The Thirty-Sixth Republic - New Year approaching, no clear idea of what is happening next week and has Gav been sacked yet?

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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
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-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
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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

I use Twinkl mainly for displays but have been using their SPAG and maths morning work sheets as quiet activities during staggered starts. I sometimes use the power points for things like bible stories when it’s just easier than making my own. I’ve used their planning/schemes of work to give me ideas for my own stuff - it’s often a useful starting point, especially for foundation subjects.

I have a subscription to Classroom Secrets which I find useful for maths resources but you do have to proof read quite carefully! They’re getting better: the early stuff just used bigger numbers for the greater depth questions which rather missed the point, I thought. I use NCETM and NRich for maths as well as White Rose.

I always use my own stuff for literacy, because I’m fussy and I like to teach it my way

In entirely different news, Us4Them are getting a lot of scrutiny on twitter at the moment. How did a couple of mums end up in government meetings and on the front pages of the Telegraph within a couple of months?

twitter.com/karamballes/status/1343359587932626944?s=21

Doesn’t mention them astroturfing Mumsnet but their vile teacher bashing and batshit claims on other platforms are certainly familiar.

They are, thankfully, no longer the dominant narrative on here, but they still have a good go.

Today's leading article in The Times. I've managed to screenshot most of it in the 3 pic limit.

Not sure if the share token will work. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/912eb7a4-4a20-11eb-9dbc-44d114c9d92d?shareToken

LBC news just said another meeting today re schools.

Then an interview with a primary teacher spouting Us4them type stuff🤦‍♀️🤬

I was thinking @ once again , the gov has ignored the 3 tier system with their 'plans'. At eh moment, in middle schools , only 1/2 the kids have to wear masks in corridors. Now there will be a system where only half the school get tested. Don't see the point of that!

I don't think I slept at all last night - far too much going on in my head. And I had school related dreams. Not good.

Reading that nonsense on the Us for Them website didn't do me much good either.

On the plus side, the rate where I teach (primary these days) has gone down from 903 to 851. No worries there then... And only 2 of our small staff of 8 actually have Covid right now. The rest of us finished isolation 2 days ago - apart from the one isolating for 10 more days. And only 3 out of the 5 of us left are over 55 with underlying conditions of some type. Oh, and there's only 1 adult loo so we all have to share. Can't imagine why I can't sleep

We are three tier here - I really feel for the staff at the middle schools trying to juggle two separate plans - my sons school operates like secondary, as in year 5 and 6 still have subject specific teaching rather than a single teacher like they would if in the two tier system, so they are mostly following secondary guidance. Testing is a whole different thing tho - My son is 9, no way he could manage his own swab - and based on the traumatic experience of doing it for him when he had a temperature (negative fortunately) I would not expect anyone else to do it for him - I don’t think he would let anyone near him with a swab other than me! They have encouraged year 5 and 6 to wear masks in shared areas as well, and most of them do with no issues at all (not that it happens much as they are lucky to have external doors to most classrooms so the majority of moving about happens round the outside of the building!)

The whole thing made no sense at all in June tho - year 6 randomly in, and the transition years couldn’t return at all - at our school we worked an extra day voluntarily just so our year 4s could say goodbye!

This is the worst waiting game in the world.

My mind last night tricked me into thinking that we’d wake up to be told that school attendance would no longer be compulsory, and teachers will be providing a full home learning programme as well as being in school.

To be honest, as wild as it sounds, I wouldn’t put it past Gav.

Yes I'm not 3 tier but many schools around me are, including my son's. I've been attempting to work that out. I think you'd have to treat the entire middle school as secondary tbh, when it comes to testing etc.

I'm concerned that the data actually seems to show y5and 6 being as if not more affected in some areas with the new Variant. So it would be folly not to do that.

Which has implications for primary obviously.

That twitter thread shows shocking evidence. U4T risk some law suits surely?

Not good points re age So. Ds1 (8) was shown a way to do his own nose by the tester which worked but I obviously have to do the throat (forgotten how the new tests would work.)

Christ was.

My son gagged then vomited on the first swab 🤢 - cue lots of tears on his part and a struggle to try again doing both nostrils instead, I was convinced I had sent a test tube of snot and tears but I obviously got enough of the right stuff for them to get a negative from! He did admit afterwards that the nose one wasn’t so bad so I would just do that if he needed testing again - no idea if that would be sufficient for school tests tho!

Re twinkl, I've found the history stuff v useful as I find I have to spend soooooo long looking for images to use to show children in sen various things about history that's suitable. I remember doing it for ppa once and that I was spending sometimes 2-3 hours trying to find the right images and stimuli or film clips for a 45 min lesson, pitched at the right level for us. (This was pre someone spending a good year building up artefacts and dressy ups which is much more suitable.)

That's when I started to think it was pointless doing some of those history topics for our setting.

A few of their dt diagrams are good too. I've often found the science batshit.

I've had to make most things from scratch my whole career (5 years pre much online and the the rest in sen) and yes, if not found in 5 mins it's easier to make it.

Speaking of, I have to spend the day compiling knowledge organisers (for the staff, obviously hardly any kids can access beyond pictures! And from scratch as it's all my own plans) so I may pop on to swear profusely, occasionally.

Just catching up from last night, don't you lot ever sleep?

Gleaming, know I'm a bit late, but I'm a long term self harmer too. My teen counsellor wasn't great generally, and completely missed the reason behind things (abusive parent) but did recommend something which helped. She got me to make a stack of pillows and punch the living shit out of them. Like you I've had the urge again recently but Ive dug out old punching bag (upgrade from pillows) and it has stopped me harming. Might not work for you, but might be worth a try.

Apparently Hancock has said on LBC schools aren't closing. FFS my life literally doesn't matter does it!

Yet MPs get to not go to work as it's too dangerous.

Lovely leader in he Times today which says we should all get appreciation for the marvellous work we have done , but only after some heavy union bashing, a lot of mansplaining about our job, a suggestion that teachers are obstructing testing and should willingly give up holiday time. and some factual inaccuracies (eg mass testing for pupils once a week, which simply is not correct)

Also a 'Thunderer' written by a 'state school teacher' (I looked him up : West London Free School wannabe think tanker/hack does NOT count ,Times!!) also bashing unions. The Right Wing press really have not forgotten Wapping.

Re Karam Bales : I read his Twitter stuff and he makes many good points, vociferously (I do wish he would spellcheck though as some of his errors are howlers and it undermines him). However, this does not translate to NEU work on the ground and so I conclude that Karam is after something else : I expect to see him standing as a Labour candidate at the next election.

He is very right to raise concerns about U4T though. Despite having very few actual followers and members, they have a seat at the High Table. Something is rotten...lobbying is the new power.

They are crossing their fingers and hoping the number of dead and disabled school staff isn’t too high before the vaccines get round, aren’t they? Bastards

Apparently, Gavin is announcing something later in HoC. they really won't let him on the telly , will they?

@NeurotreeWenceslas

Re twinkl, I've found the history stuff v useful as I find I have to spend soooooo long looking for images to use to show children in sen various things about history that's suitable. I remember doing it for ppa once and that I was spending sometimes 2-3 hours trying to find the right images and stimuli or film clips for a 45 min lesson, pitched at the right level for us. (This was pre someone spending a good year building up artefacts and dressy ups which is much more suitable.)

That's when I started to think it was pointless doing some of those history topics for our setting.

A few of their dt diagrams are good too. I've often found the science batshit.

I've had to make most things from scratch my whole career (5 years pre much online and the the rest in sen) and yes, if not found in 5 mins it's easier to make it.

Speaking of, I have to spend the day compiling knowledge organisers (for the staff, obviously hardly any kids can access beyond pictures! And from scratch as it's all my own plans) so I may pop on to swear profusely, occasionally.

Snap! I do use Twinkl but for our kids it's just for the images, really. I do like the big A4 pictures they have of various Geography or History topics when I can't get real-life examples in.

I use InPrint a lot, though, do you have that?

Thank you for the reminder of knowledge organisers for staff. I have some for our History topic this term but it's so words I know no-one would actually read it. I'm going to use the kids' slimmed-down version in pictures and just type that up again just in text with pretty headings for the staff.

@GleamingBaubles - just wanted to add that I'm pleased you found support here last night. I self-harmed as a teen and remember exactly those feelings. If there's anything I can do from through a computer screen, let me know

And I know how you feel about clique-y staff. Pretty much every school I've worked in has had a clique and I've never been part of it. It's been pretty bad in some places. I know it's me, but it's the Asperger's part of me that others don't understand. So I am slowly learning not to give a fuck and that I am just as worthy of happiness at work as them. It's helping a little. I am having a tricky time work-wise at the moment, though, which is testing my new-found confidence!

Life is hard, isn't it?

A night of terrible anxiety dreams here. Can’t think why . So much for the ‘restful’ holiday.

CommunicateInPrint? Yes but I have to say I don't like the new online one as much as the old!

@HarrietDVane

A night of terrible anxiety dreams here. Can’t think why . So much for the ‘restful’ holiday.

Same here. Had a dream about the sun disappearing and then the stars flying about swiftly followed with hurricanes and earthquakes all within the space of a minute of the sun disappearing. Argh!

Morning all just catching up as I went to bed early last night.

Matt Hancock set to make announcement on restrictions later and I hope we get some clarity on schools (even if it isn't what we want to happen, some clarity would be nice).

Just want to know properly now -my team keep asking me what's happening and all I can currently say is 'sorry, I don't know'.

Need to go shopping today as we are almost out of milk and a few other bits. Will do that first when it will hopefully be less busy.

@Saucery

They are crossing their fingers and hoping the number of dead and disabled school staff isn’t too high before the vaccines get round, aren’t they? Bastards

Honestly I can see out government just blaming them for getting sick as they stepped put of the 2m safe zone even in primary/sen.

I ahve seen two tweets today about school staff who have died this Christmas : one teacher in Middlesbrough and another a TA in, I think, IOW.