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

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 :(

Briefly Forgot about that. :(

Obviously we aren't (The thought makes me do a wry snort!)

Reading the dm comments and there's definitely been a shift in attitude. The 'lazy teacher' comments are now getting lots of red arrows and sarky replies. Not a lot of love out there for our Gav!

Aside from child care and protection I think they probably see us as some protective fence between the great unwashed and them.

Struggling for words but I suspect they don't think highly of the average state teen and don't like the idea of them not being fenced in and monitored at school.

I can quite imagine them assuming if they're given an inch they'll all end up on benefits for life with criminal sidelines. So they must be kept under control in school

@DreamingofBrie

We've had the surveys through from school now. In both staff and pupil surveys, there's a question asking if you consent to come into school with 7 days of negative lateral flow tests, if a close contact tests positive. I've not sent it back yet for dc or myself - my instinct is telling me to click "no" but I'm a bit worried about consequences? I think it's a standard-issue survey though, so guessing staff and parents all over England will have the same one

Not had anything from my children’s school yet but I won’t be consenting. It should not be the job of schools to sort this. It will inevitably mean that colleagues are placed in front of people with covid (because it is school staff who will be supervising this) and that will mean illness and deaths. I refuse to be part of that. My children will isolate if it comes to it.

Oh it's going to be a very different y2 since last time i was there. Forgot even the little ones are in rows. Yep my feet aren't happy either unless I have a little heel / wedge.

R4 headlines said it's Gav vs the "doves" in the cabinet who want to close schools.

@littleowl1 who has the brilliant Covid Messenger.com service said yesterday she couldn't believe the rate rises over just a couple of days in tier 4.

Do we think it's possible that (secondary?) schools will close in some tiers and not others?? Difficult for GCSEs and A levels.

They are reporting an average increase of infectiousness of the new variant of between 50 and 70% more infectious, but the rates are clearly a lot higher in school age kids if thus graph is right.

I saw an amazing graphic yesterday which had animated blobs on a graph showing level of cases per 100,000 against % of positives. I plotted my own LA against those of a friend in Bexley. Basically throughout lockdown 2, the rates in those SE areas just kept flying up while others were reducing. I'm not sure my part of the county should be in T4 really according to rates, but we are neighbouring some more serious issues.

Same here rule. We were tier 2 then put up to tier 3 on Boxing Day not because of our rates but because we neighbour tier 4 areas.

I suspect we'll be put in tier 4 at the next review. Unless it's flying the new strain needs to come through the East Midlands to get to the rest of the country and I presume putting our tier up is like creating a buffer zone.

Wow dr! That's stark!

Having a major wobble about going back to school this morning. HT refuses to allow us to wear PPE in class (we’re primary) and it’s obviously impossible to SD. SLT are basically ignoring the impact of the pandemic on staff MH and have rolled on with observations, book scrutinies and all the normal performance mgmt stuff - it’s madness!

@TheHoneyBadger

Same here rule. We were tier 2 then put up to tier 3 on Boxing Day not because of our rates but because we neighbour tier 4 areas.

I suspect we'll be put in tier 4 at the next review. Unless it's flying the new strain needs to come through the East Midlands to get to the rest of the country and I presume putting our tier up is like creating a buffer zone.

@TheHoneyBadger I reckon we're in the same area.

I know I've banged on about this before, but HOW is it that it is apparently out of order and dangerous/critical to Covid spread if I spend a couple of hours in a relative's house (with a small handful of people) on Christmas Day, but perfectly fine and safe to mix with (insert number of your choice, according to your particular school setting) in a week's time?
No one on any of the "schools must remain open" threads is ever able to justify it, beyond saying it's OK because "education is important" and "children are entitled," which doesn't actually cut it with me.

@NeurotreeWenceslas

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.)

And yet social workers (and admin) currently WfH are high on the vaccine list and we're nowhere!

@CallmeAngelGabriel

I know I've banged on about this before, but HOW is it that it is apparently out of order and dangerous/critical to Covid spread if I spend a couple of hours in a relative's house (with a small handful of people) on Christmas Day, but perfectly fine and safe to mix with (insert number of your choice, according to your particular school setting) in a week's time? No one on any of the "schools must remain open" threads is ever able to justify it, beyond saying it's OK because "education is important" and "children are entitled," which doesn't actually cut it with me.

This, which is why I will be going for a walk with my DSM and sister later today. I'm sick of being treated like a servant.

And yet social workers (and admin) currently WfH are high on the vaccine list and we're nowhere!

Yes, I really cannot fathom this logic! (Be careful though, some lurkers may start accusing teachers of wanting to be at the top of the vaccine list )

@CallmeAngelGabriel exactly. Lockdown 2 was so hard for us not being able to see our boy (there were cases in his home straight after lockdown) so was 6 weeks without f2f contact. So lucky to have had tests so we could see him at Christmas x

it's OK because "education is important"
This is what I find so hard to reconcile. If the govt feels that education is so important why don't they fund it properly?
And if the public thinks that education is so important why do they keep voting in a party that doesn't believe in experts and cuts every corner to keep taxes low?

Maybe they're hoping to kill us all off and replace us with 14k a year facilitators who'll press play on an oak video and hand out worksheets

Schools are the ultimate 'Great Barrington Declaration' battlefield.

The selfish view that if you aren't likely to be badly affected by covid then you should be allowed to continue as normal and the ones who will likely be badly affected should hide away.

Children are the least likely to be affected so if the Barrington lot can't stop them having restrictions, their argument is completely lost.

Harriet

I completely understand. We aren't allowed ppe unless changing nappies. The only mitigation is bubbles, but the number of staff and children in each bubble is pretty big. Zero SD unless we are eating lunch

@TheHoneyBadger

Maybe they're hoping to kill us all off and replace us with 14k a year facilitators who'll press play on an oak video and hand out worksheets

I've never felt so needed/ vital to my pupils but so under valued by the government.

My anger is seeping into how I am increasingly saying no to shite ideas from slt (usually to do with assessment and more pointless paper exercises.)

It is very gaslighting for us. The whole it's dangerous, it's bad, don't even think of going for a walk with your mate public messaging and then having to wade through a sea of year 9s up 3 flights of stairs to get to your next lesson.

I think we get used to it when we're in the thick of it but once you've been out of it for a few days it seems insane to think of going back.

It's the uncertainty I'm hating at the minute. Whatever is going to happen I'd like to have some time to get my head around it. I switched my head off for Christmas but now really want to know what's going to be happening.

We're definitely needed more than ever neuro but yes it feels like we're valued less than ever.

@NeurotreeWenceslas

I hear you. Our children are in year group bubbles (but cross paths with others in the corridors and cloakrooms, and share toilet facilities). The staff are not in bubbles. I’m timetabled into three different year groups. My TA is timetabled into a fourth. I’ve never felt so low and vulnerable. I missed seeing my family at Christmas as I’m still self isolating following a case in my class - test results still not received (I will ring up tomorrow).

I don’t understand why it’s fine for me to mix with hundreds of children every day without any protection but too dangerous to stand on my elderly mum’s drive and talk to her through a window.