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

@starrynight19

So testing is now mandatory?

Having a testing system, yes.

Children and staff submitting to testing, no.

Some councils were advising schools not to set up the testing systems because they were unreliable, unrealistic and provided a false sense of security. The Government saw this and so decided to force schools to do it. Arseholes.

Quote from Boris yesterday:

“Schools are safe, but the mixing of children and families in schools, is not”

So in conclusion empty buildings are safe....🤦‍♀️

I’m just wondering what will actually happen when all the Y11s/Y13s turn up at 8.30 on Jan 11th. Will the great testing promise be revealed as a hoax? Or are all your schools completely on top of it and mine isn’t?

@WhenSheWasBad

Caught Gav on Radio 4. I can see why they don’t let him out much. Honestly he’s not got a clue.

Him and Priti should be banned

But is all pupils ate now being taught online where is the time?

And so, the delayed opening isn't because of spread.It's to get schools set up as a testing centre.

Just heartbreaking. Teacher, 55, dies from Covid just two days after Christmas
mol.im/a/9101529

@phlebasconsidered

Just woke up after a massive 3 hours sleep. Dd was up crying till 3 because she doesn't want me to go into work. She is old enough and clever enough to not believe soothing lies. Feel a bit helpless really. Then I laid awake staring at the ceiling in a rage until finally giving up and getting up for a cuppa only to nod off on the sofa with the dog. Woke up with horrible joint pain which usually means a thyroid flare up which is about right.

We still have a staff meeting on Monday. In tier 4. My head is a sociopath.

Sorry you're having a shit time Opelia and congrats on the happy baby news upthread! Get signed off. I would.

Have amused myself calling out Kier, NEU and NASWT on their Facebook pages for being toothless bloody wimps. I'm banned from Boris's page already as it was my go-to insult one.

But if I get signed off then my only option is no key workers space at my kids school so I'm still looking after kids / home schooling. It's lose lose. I'm feeling slightly more positive as two doses of steroids seems to have improved things a tiny bit so I'm hoping I may get a bit better. I still wouldn't manage to go in now tho...

@HipTightOnions

I’m just wondering what will actually happen when all the Y11s/Y13s turn up at 8.30 on Jan 11th. Will the great testing promise be revealed as a hoax? Or are all your schools completely on top of it and mine isn’t?

Schools have been "gifted" this first week in order to make sure the systems are in place for the Y11s and Y13s to return on that Monday.

Gav said they have given money, resources, tests, PPE, guidance and even help from the army. No excuses. Get it done.

But we haven't been gifted anything, we're teaching the kids.

I don't understand how if I have gained time I'd be any use at setting up a covid mass testing centre anyway. What on earth would the school ask me to do?

@Piggyinblankets

But is all pupils ate now being taught online where is the time?

And so, the delayed opening isn't because of spread.It's to get schools set up as a testing centre.

Yes. Gav has openly said that delaying the start is directly related to setting up the testing system. That's why primaries don't need it.

@NeurotreeWenceslas

Ophelia it sounds like your risk aversion is set very low because of that. your kids school don't need to know that you're signed off work at the mo; you could be back sooner than restrictions are lifted too so will need to secure a place.

( this is very granny suck eggs but I assume you've looked at diet? I briefly read up on AS at one point trying to untangle what the fuck was wrong with me.)

That's true but I wouldn't want to ask my kid to not say mammy's at home. I could t ask her to lie :(

Yeah I have. I have inflammatory bowel disease as well so have a dietician. I don't take in many nutrients from food and I'm exceptionally small, so I have to make sure I eat properly as I get dangerously small very quickly .
I should remember this as you said but do you have AS/ arthritis?

@noblegiraffe

But we haven't been gifted anything, we're teaching the kids.

I don't understand how if I have gained time I'd be any use at setting up a covid mass testing centre anyway. What on earth would the school ask me to do?

Teachers haven't but they believe that schools as a whole have.

This, like many things, will fall on the shoulders of business managers and other admin / non-teaching staff to set up.

am my understanding was that students are meant to be tested before return. Certainly what DS's school plans...

I posted that fatal outcomes thing last week noble. It is so shocking. They can no longer prove, I am guessing, that we are less commonly affected so now they are saying we are no more likely to die. Yes, obviously, we aren't 82. I think that is shocking. They are basically acknowledging right there that school staff have died. I genuinely find it hard to believe that the various unions don't know which of their members have died in service.

Schools have been "gifted" this first week in order to make sure the systems are in place for the Y11s and Y13s to return on that Monday.

Yes I get this, but has anyone seen any evidence - or any suggestion really - that anything is actually happening?

Are any of you on the NEU unofficial FB page?

I am not NEU. On the NAS one but they never post anything.

Piggy

From what I understand from the guidance, it'll work like this:
W/C 4th Jan
Schools take the five days to set up the systems and ensure it works.

11th Jan
Y11 return and all have their first test. Positives are sent home to get a 'proper' test. Negatives remain in school.
Y13 return and all have their first test. Positives are sent home to get a 'proper' test. Negatives remain in school.

14th Jan
All negatives in Y11 and Y13 are retested. Positives sent home to get a 'proper' test. Negatives remain and are no longer retested unless they are the close contact of a confirmed positive case.

18th Jan
Process repeats with Y7, Y8, Y9, Y10 and Y12.

This might mean there's a need for staggered starts on those Mondays or, if a school is very organised, they might be able to get them started for non-exam year groups in the week starting 11th Jan.

There's no point having the second negative result before starting school again because the result is only valid for the day the test is taken. If you get the kids' second tests done four days in advance, who knows what their status will be when they actually start?

No Gleaming but it sounds like something I’d like to be on!!

What the actual fuck.

I've just been to the ONS page to look at the infection rate data by age.

THEY AREN'T PUBLISHING IT

'Next release, Jan 8th'.

Right. I see.

Are you the military iam??

@HipTightOnions

Schools have been "gifted" this first week in order to make sure the systems are in place for the Y11s and Y13s to return on that Monday.

Yes I get this, but has anyone seen any evidence - or any suggestion really - that anything is actually happening?

Gav said that things are being delivered on Monday 4th. I guess we will see whether that's true.

What is clear is that if the testing centres are not set up, it's absolutely going to be the fault of the school and down to the incompetence of staff and not the Government or DfE.

Am on official neu page Gleaming - hundreds of comments in response to their posts saying what are you actually going to do though??

@GleamingBaubles

Are any of you on the NEU unofficial FB page?

Yes

Which one, Gleaming - there are loads!!

@Piggyinblankets

Right. I see.

Are you the military iam??

😂 No and I could be completely and totally wrong. But I don't think I am.

I'm part of a hyper-organised SLT with a fantastically "on it" head and very well-informed business manager. We've been actively tracking the expectations and possible implimentations of this from the moment they said they will roll them down to primary at some point.