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

Morning everyone. We have a light covering of snow, so the kids are up and playing in it before it gets washed away by the forecast rain.

Totally not surprising that according to bbc news the forces support will be provided via telephone and webinar - they don’t even want to send the armed forces into schools, but who cares about school staff.

No Covid result for me yet, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as quick as H’s as it was busy at the testing centre yesterday. I’m not sleeping well - some of it down to H’s ever changing body temperature, some down to me feeling ill and some down to the panic of not knowing what’s going on.

@KatherineOfGaunt I applaud you (whilst pissing myself!)

@Monkeytennis97

I'm angry for all of us in education. Special school staff and primary too. We are all being massively let down.

I'm both. I'm also about to take steroids as well I think. So that's two very strong immunosuppressants plus steroids which automatically puts you on the shielding list. (I was on it anyway but didn't shield). I'm carrying on as usual , will go to work etc. I hope I'm right that I've had covid and I am hope my cocksure attitude that if I haven't had it but did get it if be fine is not misguided.

Sometimes I wonder if Im too much of a risk taker or I'm right to take the stance j do that I'll just carry on as normal...

@Achristmaspudsskidu

This is just bonkers. Does nobody in charge give a shit that these tests don’t work!? It’s all smoke and mirrors.

I came on to say exactly the same thing. It’s utterly insane, and SEN and primaries have been completely forgotten.

Schools aren’t even the top article on the DF-it’s pushed way down the page and most of the comments seem to be ‘bloody teachers, wanting more holiday. Don’t pay them’

Why has nobody even mentioned the extension to the MP Christmas break?! Why is that fine to just happen without a ‘battle’ lasting days??

I’m now in mode and seem to be ruining the rest of my holiday getting mindlessly cross about this-

Do you think we need to form a search party for Gav?
In what world is this last minute decision making acceptable?

@namechangedyetagain

Do you think we need to form a search party for Gav? In what world is this last minute decision making acceptable?

Maybe he's hiding in a school somewhere, since they are known to be safe from covid

That military support headline is top of the BBC. Only when you read the article do you see that the military support is fucking webinars. What a joke.

Do you think we need to form a search party for Gav

If we did I think we would somehow find Gove instead.

I'm currently attempting to mark all my Y13 coursework and times essays in prep for mocks starting on the 11th. I then need to plan the Duke of Ed. provision for this year (hah!) And THEN plan... (am HoD English)

• y11 mock feedback plus new paper 1 and 2 SOW
• Y13 lang/lit revision units (because the last ones were dreadful and at one point taught the wrong poems)
• KS5 writing intervention (or teach them how to write an essay)
• Y7 intervention because we have 1/3 of the year with a reading age of below 8.

We were told that we needed to spend the last day of term creating action and intervention plans for y11 and 13 and analysing data.

I want to cry. Really really struggling today.

If anyone has any OCR lang/lit resources they want to share I would love them forever!

Shall I nip over to the broom cupboard and put the heating on?

I'm kind of accepting that we'll be going back as planned, I'll eventually get Covid and when I do I won't do a stroke of work until I've recovered.

The hols have been such an oasis in the desert. Now there's just the bleakest January.

I suggest everyone stays away from the DF today (good tip for every day, actually). They have firmly nailed their colours to the mast for opening schools and have a double page spread of dramatic exaggeration.

Evvyjb

I have loads of AQA Lang/lit stuff, but don’t inow how transferable it is?

I also have some nice resources that might work as intervention booklets for Y7? Iron Giant, Sherlock Holmes and some other bits - used for my very LAP group.

Any good?

@phlebasconsidered

Ds(yr8) borrowed one of my jackets once to pop out quickly. He was flabbergasted to find that one pocket was still sewn up and the one i'd unpicked in a FURY was pathetically tiny.

I actually have a kind of utility belt now for work. It's meant to be for army cadets but it's bloody excellent for holding pens, wipes, stickers, stampers, anti-bac and tissues as I teach. I look like a kind of elderly Ripley as my work uni is black trousers, back tunic, black boots, shaved head (lostit nearly all through illness, can't ever be bothered to have hair again plus it went weird) but I can live with that.

You sound amazing, I think we should all aspire to be more Ripley inside and out!

My favourite film of all time

@Evvyjb I can't help with resources unfortunately but wanted to send you and or

It's so hard - I have loads to do as 2nd in a core faculty so I feel your pain. Remember we can only do so much and these times are unusual.

Hang in there - people on here will no doubt have resources they are willing to share

Evvy - that's just so much. I have no idea how some HODs (particularly of core) are managing at the moment.

Smileeachday - I would be very interested in your year 7 intervention booklets if you are willing to share further?

Evvjb I have some KS3 intervention stuff I'm happy to share. It's "literacy" rather than English but you're welcome to it.

@Evvyjb

I hope someone can help you with planning. The pressure for those of you in management is just intolerable.

@CallmeAngelGabriel

Shall I nip over to the broom cupboard and put the heating on?

And the kettle on!

Quick everyone, there are gingerbread cookies over there and everything!

We are already over there, chatting.

I opened all the windows. Sorry.

I had a bonkers dream about returning to school last night. Didn't know who or what I was teaching, pushing resources around in a pram, surprised to see Year 7 in school as I thought it was a staggered return. It's because I have no clue what my school is expecting from me next week ( waiting for an email) plus the bloody government don't help.

I hate school dreams!