The Forty First Republic - Gav encourages parents to report schools to OFSTED

[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

Good luck everyone

No greater risk of dying needs unpicking. No greater risk of dying individually if we catch it (no problems with greater viral load) than if we weren’t a teacher but in the same category (e.g. over 60/diabetic/)?

Or no greater risk of dying as a profession than the general population? I.e. we have more risk of catching it but this doesn’t translate into more deaths.

I suspect it’s the first.

@noblegiraffe

No greater risk of dying needs unpicking. No greater risk of dying individually if we catch it (no problems with greater viral load) than if we weren’t a teacher but in the same category (e.g. over 60/diabetic/)?

Or no greater risk of dying as a profession than the general population? I.e. we have more risk of catching it but this doesn’t translate into more deaths.

I suspect it’s the first.

I think similar to you. I haven't heard Whitty, but I would really like him to be challenged over what he actually means.

Also, I think his priorities are mostly around the NHS and reducing the numbers of people who go into hospital and stay there for a long time- which is as they should be.

However, if the government want schools to open, they need to vaccinate staff, or there will be staff off ill all the time, leading to school closures due to lack of staff- it really is that simple! And if they can't vaccinate staff, then they have to accept that schools can't open as normal.

I totally agree that special school staff should be treated the same as care staff when it comes to vaccination.

Oh you're right about half term, I had the wrong date in my head for our place, and of course different LAs often vary anyway.

So 6th February could be a review date, but how weird that it means they'd have to have extra legislation just to cover the announced time of closure! A mistake??

The other thing they need to consider is which vaccine. It seems from the early stage trials that novavax might be a sterilising vaccine - if that's true, and teachers had that, we'd be at lower risk of getting it and of passing it on.

@JanuaryChill unless they tell us to go back on February 7th?

I wonder what Chris W etc really think about schools?

Do they sit there and say quite openly to each other that they know teachers are at risk, they know they are shoved in small classrooms with no protection, masks should be worn and schools aren’t safe but come up with v deliberate ways of framing/lying/obfuscating the situation to convince the country otherwise?! Because they’ve been told no money will be spent in schools and it’s easier to just keep lying?

Or do they genuinely think that schools are safe?!

@Appuskidu

I wonder what Chris W etc really think about schools?

Do they sit there and say quite openly to each other that they know teachers are at risk, they know they are shoved in small classrooms with no protection, masks should be worn and schools aren’t safe but come up with v deliberate ways of framing/lying/obfuscating the situation to convince the country otherwise?! Because they’ve been told no money will be spent in schools and it’s easier to just keep lying?

Or do they genuinely think that schools are safe?!

I can't believe that Whitty and co really believe schools being open is best for the wider population, either.

However, I don't think teachers are the top of their list of priorities.

I don't think they have considered the reality of school last term, and may believe the narrative that school closures will have massively detrimental impacts on some students.

They (the scientists) have been despairing at the school situation pre lockdown.

If anyone teaches AQA GCSE English/lit and wants the rubrics for the exams to import into teams, you know what to do...
I also have them for OCR A level Lang and lit (separate not combined)

I also suspect that 'no greater risk' statement means at an individual level compared to a non teacher of the same age etc that has also caught it.

Which is rather disingenuous as if as a profession we are more likely to catch it and a percentage, however small, of people who catch it die then being in a profession more at risk of catching it does indeed put you at greater risk of dying.

Also - there are other problems than death! You're not likely in this day and age to die from being stabbed in the eye but I wouldn't recommend it.

Side note - I just had an email from HT where she put a number she wanted to emphasis between two * s! Is this a practice in the wider world I'm not aware of or was this a mn user identifying slip? She was an English teacher originally if that helps.

Well, it is going to have a detrimental effect on lots of children. We just need to take that into account when we're co sidering the curriculum in future.

Don't ever tell me off for doing too much work again people unless you're going to tell MrsH off first. She's literally running a nationwide covid teacher training course via mumsnet!

This is true thank you Mrs H👏🏼👏🏼

piggy does that mean they aren't releasing deaths by occupation at all now? Sorry if I am being thick. The ONS website is.... dense.

@noblegiraffe

No greater risk of dying needs unpicking. No greater risk of dying individually if we catch it (no problems with greater viral load) than if we weren’t a teacher but in the same category (e.g. over 60/diabetic/)?

Or no greater risk of dying as a profession than the general population? I.e. we have more risk of catching it but this doesn’t translate into more deaths.

I suspect it’s the first.

Also, long Covid. Higher risks if your female and around menopausal age.

And all the emphasis on "children are ok but they don't suffer from it" is all very well, and a great blessing, but children are not learning in schools without adults to supervise them. As Michael Rosen said in that response to the silly Kirstie Allsop tweet. Grrrrrrr!

I wish Chris Witty would just be honest and admit he has to say what Bozo and the rest of the clowns tell him.

@TheHoneyBadger

Don't ever tell me off for doing too much work again people unless you're going to tell MrsH off first. She's literally running a nationwide covid teacher training course via mumsnet!

😂 Let's be clear that I've not offered them to my real colleagues... but since I have them, it's nice to share!

Yes corner. They have not been asked to....

This of course allows us to be in that grim MN world of 'show us the dead and ill teachers'.

And for people still to assume that taxi drivers etc have the highest death rate. This may well be true but no one knows.

I’m signed off for a while as awaiting an in-patient procedure for a heart condition. Both GP and specialist were horrified when I described my working conditions. The GP said “totally irresponsible” and the specialist said it made a mockery of what the NHS was trying to do. Neither had any idea of actual conditions in schools/colleges. They both appeared to have the impression that the same sort of precautions were being taken as within the health service, and that “bubbles” are real and useful, social distancing actually taking place, and face coverings worn.

Well, one of my Y11 boys who I would have guessed "least likely to submit work during lockdown" has submitted his work, and it's completed to a decent standard.

Wonders never cease.

@noblegiraffe

No greater risk of dying needs unpicking. No greater risk of dying individually if we catch it (no problems with greater viral load) than if we weren’t a teacher but in the same category (e.g. over 60/diabetic/)?

Or no greater risk of dying as a profession than the general population? I.e. we have more risk of catching it but this doesn’t translate into more deaths.

I suspect it’s the first.

I thought that - and I agree with you about the likely meaning. Just thought it was interesting the way he phrased it, around deaths not infections. Not that many people will notice or care.

Yeah, I think there is still an element of anyone who doesn't come in a school not realising just how ridiculous the guidance is and how it basically does nothing.

Special schools have literally no chance of distancing adult to child or adult to adult. Primary schools no way of distancing from the children, especially ks1. Secondary, no way of keeping bubbles apart (I mean, I think ppl think there are external doors to classrooms in secondary) and classrooms are tiny. That's without thinking about sibling links and public transport in all sectors which should be obvious.

I have come home for lunch as I have a free period. I missed the call from the docs. Dam! It's sad though as I actually enjoy the live lessons. Well to most classes.

Hope you all had/have a lovely day.