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

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

SLT and HODs are part of our ‘Teams’. We were made aware last lockdown that our work would be remotely monitored and there was always the threat of being dropped in on. Never bothered me - had one member of SLT do a Kahoot with us once (he did dreadfully!). It’s the same as having your door open with SLT wandering about as far as I’m concerned,

If the message is work from home where you can then teachers on the roads unnecessarily should come under that. If a teacher can’t be arsed to do a half decent lesson, they’ll make a half asses job of it hidden away in a classroom in school just as much as they would working from home! SLT need to pull their finger out and deal with it rather than have it impact on everyone. Urgh! I hate when we’re treated like naughty homework dodging children.

We need to strike. It is that or my resignation.

My union's local branch is having an emergency Zoom meeting tomorrow afternoon.
I've been teaching 34 years and have NEVER attended any union function of any sort.
I will be attending this one. I am more angry about today's shit than I have ever been, I think.

Problem with lazy shits right now, is that little can be done. Imagine the tribunal... aagh.

Solidarity with primary colleagues expected to go to work as normal on Monday

It’s shit. Particularly unbelievably in tier 4 areas.

AHT is part of every team. In September he delivered INSET on remote teaching which started with "well I don't really know since I didn't have any classes last term".
On that note, if anyone would like my guide to Teams, pm me and I'll email it.

@MrsHamlet

AHT is part of every team. In September he delivered INSET on remote teaching which started with "well I don't really know since I didn't have any classes last term". On that note, if anyone would like my guide to Teams, pm me and I'll email it.

Beggars belief doesn’t it? Our training in sept came from an IT company whos employees had never taught anyone and who couldn’t work some parts of Teams during the training. Bet they were paid big bucks though.

@MrsHamlet I've pmed you re Teams guide if that's ok. Thanks!! Haven't used it much since July except for pulling up PowerPoints on files and staff meetings and poor DH nearly had a breakdown when he had to do a hybrid lesson with his most challenging class as he hates technology.

@noblegiraffe love your response on the DfE thread👏🏼

It's likely we will have to be in and move around the empty or part empty classrooms (was talk about kw/vulnerable being in their normal lessons/rooms). Hmm.

We'll be in and probably moving. So sad this morning.

MrsH I've pmed for the guide to teams. I've used it a little bit for Brownies, but I rather imagine that there's a lot more I could do for a lesson than for a Brownies meeting.

I'm never normally awake this early, but for some reason I can't sleep properly.

I know lots of people will not feel the same as me, which is fine, I know we are a respectful bunch.
Im really gutted that the schools are shut. It's really stressed me out personally as well.
I will be going to work (I assume ) because I'm SEN so they're still open but my daughters schools is shut . They've not sorted out key worker provision yet which is really stressful as they hinted they may not be able to so I do not know what the hell I would do at that point.

I'm stressed out, I'd been signed off work due to arthritis, but now that is just pointless. If I go to work, I'll struggle like hell in a stupid amount of pain, and my kids will be in school (but I'll still have them two days as I'm part time). Or, if I take the sick note and stay home then my kids can't go to school so I have to look after my kids 5 days a week and struggle like hell and be in a ton of pain
I'd just admitted to myself I likely wasn't well enough to return in jan and really needed some time to rest and try and let the steroids work and now I'm absolutely devastated. I've got no options that mean I can rest. We have no one who can help us either. My DH is amazingly supportive and will help in any way he can as he always does but he works full time so... childcare falls to me

I'm so upset

@OpheliasCrayon I'm sorry this situation is shit for you xx

Ophelia, I'm so sorry to hear how much pain you're in.

I too have mixed feeling in sen.
I don't want them to close, but I'm really feeling for staff in areas where all other schools are closed. I'd be feeling extremely nervous if rates were as high, and no masks etc but know how devastating it would be for some pupils from a emotional behaviour and safeguarding POV. I also know many parents would keep them off anyway, bar the ones who must be in school.

I also recognise how you feel re illness and looking after kids. I had a terrible phase of extreme fatigue and pain a few years ago and had to be off work for almost a year. Looking after a nutter toddler was half the reason I didn't recover as quickly as I should have.

Can your kids be classed as kw? I don't feel you can go to work but I'd push for them too; unless you feel it's too dangerous?

It wasn't me december.

Tbh, absolutely nothing is changing for me, it's almost like normal non Covid times (unless my kids have to stay home.) and that definitely wouldn't happen for us!

Ophelia That is so difficult for you.

How old are your children?

There's room for mixed feelings everywhere at the moment. On the one hand I think all schools should be online for 2 weeks, but I'm extremely grateful my dc pre school is open because it means no arguing for a KW place (dh WFH but can't with 3yo around).

I've found Nobel's post on that thread and am shaking with laughter!

@NeurotreeWenceslas

Ophelia, I'm so sorry to hear how much pain you're in.

I too have mixed feeling in sen.
I don't want them to close, but I'm really feeling for staff in areas where all other schools are closed. I'd be feeling extremely nervous if rates were as high, and no masks etc but know how devastating it would be for some pupils from a emotional behaviour and safeguarding POV. I also know many parents would keep them off anyway, bar the ones who must be in school.

I also recognise how you feel re illness and looking after kids. I had a terrible phase of extreme fatigue and pain a few years ago and had to be off work for almost a year. Looking after a nutter toddler was half the reason I didn't recover as quickly as I should have.

Can your kids be classed as kw? I don't feel you can go to work but I'd push for them too; unless you feel it's too dangerous?

My kids are kw yeah but then my husband works at home. I don't know that their school would be so happy to take them if I wasn't at work though.

I don't know where anything stands if I'm signed off . I just don't know

Gav on LBC in a minute

@Hercwasonasnowball

Ophelia That is so difficult for you.

How old are your children?

There's room for mixed feelings everywhere at the moment. On the one hand I think all schools should be online for 2 weeks, but I'm extremely grateful my dc pre school is open because it means no arguing for a KW place (dh WFH but can't with 3yo around).

2 and 5 although it seems that nurseries are remaining open so hopefully my LO can go. But then she's only part time on the days I work.

Schools do accept KW kids if one parent is a KW right? My husband works full time managing a team so he can't look after two young kids ...

So, this has now appeared on Twitter. Literal, DfE how can you 'prioritise' all year groups??

And don't you look stupid now posting on MN with the wrong information?

Or is it that you are covering up a U Turn? Gav's speech was recorded and transcribed!!

Ophelias Fingers crossed your 2yo can go to nursery regardless.

There are no official KW rules about one or two parents, schools seemed to make their own up and prioritise two KW parents first.

I hope schools recognise that under 6 they need to be in school even for one KW parent because you just can't work properly with one so young at home. I know that's shit for the teachers, but I just can't see any other way.

U turn in the extreme there!!

@Hercwasonasnowball

Ophelias Fingers crossed your 2yo can go to nursery regardless.

There are no official KW rules about one or two parents, schools seemed to make their own up and prioritise two KW parents first.

I hope schools recognise that under 6 they need to be in school even for one KW parent because you just can't work properly with one so young at home. I know that's shit for the teachers, but I just can't see any other way.

Yeah. Hopefully. Sorry to say but my kids go to a private school (hangs head in shame but all our local schools are requires improvement) and they do tend to make their own rules up. They do also have a lot of key worker kids with medical families so they have to offer something