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.

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If you come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

In DF

Schools 'closed until February half-term' under plans discussed TODAY
mol.im/a/9091287

That unnamed ‘backbencher’! It’s just the ‘health people’ who say hospitals will be full (tchuh, what would they know eh?) and focussing on children not getting it severely so why should they be punished?
What. A. Knobhead.

From Sky News:

Michael Gove confirms only primary school children, children of key workers and secondary school children in years 11 and 13 will go back to school on the 4th January.

Other children will be taught remotely for at least the first week.

Wasn't that already happening?

I think we will have a u turn or an additional tier or both by feb.

Yes that was already the plan... the 'at least a week' is new though.

Ah!

The media will ramp up hospital reports all week and then they'll keep em closed for a month. Is my prediction.

Tier 4 primary should Close imo. Kw children will need to keep their places rather than risk having to self isolate for what could stretch to cover two working weeks.

I know an hcp on the Covid ward; she has no idea what they'll do if her daughter's bubble closes.

Fingers crossed year 11 and 13 aren't full of Covid by the end of the first week. It's technically 10 days on from any Christmas mixing but I do think we need to be encouraging tests before returning to school.

It's very grey here. Still can't bring myself to feel like marking assessments though

It's a fucking shambles.

I'm skimming a thread and can't believe how few people know Secondary are closing the first week (at least.) (including some teachers?!)

do think we need to be encouraging tests before returning to school.

It looks like a number of areas are already. Might expand next week?

He's also said that GCSE and A Level exams will go ahead in England this summer. Yeah - right. Thought the DFE meeting with Gav was today?

Twitter is twittering about a tier 5...

That's just Gove confirming the current plans. Whenever a U turn is imminent they send Gove out just before it to parrot the current one. I guess he has broad shoulders and doesn't care if he knows it is about to change whereas someone like Jenrick would be jittery.

Absolutely there will be teachers at my schol who don't know the current plans!

I wish the government would force employers to have people work from home unless they can prove the job needs them in person. So many people say their boss makes them go to work. Thus they support schools being open to send all children too and also want to stop or reduce SI. It would also bring the R down!

That's just Gove confirming the current plans. Whenever a U turn is imminent they send Gove out just before it to parrot the current one. I guess he has broad shoulders and doesn't care if he knows it is about to change

I heard Gove this morning. He really is a pretty good liar. Just parrots out the line even if it’s clear crap.

How can teachers not know the current plans? What Head wouldn't have sent out communication on the last day of term or held a briefing?

Hmm, I reckon there will be a change of plan following the meeting today.

Obviously, we don't know what it will be -DF article suggests tier 4 schools could be online until Feb half term -so could be that with everywhere else sticking to the current plan.

Then again, someone else in the article says all schools should be online for 2 weeks rather than one.

Either way, we need to know for planning purposes. I really don't see how exams in England can go ahead - if some schools are closed and others not, some online for longer than others, kids having to isolate left, right and centre, teachers having to isolate, therefore, some kids trying to squeeze content into even less time. It will be a massively unlevel playing field (I know there are always factors that impact on some kids but nothing on this level).

If we knew, we could work on building evidence of attainment in schools

No ‘live’ briefings at my school anymore. Far too much potential fir disease spreading.

Our head sent a letter to parents and a promise of an update when available to staff. Silent since but given Xmas, that’s not unreasonable. I expect detail to start trickling in and then for it all to change on Sunday afternoon. Or even at 6am Monday.

Morning all.
Does anyone know what time the Bojo/Gav meeting is today?

How can teachers not know the current plans? What Head wouldn't have sent out communication on the last day of term or held a briefing?

All we know is 11&13 in school and the rest online. We have no idea how that is happening. Eg are we changing the timetable to allow us to teach bigger classes online to cover for staff absence? We don't know who is supervising KW/vulnerable kids? HT is planning on testing, no idea how that will work either.

There's knowing the "plan" and then knowing the practicalities of said plan.

My HT has also been very clear, do nothing over the break. We have an inset on the 4th so can sort it then. He's also mindful that if it isn't perfect, it's not the end of the world. He is also expecting last minute changes so too much forward planning would be futile.

@Hercwasonasnowball same with us.

I know nothing other than the fact that I look for myself. I periodically WhatsApp my friend who has DDs at my school to find out what our head has told parents. He doesn't tell us what he ahs told them. The union reps complained about this a while back and he remembered once to copy us in to comms home and not since.

We ahve no social media at all.

It's an embarrassment.

@Jinglingmod

How can teachers not know the current plans? What Head wouldn't have sent out communication on the last day of term or held a briefing?

Unless it's primary? Or unless it was a parent saying it but I interpreted it as secondary? Can't find where I saw that.

So many anxious parents worried about heir kids being 'behind' because previous online provision wasn't academic enough. They really don't get that behind is a concept , not an actual thing.

No one in my primary Sen school at the end of term had any idea secondary were closing in jan.

@Piggyinblankets

So many anxious parents worried about heir kids being 'behind' because previous online provision wasn't academic enough. They really don't get that behind is a concept , not an actual thing.

Completely.