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

All that handwringing about Christmas mixing and they’ve just shoved kids back into schools for a day without a second thought? Representing more mixing than bloody Christmas.

Utter fucking idiots.

@Appuskidu

What’s happening with Welsh schools-does anyone know?

R4 news just said no word from Wales yet. Devolved administrations have a conference call with No 10 at 5pm.

Sorry I'm so confused. Has there been a leak re closing primaries?

Did it mention sen?

Peston tweeted primaries closed. Sorry haven't seen anything re SEN.

Only the Robert Peston Twitter, Neuro.
I despise the trend for releasing airy-fairy half-info a few hours before official announcements.

I imagine it will be SEN open because they’re all vulnerable.

Why do we need declarations this afternoon all across the news and social media that Boris is going to make an announcement live at 8pm?

Why not just issue a written statement now?

Muppet.

Various sources; UK is now in level 5??

Peston is reporting schools closed. He hasn’t mentioned all schools or primary in particular has he, as far as I can see?

I honestly wouldn’t put it past him to say Reception and KS1 must still attend-which would screw SD in infant schools. Or even say all of primary.

I really really hope I’m wrong and just being grumpy and negative.

If they don’t close schools then they need to prove they are safe to the NAHT. By an hour ago.

Ok thanks. It seemed pretty definite but I hadn't seen the tweet.

I know this sounds odd but I'm glad we are likely to be open. And mainstream closed. Nursery have asked for KW info.

We honestly can spend most of the day outside if we so wish. And probably will be.

@Cracklefraggle

Various sources; UK is now in level 5??

Bbc

Of course it could be localised. So schools closed in tier 5, open in teir 4...??

I think we’re beyond tiers now.

Two primary schools in Fed. Both shut today and tomorrow to redo risk assessment and get an idea of which staff are in/out. My school is opening to all on Weds, the other shut due to staffing issues. But my children go to that school, so now I can't be at work, which means I have to be at home and so one of the classes in my school now can't come in.

Have to admit, I'm not sorry!

@noblegiraffe

If they don’t close schools then they need to prove they are safe to the NAHT. By an hour ago.

Right, ok-that’s promising.

Presumably he will need to come up with something a bit more hardcore than data from May when schools were closed, or just repeating ‘schools are safe and teachers are at no higher risk than anyone else’.

I just don’t trust him to do the right thing.

@Cracklefraggle

Various sources; UK is now in level 5??

Is level 5 the same as Tier 5?

Or are they bringing the Nando’s chart back?!

I'd want any of my colleagues who are vulnerable to have the choice to work at home. I'm vulnerable but I can't cope being off again.

London: Xtra Hot
Isle of Wight: Lemon and Herb

This is about right...

The level 5 thing is entirely separate, coming on keep up (ha ha... not) - it's the Covid risk level from the Joint Biosecurity Centre they established in the summer which hasn't done anything that I'm aware of since.

It means the NHS is likely to be overwhelmed in the next couple of weeks.

Serious.

He doesn't have a choice on education now because of all the actions against the gov line, they have lost total control over it and apart from special circs who would send dc back in now!

This

We had some parents keeping children off today because they trust the unions over the govt on the safety of schools. If school is still open tomorrow that number will increase hugely.

Apparently The Sun says all schools closed til Feb half term and then reassess!

I'll be surprised if he admits to such a plan tonight, unless he's got really really horrible stuff to tell us? (And I know how bad the published numbers etc are)