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

On the zoom call, NEU advice was specifically not to go in for in person INSETs, though- as this is not "working from home if you can

For sure - where I said 'schools' like mine I was including the fact we don't have inset tomorrow. It's literally just go into school so everyone has a chance to put things into place, and we are having a remote briefing and meetings plus some of us doing kw provision.

Again it would be different if they were asking me to go to in person inset.

Our head has said in light of union stuff it's staff's own choice now whether to go in or not this week but they would really appreciate it if those who feel they can, do.

It does all seem to be kicking off everywhere today!

Any predictions for this week-what do we reckon!?

Bojo will hate to be taken the piss off like this so will either lockdown quick and say it doesn’t matter as schools had to close anyway, or he’ll try to punish teachers/heads/unions/councils somehow. Not sure how though.

I bet Gav doesn’t even know about it yet. He’s polishing off the last of the Christmas Sherry and still taking the last of the fairy lights down.

So I guess in my schools case the talk of section 44 actions has done the job and made them be reasonable which ideally it would have done with all schools (especially secondary as kids are out this week other than exams and kw).

@TheHoneyBadger I do agree, I felt pushed into it at end of last term due to no one listening to us and last few days just been horrible so pressed the nuclear button.
Going to sit down with head tomorrow (he's a v nice man) and explain why I've done this as he sounds quite upset. Maybe, just maybe, something good will come out if it for staff.

And yes, I'll have to tell the kids at some point. Which makes me cry just thinking about it. I love the kids. They wear masks around me in lessons as they know I want them to. They get it. And they are kids.

No definitely wasn't talking of primary star. Literally schools like mine ie. no inset, no classes to teach, just some exams and kw provision to orchestrate and totally able to sd and wear masks etc.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4124666-school-closures-coming-in-thick-and-fast

Thread where parents are documenting last minute comms from their schools.

🎶 Where the f is Gav??

Do you think the DFE feel out of control yet ?

mums hopefully you feel relieved now you have made the decision. I guess there is nothing more sobering than to lose colleagues to this. After all it is a job.

@TheHoneyBadger

On the zoom call, NEU advice was specifically not to go in for in person INSETs, though- as this is not "working from home if you can

For sure - where I said 'schools' like mine I was including the fact we don't have inset tomorrow. It's literally just go into school so everyone has a chance to put things into place, and we are having a remote briefing and meetings plus some of us doing kw provision.

Again it would be different if they were asking me to go to in person inset.

Our head has said in light of union stuff it's staff's own choice now whether to go in or not this week but they would really appreciate it if those who feel they can, do.

That's completely fair.

FWIW I think my head has been really reasonable so far too.

Genuinely just forgotten Gav existed.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

Genuinely just forgotten Gav existed.

Easy to do

I think some might just be a buffered in their offices Sansa and today's events might wake them up a bit and put staff safety more properly on their radar. I know there are some arseholes but I should think there are far more who are just up to their eyeballs and can't see the wood than deliberately risking staff. Or I'd like to think so.

Who IS Gavin?

starrynight19

Do you think the DFE feel out of control yet ?

I would be surprised if they even they thought that they were ever in control.

Stepping away now from the boards. Bp and lack of sleep not worth it!

I have been steering clear and I'll take your word for it Neuro. Got real stuff to deal with tomorrow so don't need the stress.

I blocked the Covid boards back in march. Too many nutters.

We have online all week, inset is in school tomorrow but remote so we can at least spend this week waiting to see what happens.

Youngest has inset tomorrow. I'm very close to keeping her at home, if I'm honest.

@Achristmaspudsskidu I just came in to say do you reckon Gav knows how many primary schools are closing.

Not been picked up by the BBC yet.

Was it you MrsH who had a teams guide? I've got a lovely friend whose an art teacher stressing that she has to use teams from tomorrow and has to do live lessons for years 10-13 and has never used it before.

It is me - if you pm me your address I'll send it over

@mumsneedwine I'm so pleased you have found a way out. Can you get me a job there once you start? In all seriousness I hope you have a good chat with your HT tomorrow and that you get the outcomes you deserve.

@SansaSnark - I went back and apologised to one of them who had apologised to me if it had come across goady then I did feel bad. Then read the rest of the thread, and decided best to hide back in here.

I agree that there is rapidly growing support - I think it would be great if a template letter was given to parents so they could show their support eg by sending it and keeping their children at home as they don't think it is safe. I think that would have massive impact tbh.

I have never worked so much in a school holiday, certainly not a christmas one. Luckily we have a commuted (?) inset day tomorrow, my kids have inset and DH has taken day off so we are off out for the day to a NT place wrapped up warm. Then all back to remote learning from Tuesday.

@MrsHamlet

It is me - if you pm me your address I'll send it over

Thank you so much. It is going to end up being the most used guide in England. You should copywrite!

I sent in my letter this morning after a sleepless night. I'm in the NW and cases look lower but Burnham said today that 25% of new cases are the new variant so it's coming. My head and COG are understanding but I'm really upset that only me and my colleague have sent the letter and everyone else has said they are going in. I know it's the right thing to do but it feels terrible.

That's not a bad idea, Honey I could sell it to Teachit 😂

Yep. I honestly loved how that felt - that a real life friend but far away is struggling and I was able to go hmm, I know someone who has a good guide let me see if I can hook you up, then ask you and emails sent and done!

So generous of you to share your work and I appreciate it and appreciated being able to pass it onto a friend who hasn't been lucky enough to have a virtual staffroom to bounce ideas and panic around with for the last 6 (?) months or so.

I've sent her off to look at videos of how to make a visualiser with your mobile phone thanks to this thread where we were all looking at that in the summer and admiring people's contraptions

Definitely a 'if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger' vibe about this last year! I'm touching wood, obviously.

@MrsHamlet

That's not a bad idea, Honey I could sell it to Teachit 😂

And yeah you could. My remote learning course from the National College wasn't up to much to be honest. Not bad but nothing compared to you lot.