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

(MsAwesome - I have a looooong history of EDs if you want to ask anything)

Wow this is growing fast

Do you think there is still a possibility of your exams being cancelled? The fact they are in Scotland does leave it more open to close schools, the big focus here seems to be keeping primaries open so parents can go to work.
I hope we can work from home. I don't have a web camera or mic at school, so could actually achieve less there. More space though, but putting dc into school just so I could be in too doesn't sit well with me.

Well with regards to exams they need to make some decision on the BTEC, exam period starts on 6th January...

I feel sick with worry. What will it take for them to consider the risks for primary and SEN staff? My HT doesn’t even allow us to wear visors, let alone masks. We’re not even in ‘bubbles’ - the children are, but not the staff. I could weep.

Yep, I have BTEC classes doing exams on the 6th and 8th and they are liable to get very confused and quite probably not turn up if college is closed!

Are you at my school Ms Vane? My head blithely disregards all worries, persists in insisting we have in person staff meetings and has stated that no masks are to worn. We have bubbles but they are massive across 3 classes to allow for PPA. 97 kids. It's so safe! Well yes, if you sit in your office all day.
Join me in going off for the slightest sniffle!

Woohoo, mouth ulcers are back. Just met a teacher friend for a walk. During the last week of term he had 12 kids out of 30 in his class - the parents kept them all off. He works in a posh village school. I think that will happen lots. I'm expecting lots of kids to be kept off in my school too.

We had a member of SLT who thought it was all a massive inconvenience. I started saying that I'd join meetings via teams, then other people agreed. Until that point we were in the same room. Had a meeting with 3 others in the last week of term, we sat in a corner of the room each and had all the windows open. We were there for half an hour before 5pm and I was still cold when I went to bed at 11. Not looking forward to the wind tunnel classrooms going on this term.

@phlebasconsidered
We might very well be at the same place - or, perhaps more worryingly, there’s more than one HT like mine - absolutely no concessions for staff wellbeing, has implied that if we catch it, it will be our own fault, etc etc. I’ve never had a day off sick (it’s more effort to set cover than struggle in) but that will have to change. Goodwill has gone. If I become ill, I am going to be too ill to set cover (DH will enjoy telling HT that!) and I will not be coming back until I’m fully well.

I am actually almost hysterical. I carried on last term in tier 2 because I like my class and they deserved it. Now we are tier 4 with shocking numbers and STILL being treated like shit i'm kind of relieved- I owe them (in charge) nothing. I'm testing every sniffle, being off for every illness and doing nothing extra at all. I'm leaving at 3.30 and getting in at 8 as opposed to doing 7 to 5. I'm going to get tem to mark their maths themselves and i'll put post its in other books. Screw you, stupid long winded and pointless marking policy! SLT can kiss my ass. Put me on capability, bitches! Do it! I'l go off sick for 6 months. My gp will sign me off without a second thought.

@phlebasconsidered
It’s just awful. Our hateful ‘live marking’ policy (the One With All The Pens) continues regardless of the circumstances. It’s ridiculous and unsustainable even in normal times.

@phlebasconsidered

We have our department review in January. It will still go ahead.

I feel lighter, weirdly - which god knows I am not given all the cheese- as i'd always kept my head down before and before the first lockdown was quietly looking for other jobs. Our head bullies people out via capability. She's done it three times in three years. My last lovely colleague went simply because she was not a face that fitted. Unions do fuck all so she went off sick, negotiated a reference and left. That sounds quite appealing now - as an older and expensive teacher i'm always at risk but I've always been relatively safe because I get good results in 6. But now no more! I feel a bit mad! I down my (multi-coloured) pens. I've got that giggly relieved feeling I used to get in front of my scary upper school head when I admitted i'd been bunking off at the pub.

Re the red top article - since when was Steve Chalk an "academic"??

DD's/our school's GCSE mocks supposed starting a week today...... am glad I'm not on SLT (nor ever likely to be, of course!)

I hadn't really thought it through: when we hear the LFTs are 50/3/even 99 (rofl) % effective, that is always as compared to PCR test results. Because we have no other way of proving someone has Covid. And PCR tests are only c70% accurate. So it's 50/3/99 % of 70%. Which ain't great.

and to all who need it.

I like the fact they are calling Chalke an academic. Vestiges of respect for teachers there!

I went to play Articulate and it looks like it all kicked off as it did in my house

Re the red top article - since when was Steve Chalk an "academic"??

He’s described as “Oasis academy chief” not an academic.

This is new isn't it?

The government is expecting secondary schools and colleges to recruit and organise volunteers to conduct testing, while those unable to do so will require 10-days self-isolation for staff and students before returning to school.

Yes, previously the testing was optional and students could return without it.

@Piggyinblankets

This is new isn't it?

The government is expecting secondary schools and colleges to recruit and organise volunteers to conduct testing, while those unable to do so will require 10-days self-isolation for staff and students before returning to school.

Yes where is that from Piggy?

Hopefully the late start will cover the isolation period. I’m not consenting to my DS being tested.

If I was a head I'd be not bothering and going for the isolation instead. Safer. Bet lots of parents would go for that option too.

@Piggyinblankets

This is new isn't it?

The government is expecting secondary schools and colleges to recruit and organise volunteers to conduct testing, while those unable to do so will require 10-days self-isolation for staff and students before returning to school.

Isn’t that just for close contacts?