The Thirty-ninth Republic - Covid Carnage continues and spring term is just about to start

[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

Can I just say, as an NHS worker, that the section 44 walkout does have my support. If the government are paralysed and won’t do what they can to make things safer, it is the right thing to do.

Good luck to all tomorrow whether you’re going in, having a Zoom inset (like me - quite nervous about what is going to be said in the staff meeting) or WFH. You are all really great and I massively appreciate having this oasis of sanity amongst all the shit we get on other boards.

I know this is going back a page but it really annoys me when people (in this case the government) try to confuse by using scientific terms.

Specificity means does it test for that particular disease. A high specificity means you shouldn't get false positives - which does make me wonder why you need the confirmatory PCR. So basically you won't test positive if you have for example a cold, as the test is specific for covid.

What we are concerned about is sensitivity this is its ability correctly state you have covid when you do. A low sensitivity means lots of false negatives.

I understand your anxiety honey, that sort of thing stresses me out too. I can't cope with people changing my plans. I can cope with me changing my own plan, but not when it's come from someone else demanding things of me. If you aren't employed at 9am, you won't be at the meeting. They'll have to give you the minutes later for you to catch up. Or they can move the meeting 🤷

@FlagsFiend

But that's exactly why they do it. We know the difference but the average member of the public (and, to be fair, some members of school staff) won't. I'm fully expecting someone to tell me how good the testing is tomorrow when I'm in.

Just looked st the thread about people getting notifications of school closures - blimey, some schools only emails dabout half an hour ago!

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Excuse typos

Quite shocked to see Essex County Council growing a backbone to be honest!

I’m in Essex but in a contingency framework area so schools already closed. Despite the rates I didn’t think they would dare to go against the government for the rest of the county - around here you could put a blue rosette on a turd and it would be elected.

@JanuaryChill

Just looked st the thread about people getting notifications of school closures - blimey, some schools only emails dabout half an hour ago!

This is absolutely ridiculous.

I guess it depends on when their staff sent in their letters. Some schools will have only realised they can't stay open an hour ago.

So this past week has seen sone 350,000 cases which is potentially 1.4 million a month

@JanuaryChill

Just looked st the thread about people getting notifications of school closures - blimey, some schools only emails dabout half an hour ago!

This is absolutely ridiculous.

We were only notified about dd2's school just before 8pm tonight, but that's for Tuesday as they already have an inset planned. Keyworker parents need to contact them tomorrow to ask for a place, which will be limited. I suspect they'll have a lot of KW children, they did last time.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

Did I say earlier that a guy in my parent's village (t3) was fined a grand for going to get petrol from his nearest petrol station, which happened to be in t4. Non essential apparently. I'd be contesting that.

Really? My mum lives in a T3 village but only 2 miles from the county border. The nearest large supermarkets, petrol stations etc are in the big town 5 miles away but into the next county.

@Useruseruserusee

Quite shocked to see Essex County Council growing a backbone to be honest!

I’m in Essex but in a contingency framework area so schools already closed. Despite the rates I didn’t think they would dare to go against the government for the rest of the county - around here you could put a blue rosette on a turd and it would be elected.

What, you mean like in Uxbridge and South Ruislip?

sorry its the Star.

I love that Riga

[quote MrsHerculePoirot]@StanfordPines. NEU on joining now that you asked me for about a thread or two ago 🤣🤣🤣

neu.org.uk/neu-membership-tcs

Also they tweeted this today
twitter.com/neunion/status/1345820931298623499?s=21[/quote]
Thanks for that. I attempted to join today, put my details in, wandered of to find my bank details and it had logged me out but wouldn’t let me complete the membership. So I’m going to be on the phone at 9am with a lot of other people I’m guessing.

If you worked out of the home, but not KW, would you get together with another family? That seems to be the way forward? I was listening to Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombes Lock down Parenting podcast with Dawn O'Porter a few weeks ago - schools in LA haven't opened since March, but they've got 5 families together so they all do a day a week. Reduces contacts.

For a relatively trashy tabloid, the Star has called the Government out on quite a lot of their bullshit within Education.

That Star headline has sent me to bed with a Bailey's and a smile on my face - it's ace!

@RigaBalsam that is fanfuckingtastic

Yes I would rule. We've even discussed it amongst dd2's 2 best friends. Between the 3 families we could cover the 5 days. Dh would be the parent in charge on our day/days, as he can "wfh" and catch up in the evenings and weekends. The other 2 families could cover a day or two each on their days off. Our girls are year 6 so are hopefully able to do some independent work.

@MrsDanvers123 your post has just made me sneak downstairs for a Baileys 😂

My child's best mate has two teachers as parents. I guess she'd be in KW group. We could possibly have her one day to make their life easier, and they could do one for us too. Bit naughty, but ticks over my only child. We can all obviously teach them, too. Also depends whether they are in or not - one is secondary private.

Ah well, bit academic. Cant decide even whether to keep child in afterschool club atm. She needs the social stuff, we need the work time.

@MsAwesomeDragon

I understand your anxiety honey, that sort of thing stresses me out too. I can't cope with people changing my plans. I can cope with me changing my own plan, but not when it's come from someone else demanding things of me. If you aren't employed at 9am, you won't be at the meeting. They'll have to give you the minutes later for you to catch up. Or they can move the meeting 🤷

Yeah I think that's what I need to do but it makes me anxious. She basically has been incommunicado since end of last term (fair enough) but then appears and sends me a text on Sunday evening saying be in a meeting at 9am when I don't work then and I actually have to go into work tomorrow where she isn't bothering so hmm.

I hate that second guess myself rather than just going yeah, no that's not going to happen and train people where my boundaries are. I don't mind doing extra work, etc where I chose to and when I determine I have the time and energy itms. Different to someone saying, 'meeting 9am' in a text message without even a please and expecting I'll do it despite not actually being employed at that time.

Moan moan. I'm anxious and insomniac ish even before starting dry january

I'm not going to do it. If I let this slide it'll be meetings on days where I'm not paid to work at all and the precedent set that I can just have demands texted to me. Now just need to let go of it and stop running scripts and scenarios in my stressy head.