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

That's true piggy, and they've quoted him In tbe article!

guardian is usually shit on fast moving stuff anyway.

[quote DecemberStar]Am sure it's brill but I don't know what the tune is, sorry?!

From Data thread, worrying (not new stuff re children though). Hope people in the meeting now (which someone said is COBRA is it??) are aware of these data:

mobile.twitter.com/chrischirp/status/1343533841550618625[/quote]
Jesus

Thank you, All

I'm going to write one to the tune of 'It wasn't me' for when the government backtrack on schools...

december I have peaked at stately homes. I would be very at home there but do find it a bit competitive in its misery.

My DM does literally say things like that.

There is a wonderful Carol Ann Duffy poem called 'We Remember Your Childhood Well' : I recommend it you have a toxic childhood experience!

Talking of reading, today I finished War and Peace!! Go me.

@NeurotreeWenceslas

Hmmm

The trade-offs presumably meaning an increased R-rate, much longer/more widespread implementation of Tier 4 across the country, the collapse of many businesses and hospitality industries and of course, many more deaths?

Talking of reading, today I finished War and Peace!! Go me.

I finished Ready Player Two. Bloody English teachers and their better reading habits

There'll be no staff left to actually teach.

21 staff? What happened to the 7 roles from the government guidance that could be carried out by the same person?

Can't do attitude again. I mean, they managed to test all those lorry drivers in double-quick time.

They are definitely saying that other years will be taught remotely for "at least" a week, now, it seems.

Which is interesting.

Seems like they have realised the testing plan can't be delivered in a week, and having promised it, they probably can't justify now scrapping it!

Well the first week was supposed to be spent testing the kids. That's not happening so opening will have to be delayed if they were trumpeting how mass testing would be the saviour of secondary schools.

They said the January mass testing wasn’t compulsory, and children didn’t need to have it done before returning, didn’t they?

I am intrigued to know what the testing plan will say and when it will be released!

I also want to know the % of parents who don’t give consent to Lf testing instead of SI, and also what happens to staff who refuse.

Oo did you like Ready Player Two (and One, if you've read it?) I gave DS it for Christmas.

Yes there's no way they can completely scrap the testing idea now without completely losing face, but they could push it down the road a few weeks/ combine it with PCR tests at normal testing centres (unlikely I guess)/ lockdown the whole country and use them in a couple of months.

War and Peace??? Respect!

@KatherineOfGaunt LOVE it - can’t stop singing it in my head now 🤣😱😱

@Achristmaspudsskidu

They said the January mass testing wasn’t compulsory, and children didn’t need to have it done before returning, didn’t they?

I am intrigued to know what the testing plan will say and when it will be released!

I also want to know the % of parents who don’t give consent to Lf testing instead of SI, and also what happens to staff who refuse.

I think they said it wasn't compulsory for schools?

It was all very light on detail.

I am not sure if the school went for testing if individual parents could opt out of the initial round?

I think you could choose to isolate, rather than have a test as a close contact- but every child was supposed to be tested in that first week.

[quote Timeturnerplease]@KatherineOfGaunt Cracking 👏🏼

Just received a photo message in WhatsApp group while trying to negotiate one adult at a time park outings. A friend in the group is working on a Covid ward and sent a photo message of herself. She looks awful (worryingly she’s also second trimester pregnant, higher risk as turning 40 next week) from all the PPE and extra shifts.

I sent a sympathetic message back, and she replied that she still feels safer in her role than she would be doing mine....[/quote]
My sister is a critical care nurse who was at the Nightingale in London. I think she feels the same.

I'm not sure I'd like to be at the very frontline in the NHS in the coming months though. I think it's just going to be generally shit all around.

@NeurotreeWenceslas You are clearly an toddler parenting champion - please share your secrets! Mine is just turned two and hasn’t napped since October 😩

Can't do attitude again. I mean, they managed to test all those lorry drivers in double-quick time.

Has anyone asked the French firefighters and Polish medics if they'd mind staying?

Just been notified we're doing inset on Monday - all staff in the hall 🤦‍♀️

piggy I'm very impressed with war and peace. I'm currently "reading" (on audiobook) the long earth series by Terry Pratchett, which is very good. I don't think I'll ever manage to read something like wear and peace. I don't read difficult books.

I'm still attempting to stick my head in the sand about next week. I know it's coming, I know it will be shit, so I am refusing to think about it as much as possible. The head encouraged us to take a proper break over Christmas and we'll see what's happening on the inset on Monday.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay I also think that teaching and nursing are such different career paths that each is horrified at the idea of doing the other!

Oo did you like Ready Player Two (and One, if you've read it?) I gave DS it for Christmas.

I loved Ready Player One, basically childhood nostalgia mixed with triumph of the underdog. Ready Player Two was always going to be trickier but it also seemed a bit of a mess. Fewer giant robot battles, more preaching about lack of diversity in John Hughes films.

Still, it didn't have covid in it and I rattled through it so did the job.

I bet War and Peace would also be improved by more giant robot battles btw.

I feel so uncultured

I like giant robot battles too noble. So I'll join you in feeling uncultured. I like my books to be easy and escapist, so rarely go for anything that isn't sci fi or fantasy

I am not sure if the school went for testing if individual parents could opt out of the initial round?

I don’t think the government would make that compulsory. If parents refused to give consent for the initial January test, what would the school be able to do?

War and peace isn't so much difficult as detailed and dense and pretty easy to forget once you put it down. Guess I'm uncultured too.

Haven't read ready player one but might get it for ds. I got him back into reading as a pre teen with the hunger games trilogy and the divergent series. He hasn't read for a while now. I bought him It because he asked for it but he never really got into it.

Feel sad that he's not reading lately.