

@PumpkinPie2016

Shopping done. It was fine not super quiet but not mad busy -you could walk around peacefully. Everything was well stocked as well.

We are also teaching live from school during the first week (plus Y11/13 in school and I teach both).

I've just been shopping as well. I'm struggling with my arthritis today and I couldn't be bothered with tons of people panic buying, making things more difficult for me than they usually are when I shop. Very quiet thankfully. Lady in the shop said she was expecting it to go crazy later. I like my local lidl, we live in a small town and they know I struggle so always huge me a hand with packing :) they do it in a way that doesn't make me feel embarrassed that I can't do it myself which is always nice. Even though I know they don't usually help 30 something women... They make it seem like it's just one of those things.... I appreciate that

Can't see them scrapping exams yet. They'll wait until we've taught them everything and half of them (and probably us) are off with stress before they cancel. Probably the night before the first exam.
Definitely teaching from school for us as we need to have the keyworker kids and vulnerable in our classrooms whilst live teaching those at home. We've been doing dual teaching for ages but I've prioritised those in class as they're the majority which has reduced stress. Now it's the majority at home but probably 4-5 in class, including our most difficult, I'm not sure how to effectively do it. Frustrated because I know it would be more effective if I did videos like in the first lockdown and then I'd be free to manage the keyworkers.

Agree exams should be cancelled.

I'd favour rotas and not having to teach remotely in the week 'off'. It's too much to expect teachers to plan and teach 5 + hours a day.

I'd be telling schools to cancel al f2f meetings and visitors too. And Ofsted obviously.

If they decide mass vaccinations for Kids is the way out of this, what about the anti-vaxxers??

I completely support any of you and what you think is best for secondary (or indeed primary).

I'm just wondering what my fellow SEN colleagues are thinking ? I'm desperate for us to continue to stay open. I'm sure we will as we always have done... Do you all want to stay open too?

8 year old and I are playing schools. He is the teacher.

He’s invented a student called “David” who keeps getting all the answers right and who did a long and complicated homework presentation. I got told off for not paying enough attention.

AIBU to hate David?

David sounds like a right swot.

I've just been reduced almost to tears by women's hour on radio 4 (I love it )

They just said 'for most people this is the hardest time of their lives"

I'm so upset. I has a late stillbirth... I'm without a child every year not just this one.

Trying not to cry in front of my eldest as she's happily crafting

CountDuckulasCranberrySauce
Agree re videos - I’d rather record those, then be available to answer questions/support any in school.

Ophelia my BIL teaches at a school for multiple and complex LDs. He’s very keen to stay open.

I think they’ll extend secondary partial closures - wonder if they will move to some kind of f2f rota system for other year groups like the original tier 2 for schools.

It’s so frustrating trying to teach from school as the technology isn’t great and when we’ve got most staff on teams meetings with however many students I’ve no idea how it works. This is the point where schools need time to think creatively, as we’ve asked to do for months, eg some in school, some responsible for remote, some sorting paper packs, some working with those in. Won’t happen though.

Primaries I’ve no idea - for those like the schools my kids go to, I think they’ll try to keep open with class size bubbles because of childcare essentially...

It would’ve interesting to see if that surge in primary cases was in the older primary year groups or spread evenly?

@SmileEachDay

8 year old and I are playing schools. He is the teacher.

He’s invented a student called “David” who keeps getting all the answers right and who did a long and complicated homework presentation. I got told off for not paying enough attention.

AIBU to hate David?

Yeah I'd hate David to be fair.

I reckon the presentation wasn't him - his parents clearly did it for him.

I see Unison are being mature and adult, with their ‘Grinchy Sunak’ PDF circulated to members. Excellent use of my subs in these worrying and dangerous times for school support staff
Must remember to reset my password and cancel membership, the useless bunch.

Have namechanged due to being emotionally incontinent yesterday.

Have just been for a walk with my brother, whose MH is rock bottom. He lived through several suicide attempts in the past 3 years but he's slipping again. Have been amusing him with tales of primary fun, children licking my shoes, etc, all the things that we take for granted they do but hugely amuse those on the outside.

Going for another walk at midday to celebrate the shortest day. Even though it's pissing down yet again. Then eating fuckton of chocolate. Woke up early feeling like I'd been clenching my shoulders up to my ears all night, trying to relax now without recourse to handy store of tranquillisers.

Sending love to you all.

I'm so upset. I has a late stillbirth... I'm without a child every year not just this one

it’s such a tough thing.