The Thirty-seventh Republic - Mass testing rolls on - school staff remain expendable

[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

@Piggyinblankets

In terms of being in the building , aren't people meant to WFH unless they can't ??

We have been told we will all be in the building on Monday (online PD day).

[quote HarrietDVane]@ChloeDecker We actually ran out of paper towels last term - we had to use huge rolls of flimsy rubbishy tissue instead. We’re doomed! [/quote]
No way!?
My DH and I often joke when we get our numerous accident slips in the book bag that a ‘cold compress has been used’ and it’s always a wet paper towel! I have such affection for her staff -bloody legends.

Very angry if they have been used as pawns in a power play with DfE and Greenwich Council...

Congratulations TimeTurner .

[quote HarrietDVane]@ChloeDecker We actually ran out of paper towels last term - we had to use huge rolls of flimsy rubbishy tissue instead. We’re doomed! [/quote]
We actually had to stop using them as they were becoming an issue blocking the toilets
That huge blue roll is no way an adequate substitute , far too flimsy

Same shit blue roll here, and kids keep hiding the soap.

[quote PandemicPavolova]@Iamnotthe1

The other thing re testing.. The students come in on buses or train etc.

Is someone who catches it right before the test going to show positive...

Or students in the queue waiting.. Passing it on, do they then test positive if they have just caught it?[/quote]
No.

Based upon what I've heard and read, the LF tests are only reliable if the person has a high viral load. That means that many won't test positive and, even if they do, they'll have been infected and infectious for several days beforehand.

We usually still have proper paper towels so we're safe. Good to know! I'll tell my class to be careful with them if that's all that stands between us and Vivid. Might need to reinstate towel monitors (very good at telling each other off, my class, so in September I had one in charge of soap and one in charge of towels)- they were getting a bit careless with them by the end of last term.

I wonder if there were still be 30 children in all day every day... Probably will now I've spent hours making sure my literacy planning is ready to send online too.

Covid obviously... Got a new phone and it clearly doesn't have the 2020 lingo programmed.

What a dystopia we're living in. Thank God for this thread. I've already spent Christmas alone due to having to isolate, and because I'm in a nursery school, I will have to carry on next week as normal.

Never mind that I mix with loads of staff & am coughed on, sneezed on & deal with bodily fluids on a daily basis. My borough has a high rate of infections and its primary schools are not closing either, I suspect, for political reasons.

What the actual f* is the NEU doing (well, NASUWT as well but they tend to be a bit wishy washy on industrial action)? Kevin Courtney & Mary Bousted can write as many statements as they like advocating for their members, the government is simply not listening.

Where's the indicative ballot asking for our views on strike action? The time has come to walk out. We should not be putting up with this risk to our safety, and to the safety of the community in general.

Just to add - I reckon even teachers who don't usually strike might be willing to on this issue. It's the straw that's broken the camel's back.

Care to tell me why schools can demand all staff attend pre-planned virtual PD days on person, DFE? I thought everyone was supposed to work from home where possible.

I will be really pissed off if I have to travel 45 mins to school to sit in a freezing classroom to teach remotely.

changed again

was
"remote education should be provided to other years as resources permit"

Now

remote education being prioritised for pupils in exam year groups (primarily years 11 and 13) during the week commencing 4 January,

remote education being provided for all other pupils from 11 January, with remote education resources week commencing 4 January prioritised for exam years

So clear as mud

I have to say I am wondering what is the point of paying my Union subs. They don’t seem to be doing anything, despite the tabloid press claims about their nefarious powers! Am I missing something?

I have to take my own DCs to school on Monday so I can sit through online CPD. I'm betting giving a shit if I out myself on here now. Why can't I even work from home in this scenario?

This term I will be working to union advice on declaring that I can WFH for childcare purposes, should when their school decline to have them in. I tried my best last term. No more.

@MrsHamlet

I will be really pissed off if I have to travel 45 mins to school to sit in a freezing classroom to teach remotely.

My friend, a secondary school teacher, has already been told that they are expected in and are expected to move round different classrooms as if the children were still in, connecting remotely from each one.

Some leadership teams are fucking mental.

@HarrietDVane

I have to say I am wondering what is the point of paying my Union subs. They don’t seem to be doing anything, despite the tabloid press claims about their nefarious powers! Am I missing something?

Couldn't have said it better myself.

There are typos and unclear bits in both the updated Guidance and this completely new stuff. I wonder how many of those £1000 bonuses for DfE staff are going to be awarded?

One of the unclear bits is about what happens after the 18th in the hotspots, not clear at all.

Don't know why I'm worrying really as I'll be surprised if we get to 18th without total lockdown.

Meant to ask, neuro (think it was you?) where did you find that Letter which allowed for schools to attend other schools if theirs was closed?? Signed on 12 Dec.

We may need to bear that in mind.

The March guidance about schools closing had a 'hidden' bit requiring staff to move between schools if deemed necessary by the LA. It obviously hasn't been used. Yet.

@Timeturnerplease, congratulations 🥳
@MrsHamlet, we have been told the same thing. I have a 45 min commute but will have to be in school to talk to my iPad ( and will be expected to change rooms as per timetable, so some days 5 rooms for six periods) at least the corridors should be clear.

I am, thank you

I just can't envisage how one gets them to queue properly. I can see the army achieving it by barking orders and scaring them into line, no talking, no mask touching, more than 2 meters apart but I cannot see how skeleton staff can manage this.. And the NHS boss as his parting shot says, covid loves a crowd!

It does feel like a dystopian kaffaesque society...

There are typos and unclear bits in both the updated Guidance and this completely new stuff. I wonder how many of those £1000 bonuses for DfE staff are going to be awarded?
Oh they are going to be awarded. Someone I know who works for civil service in another dept said that these bonuses were cheaper than overtime. Said to a teacher who is working for free over their holiday. Some do really need to read the room...

I can see why SLT might want us in - but if there really are only 10 kids on site, there don't need to be getting on for 100 teaching staff + support staff.
Trouble is that we have some huge piss takers on the staff in normal times - expecting them to teach remotely from home is asking for trouble.
Bitter? Moi?!

I can most likely teach more effectively from home, as I have better tech, but I imagine we'll be expected in (at least we don't move - that's madness).

Unless, of course, we all catch COVID from sitting in the hall together on Monday.

We'll likely have to move as no one has their own room any more. I can teach from my office but as I share with the DHT it's not ideal.
Much better from home where there's only two people trying to be online at the same time.