The Fortieth Republic - Schools are safe but they are vectors so go online

[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

@DollyMixtureLulus

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B083DD4R9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_-9n9Fb1E85VKQ?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Madness really. Having 50% to 70% of pupils in via KW/vulnerable status means sod all social distancing still and plenty of virus- spreading opportunities, at the same time as stressing out an already knackered staff and pissing off parents. Have really had enough and would like to smack BJ between the eyes. (Purely metaphorically speaking of course)

How will this play out? Will unions have to pressure schools /government AGAIN??

Or will it just limp on and just be one of the contributory factors to the introduction of even harder measures?

I presume he intends to shaft this year's exam cohort just as badly.

Yes I am so angry he (or Ofqual) refuses to change anything about the Computer Science A Level, like they did with the GCSE, and so I have pretty much wasted time on some coursework when I could have been doing more theory and testing to help with the cancel of the summer exams.

I am so so bloody angry. My poor students AGAIN!!!

And breathe...

Well, it will definitely facilitate spread into areas that don’t have the new variant - assuming that quite a lot of key workers will travel into adjoining areas to work and then meet a lot of people (hospital staff, police, retail) and those are the very families sending children in. So the children least likely to be spreaders are probably the ones at home. The upshot of that will quite probably be that all schools are shut entirely, dunno what happens then.

*refused

I am reading this with my jaw dropping.
Am wondering if I might email my lovely Head and say how much I appreciate how she's set things up for us. Her crisis management since 8pm yesterday is quite simply awe-inspiring.
I'm pretty sure she was up all night - I sent her a virtual glass of whisky at 11pm which she acknowledged with a grin and a kiss, and she was time-stamped sending emails and messages at 5am.

So, she has seriously clamped down on numbers. We have double year group bubbles, so out of 120 yr 3and4s, we had about 10 kids. TAs and non-class-based teachers are on rotas to cover these KW groups (one or two days a week), and teachers wfh online on normal contracted hours, setting work and providing feedback on a continuous basis. She said "obviously" we can't be doing that as well as supervising KWs.
KWs (and vulnerables) are given time and support to cover and do the home learning that's been set, with games and PE and activities when finished.
All online learning is set on google classroom, and consists of linked video demos (not necessarily produced by us) Ppts, worksheets, fun tasks and investigations. We can video/audio record ourselves reading stories or chatting if we feel comfortable doing that but not if we'd rather not.
Nothing is live as, in the main, parents have begged us not to, as they don't have the set-up at home to facilitate it. They'd rather access the work at their own convenience.
Seems more than fair to me. Most parents are happy with it.

@CallmeAngelina That sounds idyllic! I am beyond envious - your headteacher sounds amazing.

Oh, and as regards all these tales of large numbers (shocking but entirely predictable), I suppose what will happen is that there will just be more likelihood of positive cases and the whole lot of them having to isolate.
Assuming your schools still do that. We do.

Ange - so all your parents only have Betamax, too?

@CallmeAngelina

I am reading this with my jaw dropping. Am wondering if I might email my lovely Head and say how much I appreciate how she's set things up for us. Her crisis management since 8pm yesterday is quite simply awe-inspiring. I'm pretty sure she was up all night - I sent her a virtual glass of whisky at 11pm which she acknowledged with a grin and a kiss, and she was time-stamped sending emails and messages at 5am.

So, she has seriously clamped down on numbers. We have double year group bubbles, so out of 120 yr 3and4s, we had about 10 kids. TAs and non-class-based teachers are on rotas to cover these KW groups (one or two days a week), and teachers wfh online on normal contracted hours, setting work and providing feedback on a continuous basis. She said "obviously" we can't be doing that as well as supervising KWs.
KWs (and vulnerables) are given time and support to cover and do the home learning that's been set, with games and PE and activities when finished.
All online learning is set on google classroom, and consists of linked video demos (not necessarily produced by us) Ppts, worksheets, fun tasks and investigations. We can video/audio record ourselves reading stories or chatting if we feel comfortable doing that but not if we'd rather not.
Nothing is live as, in the main, parents have begged us not to, as they don't have the set-up at home to facilitate it. They'd rather access the work at their own convenience.
Seems more than fair to me. Most parents are happy with it.

That sounds great and that sounds like what all heads have been doing.

I think some teachers have simply become numb to the risk of being in school- I described what schools are like to a friend, recently and he was shocked, and his shocked reaction shocked me, if that makes sense?

And if teachers feel like that, I guess some heads do as well, and can't really see the dangers of what they are doing?

Obviously they can work out that workloads are unreasonable though- there's no defence for that, but for those having loads of children in, I guess they think any reduction in numbers is better than nothing, and they are doing what they can?

But I do think many schools will need to be stricter, or they will end up closing fully- especially secondary, actually, assuming the lateral flow tests work at all!

Gah, 9 pages on a new Republic already - how much I have missed!

Literally have just finished work for the day. Started at 8 after dropping toddler off, through till collecting her at 4.30, then off again 7 till now. Bloody knackered.

We’re mainly teachers at home, TAs in school but will need to be rotaed in soon. Twice daily live Zoom calls, four activities a day on Seesaw each with a teaching video is of homemade and White Rose and Oak). Took me four hours to upload a video this morning thanks to rural wifi. Didn’t drink all day and now have a pounding headache.

Solidarity everyone, will catch up on full thread when I have time but hope everyone is surviving!

*mix of homemade

@RandomGrammarPun

Ange - so all your parents only have Betamax, too?

Oh, and there were bacon butties on offer when we arrived at school this morning!
And cakes mid-morning.

Better get re-acquainted with Rosemary again!

Blimey things have moved on quickly!

Day off today. Only did 6hrs work.....

@SmileEachDay - do I remember correctly that you are a DSLO? If so, could I PM you a quick question? Thanks

I’m a ta, but don’t know what I will be doing yet. Slightly nervous for inset tomorrow. There were loads of key worker children in last time and since they romp through the set work, keeping them busy with other things was hard, last time round.

Read the fourth post in this thread:

Will schools re-open? http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/4127205-Will-schools-re-open

Noble has become legendary on MN! (No subsequent posters have queried what or who "noble's recommendations" means!
😆

@CallmeAngelina

Oh, and as regards all these tales of large numbers (shocking but entirely predictable), I suppose what will happen is that there will just be more likelihood of positive cases and the whole lot of them having to isolate. Assuming your schools still do that. We do.

That's an excellent point, maybe heads need to point that out to parents. The more kids in, the less safe, when the KWV bubble pops, not only will you risk spreading COVID, all the HCPs will be unable to save you, because their kids will be isolating too!

You are making a difference noble!!

Looking at all the threads about this on the Cv board, there seems a wide spectrum of interpretations of the Guidance by schools. Definitely needs tightening!

But in a sense it's an insoluble problem, both in terms of making remote learning work for all students and how parents can work properly from home whilst caring for younger children.

@phlebasconsidered that message sucks.

Our head has been outstanding in their management, praise of staff (teaching and support, as well as individuals where appropriate), communication to both staff and parents and general decision making.

As a result, I have not heard a single criticism of him from colleagues or parents. We also get freebies now and then.

I got my certificates for testing on Monday but doesn't look like they'll be needed much - ah well, another string to my bow

We’re at around 1/3 in across the school. 1 form entry so not loads of staff capacity. Bit of a debate going on between people who want to be in on rota only (but that means keyworker bubbles of up to 30 as will need to mix classes) and those who want to just work normal days in their normal classes to have smaller bubbles. Both sides feeling their way is safer (& makes workload easier).

Lots of discussions (& disagreements) over Union advice!

Not quite sure what to think... any opinions?

I was looking at one of those threads earlier and I am shocked. How can someone who works for a council planning dept be classified as a key worker for the next 6 weeks? It is bloody ridiculous- no wonder primary schools are at near capacity