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

Off to supervise KWV today, have good days all, at least it's Friday!!!! 😃

Thank you, Staff.

Hooray it’s Friday roll on the weekend

No mention whatsoever about the MRHA refusal to allow the LFT plan for schools on the Today newspaper headline round up this morning.

www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-government-emails-cast-doubt-on-safety-of-school-testing-plan

@MrsHerculePoirot

Thanks for thread!

Another crazy day here.... despite being unpaid. Am going to ask to be paid for 0.8 this half term as I seem to have taken on everything Teams and it take up ALL the time 😱😱😱

@EnemyOfEducationNo1 did you get your Teams question sorted?

I did, thank you

There's already an article in the fail saying the government are claiming the Guardian article isn't true and there's no problem. Guess we'll be carrying on regardless

This is very worrying , I hope it is not universally true

www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-lungs-worse-smokers-lungs/

@Cantaloupeisland

There's already an article in the fail saying the government are claiming the Guardian article isn't true and there's no problem. Guess we'll be carrying on regardless

Oh ffs

Morning. I have already told HT that I have issues with close contacts not isolating and concerns as to have it fits with parental consent - eg. will the school be liable if someone's child develops covid and becomes seriously ill if they have knowingly allowed that child to sit next to a close contact of a positive case going against WHO advice and the rules applied to everywhere else? I think the risk would need to be absolutely clearly spelled out to parents and parents informed when their child is in a class with a close contact to avoid that kind of liability. I don't see it going ahead and if it gets nearer to the time I think the likes of Indie Sage and the Unions and BMA would hopefully make some noise.

Suffering a bit of email regret/paranoia after replying to HOD last night explaining how my 0.4 and my workload don't synch Not going to be popular. And she has tone policed my emails before and mine is quite straightforward and blunt as I don't know how to pussyfoot around it really.

This morning I have already recorded the lesson that was demanded which was supposed to be done by student but hasn't emerged despite chasing and supporting on my days off. It is literally so much easier and quicker to just do it myself than spend my whole week going back and forth with the trainee.

Thank goodness for Friday. Manufacturers of boilers due sometime this afternoon and I'm pinning all my hopes on them being able to fix it so that a) I have heating and hot water and b) I don't have to confront landlady about not having the former with no end in sight.

I'm a bit of a stresshead currently sorry.

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19011915.east-durham-college-forcing-staff-on-site-teach-remotely-says-union/?fbclid=IwAR3eAjs4QLOBFhgL1SMuWc8qj--906TYoKud17lb999910HIhnxwwfPvz5k

The Mail article seems to carefully avoid talking about the use of LFTs instead of SI, as do the quotations from the Health Dept.

Honey I hope you get your boiler sorted.

I only teach exam classes and this lot are y11. A quirk of the timetable means I am sharing the class so I only see them once a week on a Friday and the other teacher is doing something different. Normally, it would be fine but Wednesday's escapade cost me a lot of marking time.
I normally do 7-7 at the worst, but I'm also tech supporting a lot of the kids who can't operate a pen safely!

@Cantaloupeisland

There's already an article in the fail saying the government are claiming the Guardian article isn't true and there's no problem. Guess we'll be carrying on regardless

I can’t believe this! The DM says the government say the MHRA didn’t say that and the Guardian is lying?! The BBC doesn’t mention it at all?!

Surely if they did say the tests aren’t approved, the government can’t just ignore that? Or can they?

I think it's semantics. Sounds like the govt response was "they didn't say this exactly ; they said that" but they're not denying the overall fact of lack of approval for the tests to be used instead of isolation.

I'm sure the story will continue to play out today.

In the meantime, France insists on PCR tests for lorry drivers entering the country and continues to not allow LFTs to be used as too unreliable.

I reckon they'll find some way to get around it and we'll be made to carry on with the policy. I'd put nothing past this bastard government

Honey don't be worrying about sending the email. Your HOD should have delegated according to your hours from the start. If they get arsey it'll be because they know they have been called out on not doing their job properly!

@Cantaloupeisland

I reckon they'll find some way to get around it and we'll be made to carry on with the policy. I'd put nothing past this bastard government

There are a few mentions of it on Twitter but nothing much. The BBC not mentioning it is crap.

I hope the unions run with it. The president of the NEU seems very vocal on what a shit idea LF tests are and he’s a serving state school head.

Honey - you will be respected more for standing up for yourself

Phew I posted on a COVID post and immediately regretted it. Should stay safe here

Thanks Canta and I'd like to believe that's true Enemy. I've never really felt respected in teaching though tbh. I find it's very rare to get a thanks or a well done and no matter how much you do none of it is 'banked' so that the one time you miss something or get something wrong you don't get given the benefit of the doubt or have invested capital to offset it against if that makes sense?

Plus the more you do the more people expect you to do and the more competent you are foolish enough to appear the more responsibility gets unofficially (and unpaid) sent your way.

I am really uncomfortable when I have to stand up for myself though. HOD has responded by inviting me to a google meet with her. I really don't need more meetings and I'm really uncomfortable with a one on one google meet and I got up crazy early this morning to do extra work so I'd rather relax a bit before my teaching hours than have a stressful meeting.

Am I pathetic? I really don't want a web cam call.

We've had a letter from the head of the local authority advising schools not to use the tests for now

Wow cantaloupe! Ooh! I really didn't think it could go ahead but still relieved to see that backed up by actions. Hard to trust that even stupidly dangerous policies will get stopped given how much of a shit show it's been with the DfE and gov.

I'm colder working at home (heating is on), sitting down all day, than I am when I'm in school with all the windows open.

I don't like working from home very much. Had to get out at 7am this morning for a walk just to kind of click into the day.