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

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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

Several of our local primaries are reluctantly closed to all tomorrow - no KW places. A nightmare for parents, including teachers, but they can't be expected to organise this post 8pm, can they? (Tier 4 but not a primary closure area.)

Yes that's our situation. I'm not in tomorrow but I know many kw who were.

@Appuskidu

Can I just say well done Noble. You have been tireless in trying to get it out there about the realities of schools in Covid times. 🙏😊 and how they could be managed more safely. Such a shame we are where we are

Completely agree with this. Well done @noblegiraffe and thank you. You’ve kept us all going in some really shitty times.

Aww thanks! You’ve all kept me going too. A proper support bubble this is ❤️

Shame the government didn’t listen to us but at least Us4Them didn’t get to control the narrative despite their best efforts.

That tweet piggy mentioned twitter.com/johnjohnstonmi/status/1346191630240542722?s=21

On another thread I've seen credible sounding claims of 60-80% of children being in in primary classes, as they qualify!!!

Ridiculous.

Will anyone at all have thought about the fact that the reason ppl didn't send even qualifying kids in last time was because they were scared and didn't realise how awful home schooling would be? Sounds like the DfE won't have had time to, from that tweet....

Hmmm just realised my pupil buy order of several thousands pounds worth of revision guides was due to arrive today. The year 11s will not be getting refunds

Nice people:

Can I say Thank You to all the Head Teachers and staff who are having to deal with this clusterfuck? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4125967-Can-I-say-Thank-You-to-all-the-Head-Teachers-and-staff-who-are-having-to-deal-with-this-clusterfuck

It’s ok, hedgehogger they can come into school tomorrow to collect as schools don’t have to close till Wednesday

Partner will be at home alone with child tomorrow, as I have to deliver home working packs. Cant remember if I've already posted that 9 out of my class make up most of my phase V children bubble. I've asked for a KW place for mine, we were offered one last time but didn't use it, this time I'm worried about her mental health being alone with us. She was so lonely. We're in a good place at my school, all KW/V groups sorted and resourced for, all lessons for this week recorded ready to go up - tomorrow's already up. Teams invites sent.

I was really lucky - ordered a new desk yesterday and just had time to go and collect it on my way home. I've set up proper camp in the spare room, so I don't have to keep moving everything off the kitchen table.

I can't believe this shower of a government.

What did they even talk about in a whole staff mtg today? I mean, what else is going on other than this total mess?

We've got 25% KW/V in my phase, but no more will be added unless proof of new employment/clear V issues. They've made their choices and they know the deal from last time.

Don't forget the DfE have been busy setting up that new Institute of Teacher Training.

Instead of, y'know, coming up with exam contingency plans. Or even noticing BTECs on the calendar.

Btecs are for thick, northern poor kids. Igcse sounds foreign. We've taken back control remember.

The KW/vulnerable children thing needs to be watched carefully. It’s very frustrating to read how people whose children could work from home have decided they will send them in this time for this reason and that reason (reasons which are not always very convincing to me). Do they not realise the impact of their decisions? I would be drawing up a very carefully monitored list (and checking it twice).

Honestly, it’s like being Cassandra. Doom, doom, doom...

I'm sorry those of you with younger children are struggling to access KW provision. My dd is 10, so at least she's capable of being quiet when she's asked to.

I do wish I had a spare room though. We're now set up with work areas for each of us. I'm in the dining room with dd2, at opposite ends of the table. Dh has his computer set up in the corner of the living room. Dd1 will be working (or not, as the mood takes her) from her bedroom. I think I'll mostly be following the same routine as lockdown 1, where I will record videos and set work from 7-9am, then alternate helping dd2 with her school work and replying to the work emailed in from pupils. I WILL be going out for a walk at lunchtime, and dd2 WILL be coming with me even if she moans. It isn't good for us to stay inside the house completely all the time.

I'm so torn about sending DC to nursery. If I wasn't here DH would have to cope as nursery are only doing KW care. But he can't have a 3yo at home and work. Not can I live teach. Hopefully there will be some relaxation of this requirement from my school and then I can keep him home. Shite all round.

DD will be playing an awful lot of Roblox I think.

Feel as if I need some perspective, please.

I was going to keep the two older dc home and send youngest dc into primary school whilst they were open, then teach from my classroom. Went into school this afternoon to post out resources for the next 3-4 weeks to 6th form (thank goodness!), and check the tech. All worked, my inking pad works with SMART and the headphone and mic plugs into the desktop, wired connection so I felt much more confident in what was happening for the next two weeks.

Following the announcement, dc3 won't be in primary and I'm not really comfortable to leave him at home without me for 7 hours - he needs to be watched during remote learning or else he puts in the minimum effort, and I don't want to put the responsibility for him onto dc1. So I guess I'll be teaching from home and trying to get him to focus as well. Also, 4 of us will be using the home wifi and I've only got the free SMART package on my laptop, so all of my lessons will have a big watermark across the slides. I know that this isn't important, but it really bothers me! But it would have been so much easier just to teach from my classroom without distraction.

I want to apply for a KW place for him, but not quite sure I should, as we managed last time. Dh worked from the office the whole of last lockdown and probably qualifies as a key worker. He could work from home, but chose not to, and tbh it was better not to have another body using up the wifi or getting under my feet. But I feel so resentful when he says that I should work from home instead of going into school and taking up a KW place. I think on my 5 period days I'll suggest he works from home and I go to school. It would only be 2 days per fortnight.

Feel low tonight. I'm trying to feel grateful that both of our jobs are secure for the time being, but dreading the tough times ahead. Dd was so lonely during lockdown, and ds has really struggled going back to school - he was just starting to settle at the end of last term and I'm dreading having to do the return after a long absence with him again.

Did you do live lessons last lockdown? If not, then it's a different kettle of fish this time.

I think if you worked from home last time and he went to the office, then fair's fair, you should swap this time. See how he feels about KW places then.

So far KW provision has looked like..
March 2020 - in hub school not our own, all KW kids mixed together (only about 8 each day). Spending a lot of time playing as it was mostly childcare, with some direction to sit and do their seesaw/google classroom tasks.

In the last week before Christmas - all mixed together in the hall, playing and watching DVDs while being babysat by TAs with a little direction to sit and attempt their online work.

This week will be a shock to the kids who've been in previously then as it's very different. We are bubbling year groups instead of mixing different years, and they will be in a classroom, mixed with the other classes from the year, with one teacher and one TA. They are still going to be only doing the same online work as the children at home, but it will run like a normal school day and they will be directed to which tasks they are doing according to our timetable and only having normal playtime and lunchtime breaks. We have half a classworth in, so we are sitting them one to a table as well, although we haven't been directed to ensure they are distancing so they will mix freely at other times. Staff are doing 2 or 3 days on then 2 or 3 days WFH (thank God!) planning, prepping and responding to work.

Wales, so we've only been told it's 'at the very least up til the 18th' but I imagine it will be longer if England and Scotland have committed to mid Feb.

Uni DD isn't allowed back 'home' to her flat, but at least she stayed on campus and there'll be a rent reduction for each week she is delayed in returning. It's like last year again when she came home for Easter break and didn't go back til Oct!

Thank goodness, we've not been asked to live stream lessons. Instead I spend ages finding videos where other people have already done it. :)
We're reading Cloudbusting and I've found links for them to listen to the chapters at home. Yay. :)

@noblegiraffe

Did you do live lessons last lockdown? If not, then it's a different kettle of fish this time.

I think if you worked from home last time and he went to the office, then fair's fair, you should swap this time. See how he feels about KW places then.

I'm ok with live lessons, fairly proficient on Teams . Just starting the term with my 3 busiest days in terms of lessons. I will feel better once they are out of the way.

There is an earnings imbalance in our house, and he's the boss at work, which is why he works from the office. In a way, he's justified. I just feel as if my life was so much more affected than his during lockdown.

I suppose another thing I'm dreading is that I had exam classes last lockdown, so half of them disappeared on study leave early in the summer term. No such luck this time round.

There is an earnings imbalance in our house, and he's the boss at work, which is why he works from the office.

Indeed, I had to work from the kitchen table and suffer constant interruptions while DH got a proper desk, fancy chair and peace.

Maybe there needs to be more pushback on this.

Sorry, reading backwards from my ranting. I would also like to say thanks to Noble, basically for being right, being courageous and not losing her temper. I wish you hadn’t been right though, Noble.

Good luck in the morning, everyone.

Yes, vulnerable now includes those who will have difficulty accessing home learning, that includes not having a quiet place to study.