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

[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

Lots of people saying that they think primary will stay open with teachers moving up vax priority.
I don't mean to be picky, or de rail the thread, but which vaccine would we get?
The virus is now 1.7 times as contagious as it was last March, and children now seems to be big transmitters. But the Oxford vaccine is only 60% effective so it relies on everyone getting it.
Even if we are vaccinated, If we're in a room with 30 unvaccinated children surely were still more vulnerable than we were last Spring.

EFH was typo (surprise!) for WFH!

The ‘Keyworkers’ list needs refining to the truly essential otherwise schools will be packed and the virus continues to do its thing. It’s stupid.

@ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas

I've seen posters on here saying they were able to get a key worker space as they worked in finance.

Yup my brother in law is a mortgage advisor, and my SIL works as an admin assistant in a company which amongst other things makes farming stuff. Both of them counted as key workers as they were in finance and food production. I think it took the piss a bit!

Argh! My FB timeline is awash with people whingeing about potential school closures and demanding that their child’s right to an education be respected. The vast majority are comfortable enough financially for their (mostly secondary age) children to have the technical ability to work remotely. I’m sitting on my hands struggling not to put snarky comments about my right to a safe workplace. None of these parents actually works on the front line. Most WFH or don’t work and are supported financially by partners who can WFH.

I might have to have a little FB break or my escalating blood pressure will carry me off more quickly than Covid.

My Scottish LA has made it clear that both parents need to be working outside the home and grandparent care is also allowed this time.

I once called Gordon Brown a lying cunt in our staff room. In my defence, I'd only been a teacher for 3 months, and my previous job was managing land fill sites/waste vehicle collection drivers, where cunt was every second word.

I would like 2 weeks in June.
I DON'T want any extra time now, I'm bored shitless, it is not a 'holiday', this is stressful and shitty.

@Piggyinblankets

Scotland was much stricter its hence the occasional howling form Scotsnet/ You4Us .

I'd an awful moment there piggy when I thought you were highlighting an incorrect use of its/it's It can be stressful on a thread full of teachers sometimes!

I couldn't get a keyworker place in lockdown 1. In the end I spoke directly to the head on the phone (I know her professionally), and explained what partner did - we got 'allowed' 3 days a week after June if her year group hadn't gone back. Luckily, it did.

Yes, first time round I could see that they had to act quickly and the KW list was general, eg Finance because some financial roles are indeed essential, eg making sure people get paid even if just furlough money.

This time it needs refining. And strictly enforcing.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

I once called Gordon Brown a lying cunt in our staff room. In my defence, I'd only been a teacher for 3 months, and my previous job was managing land fill sites/waste vehicle collection drivers, where cunt was every second word.

I would like 2 weeks in June.
I DON'T want any extra time now, I'm bored shitless, it is not a 'holiday', this is stressful and shitty.

I have once publicly sworn [mildly] in a school context in front of colleagues (not actually in the school building, but in a school-related context).

It is still talked about in slightly awed tones as 'that time can't swore' and used like a flood marking 'well, it isn't as bad as all that, can't hasn't sworn'.

@HarrietDVane

Argh! My FB timeline is awash with people whingeing about potential school closures and demanding that their child’s right to an education be respected. The vast majority are comfortable enough financially for their (mostly secondary age) children to have the technical ability to work remotely. I’m sitting on my hands struggling not to put snarky comments about my right to a safe workplace. None of these parents actually works on the front line. Most WFH or don’t work and are supported financially by partners who can WFH.

I might have to have a little FB break or my escalating blood pressure will carry me off more quickly than Covid.

Mine is full of people commenting about the overwhelmed hospitals saying that it’s all made up, people are ringing 999 with a cough and if the staff spent less time making tiktok videos, they’d be able to actually treat some patients.

Feeling faintly nauseous at the state of mankind today.

@Achristmaspudsskidu
I’ve got a few of those too, alongside people glorifying Brexit and worshipping St Boris . I don’t think I want to live on this planet any more

I remember the time a colleague got told off for using the word 'crap' during a meeting with the head.

I have some colleagues I would swear in front of in the office and others not.

Oh God swearing... yup not a problem 😂

Mine is full of people commenting about the overwhelmed hospitals saying that it’s all made up, people are ringing 999 with a cough and if the staff spent less time making tiktok videos, they’d be able to actually treat some patients

What a shitty thing to say. There truly are some entitled arses around.

I don't swear at work but it's more a hangover from my life before where we were warned that activists might record us and it would look bad.

I also apparently (I don't remember) didn't swear during labour with DD either.

But given DD has occasionally muttered 'fucks sake' I obviously swear at home more than I think I do!

Yep, the whole world and his wife seem to count as key workers, and I think the fear of the first lockdown is gone so more parents will want to send their kids in, even in secondary. Our head sent an email saying if you do send your child in they won't be having taught lessons as teachers will likely be busy teaching their online classes so the kw kids will likely just be supervised in a room. Hopefully that'll put some off!

@FrippEnos true - I doubt they will give us too much notice, after all, it seems most people think we're just lazy so we will be able to sort it in no time

GPs saying 'schools must stay open' are actually irritating me at the moment. My mum works in a care home and normally, a GP from the local surgery visits each week to do a 'ward round' and see all residents. They are not coming. They do a video call because 'they aren't seeing people face to face at the moment'. Same if you ring the practice for anything- 'sorry, we're not seeing people face to face at the moment'. All fine, but then why do they insist on schools being open!

@Cantaloupeisland

Yep, the whole world and his wife seem to count as key workers, and I think the fear of the first lockdown is gone so more parents will want to send their kids in, even in secondary. Our head sent an email saying if you do send your child in they won't be having taught lessons as teachers will likely be busy teaching their online classes so the kw kids will likely just be supervised in a room. Hopefully that'll put some off!

Our Head has done the same - plus mentioning that they'll be in yeargroup bubbles so it will be extra difficult.

Desperately trying to put people off sending them in.

[quote PumpkinPie2016]@FrippEnos true - I doubt they will give us too much notice, after all, it seems most people think we're just lazy so we will be able to sort it in no time

GPs saying 'schools must stay open' are actually irritating me at the moment. My mum works in a care home and normally, a GP from the local surgery visits each week to do a 'ward round' and see all residents. They are not coming. They do a video call because 'they aren't seeing people face to face at the moment'. Same if you ring the practice for anything- 'sorry, we're not seeing people face to face at the moment'. All fine, but then why do they insist on schools being open![/quote]
I suspect it’s because when schools were closed, GPs were getting phone calls from parents about their children and they want schools to open, so they can say-‘go and ask the senco, they’ll help’.

Morning!
I’ve been for a big walk. I really want to get on with some planning, but a) the DfE are shite and b) SLT won’t give a clear directive about how we’re delivering remote teaching and c) department hasn’t given a clear directive about what we’re teaching KS3 ie are we cracking on with the planned units (with no child having the resources they need) or are we delivering a more easily deliverable but still useful “holding” curriculum.

I refuse to risk planning and then planning again but it’s making me really anxious, because I like to have at least one or two year groups complete planned so I don’t have to think about it.

Just in case anyone wanted some background music while they're doing whatever they're doing today... (Hope it works!)

Really sad about the teacher death at Conyers School.
Brings it home. Not that we needed it. Just awful though.

@OnehorseopenBobsleigh I thought the Oxford vaccine was 95% effective?