The Forty Second Republic - Lockdown 3 online learning struggles continue

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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

Have been feeling more and more cross about this select committee meeting next week. I think it’s going to be a complete stitch up for schools.

Between that and the government ploughing ahead with the lateral flow tests despite having no MHRA approval, I am feeling decidedly on edge .

Staff at Skegness Academy want to ensure pupils like Jaydon fulfil their potential. Some teachers have even set up a salary reduction so some of their wages go to helping the children.
Headmaster Todd Johnson says: "Our ambition for every single child that comes to this academy has not changed. The reason that my teaching staff and my classroom support staff are signing onto five lessons as a minimum a day, and delivering the same content, is because we can't let what's happened now define these young people in the future."

Yes, the American system fascinates me.

We have an American company with a base locally and so teach a number of their children for the odd year or two. They always get so stressed that we don't really have a "transcript" to give them or proof that they can get into AP classes on return. For example, a brilliant mathematician might sit a GCSE maths paper for a mock in year 10 and score a 9, but with the percentage to get a 9 as low as it is, it translates to a really low grade there (ie their US school expects 90%+ to get into AP classes on return). They don't get that 75% in year 10, in England, is brilliant.

@RandomGrammarPun I suppose that the teachers write their own assessments in US schools, in which case 90%+ is more achievable. It must be really strange for the kids you teach to have a year or two of a completely different style of education...

Yes, they don't like having to study the whole curriculum, if they're KS3, and they don't like not having anything to show for their time with us if they're year 10 when they leave, but they do overall enjoy the experience and the lack of pressure in non-core subjects (ie we don't have such a thing as "passing" year 8 art )

Of course, as children of directors and engineers, they're generally quite high fliers and probably not representative of the average US HS student.

Right then wise women of the staffroom, I need your collective wisdom. Our school has given staff no guidance with regards to being online with children. Not one word. We are using our own phones (141 before the number) and zoom to make welfare calls, run social meets with the class and do small group teaching sessions. There have been no problems yet. What should we have in place? Some schools seem to be saying cameras must be on, others they must be off. Head has said those in school can dial in to year group zooms. No additional permission from parents has been asked for this.

What policy/rules should I be asking for?

Anyone got a really good policy I could strip the school name out of and pass on to my SLT.

Feel like our approach is very 'gung-ho' and is assuming parents will all be responsible, good natured and understanding at all times. This feels rather naive to me.

Primary

Hi all, we are rather exhausted so I'm struggling to get on mn!

I've decided that we can't function as a family if I prioritise home learning stuff with the 8 yr old when the toddler is at home.

We have to prioritise walks and exercise for them on those days. If he can do anything independently later on I'll do it but if it doesn't happen it just won't happen.

One reason is embarrassingly that they're bored of screens now but youngest has to be entertained with reading eggs if I'm to do anything with the eldest.

Toddler is at nursery 3 days so that's at least 3 days of focussed work!

I don't think I'd ever have passed year 8 art! 😂

@TrashedWarrior that sounds like hard work. No idea how anyone with a toddler is managing any home schooling. I couldn't teach my Y4 class with a 3 year old wandering about!

COVID-19 and schools: #KnownUnknowns
Jan 28, 2021 04:00 PM
London

A free webinar for the healthcare and education communities

28 January 2021, 4-6pm GMT

School closures have been a controversial issue from the start of the COVID pandemic. Join Dr Fiona Godlee of The BMJ and Professor George Davey Smith of Bristol University and the MRC, plus their invited guests from leading institutions at this free webinar which will discuss all aspects of the issue.

Agenda:
4.00 Welcome and introduction

• Dr Fiona Godlee (The BMJ)

MC Dr Phil Hammond

4.10 SARS-CoV-2 prevalence/ transmission/ dissemination and role in community infection trajectories

• Alasdair Munro (University of Southampton),
• Muge Cevik (University of St Andrews)

Discussion/questions chaired by Professor George Davey Smith (Bristol University)

4.40 Clinical risk to children (severe disease/long covid)
– Elizabeth Whittaker (Imperial College, London);
Risk to teachers: Rachael Wood (Public Health Scotland) and David McAllister (University of Glasgow)
Chair: Allyson Pollock (Newcastle University)

5.00 Consequences to children of school closures

• Sunil Bhopal (Newcastle University) and Bruce Adamson (Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland)

Chair: Fiona Godlee

5.20 Views from the coalface - Elisabeth Gilpin (St Mary Redcliffe School, Bristol);
Chair: Professor Caroline Relton (Bristol University)

5.30 Discussion with questions:
(1) the role of testing
(2) masks in schools
(3) balancing the interests/rights of children, teachers & other school workers and the community
(4) introducing interventions (such as closures, partial closures, testing) in ways that allow evaluation.
Chair: Dr Phil Hammond

5.55: Wrap up
George Davey Smith, (MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit)

This webinar is part of a series. For details, visit: www.bmj.com/covid-19-webinars

zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zKTg24PlROymQPpDdKaQew

Sorry don’t know if anyone interested^

I've decided that one of the issues is that Dh and I need mental rest time. I need physical rest time as my health isn't brilliant. But that means the kids have to be occupied too!

Our gorgeous kids are obviously gravitating more towards us as they're not seeing anyone else or doing anything else bar boring walks.

They eldest has always had huge amounts of energy. Was like a bolt of electricity as a toddler and still has days like that. Very sociable. He's very happy being at home but starts to climb the walls a bit. He's very clever too. Everyone is just more balanced if getting out of the house has been the priority.

And the toddler is a classic toddler at the mo. Threenager.

When it's just one of us wfh and the eldest, he's entirely different and works and plays happily on his own.

Very different to us squashed we have to record all interactions eg google meets with students. Think it's ok if we call when the parent is there and they hand the child the phone and are witness.

I note that Alasdair Munro is speaking at that conference. That will be biased interesting! So long as he sticks to topic he should be OK...

@Piggywaspushed

I note that Alasdair Munro is speaking at that conference. That will be biased interesting! So long as he sticks to topic he should be OK...

The Alastair Munro who write an article entitled, ‘Children are not COVID-19 super spreaders: time to go back to school’?!

Is he the friend of Us4Them?

It feel increasingly like we are living in a dictatorship.

Scotland splits maths and arithmetic , too. Whereas English and Lit aren't divided.

Speaking of which, I peeped at Scotsnet where there is a live learning thread. There does seem to be anything like the same pressure or expectation to do full days of interactive remote lessons. The OP was having a bit of a moan but most posters were happy with intermittent check ins from teachers. It is a different world. Not sure if mistress or any other Scots are on here to corroborate? Are the EIS more influential and more trusted?

@TrashedWarrior I saw a thing the other day that said there are two types of tired - one where you need rest/sleep and one where you need peace. I hadn’t thought of it like that before but thinks it’s true (and probs obvious really) so I’ve consciously tried to do that this week!

Are the EIS more influential and more trusted?

I saw on the Scottish U4T thread that the EIS sent U4T a cease and desist letter because they were encouraging parents to record lessons to complain about the quality.

Mumsnet was down for hours last night and yet there’s no thread about it. Have I missed something?

Hello, read a book last night when I discover mumsnet was down, probably better for me!
In Scotland the majority of teachers are in the EIS. The SSTA is the second largest but only for secondary so not as big (EIS for both, plus colleges).
I can't say if they are more influential - the government happily ignored us for months while we went into school with no SD! But no, the government guidelines do not ask for live lessons and the union is strong on no teacher having to appear on camera if they don't want to. But the creep is starting - this time round a lot of schools asking for some live content and some staff go way beyond this.. We've only had one week of online so far though, a lot still to be reviewed (I would hope so anyway)

@chocolateisavegetable

I've just looked at how many schools within our county council have reported cases within the last 10 days. It seems like a lot, but what I find really interesting is that less than 10% are secondary. I realise that it could be staff - but why would staff in primary be more likely to get it than secondary. I also realise that there are less secondary schools than primary, but that ratio does seem particularly low.

Late to this but don’t forget we had our day of free-for-all mixing on the first Monday of term.

2 of my colleagues tested positive as a result.

@Appuskidu I fear you're right - I think the most likely outcome will be 'kids are not at risk and they don't spread it, teachers are at no more risk than anyone else, but children will literally die in their 30s addicted to drugs having never had a job if we don't open schools straight away'

Oh and also 'the LF tests are actually really accurate but only on kids, so crack on with the testing plan there's a good chap!'

And yes they sent a cease and desist letter to those teacher bashing wankers, the amount of back tracking going on on their site (deleting messages) is quite funny to watch.

I believe we will learn on Tuesday if an extension to school closure (meant to reopen on 1st Feb). Is there a date set for England?

Floobydoo but don't forget that schools were safe on Monday 4th January

---> not aimed at you obviously