The Thirty-Fifth Republic - Covid - the gift that keeps on giving even during the Christmas 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

My DCs aren’t going into school with tests rather than isolation and neither will I.

We added about 10 bricks to Durham cathedral over a couple of years - couldn’t tell you which ones they are though!

I get really twitchy about cutlery use (not left or right handed ness but how knives get held )

Hmm. Just got a message from my HT asking my team about online platforms for the beginning of this term. We are primary, so it looks like the thinking is that we may well not be opening as usual.

@GleamingBaubles

I'm so stressed about all this and the uncertainty. I'm not sleeping and struggling. I can't decide whether they just don't understand about conditions in schools, and how it contributes to spread, or if they genuinely think benefits of every week of school out weighs the risks to staff an family. Malice or incompetence?

I know what you mean, Gleaming. It would be ridiculous to put some of these decisions down to a sheer dislike of the Education sector from the government, but sometimes it really feels like it, with the no-notice changes, umpteen revisions of guidance with no version history and the tendency to publish changes at times which seem designed to be as inconvenient as possible.

I'm wondering whether to go in on Jan 2nd and photocopy a month or so of paper packs for some of my classes for posting home, in case I don't see them for a while. But don't want to panic them or their families and get into trouble for it.

@CallmeAngelGabriel

Hmm. Just got a message from my HT asking my team about online platforms for the beginning of this term. We are primary, so it looks like the thinking is that we may well not be opening as usual.

Hmmm.

What tier are you.

At least we got one day's notice in secondary. Someone from every department stayed until silly o'clock on the Thursday night photocopying booklets, or issuing textbooks, English novels, all ready to give out in Friday's lessons so that students had physical resources as well as online lessons for the first week in January (and in case it turns into more).

@NeurotreeWenceslas, Tier 4 (Home Counties)

Call I've had a sneaking suspicion that primary may be affected by possible closure in tier 4s.

Education was disrupted badly here when rolling rates went above a certain level making the community (over 400, definitely over 600); we are currently tier 3 and relatively low rates (below 200.)

Just my very unsubstantiated hunch.

I think they're not going to say anything until the last possibly second so no one has time to object to anything

In the, not making...

I think you're right.

It will fuck up child care though. Will have to be keyworkers and there will be anger over that.

Some parts of London, bloody hell, Basildon is over 1500 per 100k

Gavin always look sly and conceited in photos and sort of coquettish with strange affected head tilts. Sorry I really don't like him and find him a bit skin crawly.

My paper packs are ready to go too. If we go off, I'm going to spend a day driving around doing deliveries.

Interesting about vaccine queue stuff. Makes sense. If the economy needs us for child care, then make it safe for us. Also means we'll be able to go on holiday abroad. Cos that's where my head is right now!

What is your head doing emailing you on Sunday, two days after Christmas?!

I once bought dh the Lego mindstorm set (when on offer at amazon) and he built without a machine and programmed it to solve a rubix cube. V impressive and kept him busy for days.

I will be very grateful if we are indeed bumped up the vaccination list. We have luckily had zero class closures so far as any infections of pupils have happened when they were already isolating. I fear that is to change now our rate is about 350 per 100,000.

@SaltyAF

What is your head doing emailing you on Sunday, two days after Christmas?!

The same HT who was back at work 3 days after giving birth, with baby in tow in car seat. She's a complete workaholic, and fires out messages at all times of day and night (before she forgets) but is fine about us ignoring them until a suitable time. I could have ignored it, but chose to open it and respond.

I'm with you Rule!

Morning all! I've been in a covid/Christmas haze for a good few days now. Luckily the dc had a really good day. The best ever according to the youngest. I'm now out of isolation but panicking about next week already. Essay draft due on Monday and ive done not a thing yet. I should get an extension but that's not confirmed. I'm still sleeping for most of the day and the simplest of tasks ie having a shower and getting dressed leaves me wiped out. Really nervous about how I'm going to manage placement.

On another note, I'm thinking I might need different clothes for year 2? Will there be crawling about on the floor / sitting on the carpet? I'm fat (not helped by leftovers) so need something forgiving.

Feeling a bit down today.

Did everyone else have a good Christmas? The post Christmas blues seem worse this year. Probably the worry of what's to come 😥

Let's face it, it's not just childcare is it. It's also safeguarding. (Shouldn't be but we are 50% social worker now in sen I sometimes feel.)

(Need to vaccine I mean. They don't care about retraining staff to replace us if we are sick.)

On another note, I'm thinking I might need different clothes for year 2? Will there be crawling about on the floor / sitting on the carpet? I'm fat (not helped by leftovers) so need something forgiving

No, there’s not much crawling around in Y2 these days. Ours are all in rows facing the front now anyway, so not even any carpet input at all here, or sitting on the floor group reading :(

Just go for something comfortable.

I wear jersey dresses, leggings and boots - for all year groups.

Will there be crawling about on the floor / sitting on the carpet?

I do generally wear smart gym like stuff in sen which is often like being in a perpetual ks1 class. Trainers are a must for the random sprints I sometimes have to do.

it's not just childcare is it

It's not, but Tories worry about the economy over everything, so that'll be their thinking I expect.

Or tunics and leggings. Sometimes I've worn flat boots. Feet aren't happy at the moment and I need more grip for sprints.