The Forty Third Republic - Lockdown learning continues - when is half term?

[Staffdontblowitnow]

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

Could be worse... could be in Scotland, where my 80 year old DF with no spleen has not heard a dickie bird.

@Piggywaspushed

Could be worse... could be in Scotland, where my 80 year old DF with no spleen has not heard a dickie bird.

Aw, Piggy, thinking of you. My well over 80 year old parents (Wales) had appointments today ... but the snow had other ideas. Heaven alone knows when their particular corner of the province will get any more supplies....

Think I've mentioned on here already about dd's healthy 22 year old friend who has a temp job for the nhs in a socially-distanced back office - got her jab two weeks ago.

@RandomGrammarPun

Yes, I have two speechie friends. Both doing Zoom consultations only. Both had vaccination.

I was in school this week sitting with a child whilst he had a speech therapy assessment via Zoom. The therapist was WFH as none of them have set foot in a school since March, their risk assessment won’t allow it. She was off to get her jab that afternoon!

I don’t begrudge anyone the jab, but why are we treated as unreasonable for wanting it when staff WFH are having it?

I don’t begrudge anyone the jab, but why are we treated as unreasonable for wanting it when staff WFH are having it?

Couldn’t agree more. I personally feel that the fact staff in SEND schools are not even considered for vaccination as a first port of call, is going to be considered on par as much of a scandal as care homes being so badly handled during this pandemic.

It’s criminal.

Yes, exactly that @Useruseruserusee .

Absolutely, staff in special schools should be up there with carers in the priority list.

Honey what in particular struck a chord?

Staff in special schools should be on the same level as care homes. They should have had the same testing as them too. Grouping them with schools is really the wrong categorisation.
Nursery workers should be vaccinated at the same time. Again because of personal care.

Noble, many, many staff in primary schools do personal care. All EYFS staff do as a matter of routine, and IME in a very naice primary is that it is quite rare to have a year group without at least 1 child in need of daily intimate care.

Sometimes it is an identifiable 1:1 TA who would be the right person to vaccinate / test due to the nature of that care, but it is most often several staff within a year group.

That doesn't mean that Special School staff SHOULDN'T be prioritised, but certainly in primary there is a significant overlap between the type of care provided in mainstream for some pupils, and in Special Schools for all.

Oh dear U4T have some new friends (or possibly are posing as new friends:

https://mobile.twitter.com/UnlockedUKK/status/1353076622669176833?s=19&fbclid=IwAR1zCc8Ob6w8rC9XS1ma-z2li1Qou-V5OJPt66votxqG3iMYFibKeSM50A

Well, they look unhinged very sensible.

Who the hell is voting in favour of that?

People the government have paid probably Angelina

many, many staff in primary schools do personal care

I know. That’s why I could never work in a primary school!

But I’m thinking about categorisation of institutions not individuals within them.

Oh dear U4T have some new friends

It’s Us4Them in a different hat because Us4Them don’t have any friends.

Unlocked?! I have heard that word a lot this week-very emotive language. I expect we will be hearing much much more over the next few weeks about Boris and Gavlar BATTLING the lefty unions and workshy teachers to UNLOCK the schools.

Shame really, because if, instead of creating battles, the government engaged in proper discussions, things would look very different.

Less of a ‘ winning’ narrative for the government and less exciting newspaper headlines though, I guess.

Schoolsweek are using unlocked so a sign of political wankery rather than automatic batshittery.

@noblegiraffe

Schoolsweek are using unlocked so a sign of political wankery rather than automatic batshittery.

Excellent descriptive phrases

Common sense media channel go those abandoned by MSM on their twitter bio says everything you need to know about them really.

Might as well put a big flag up saying ‘we’re a bunch of raving conspiracy theorists.’

They also appear to be being followed by Ben Bradley MP. He’s the one who said that FSM vouchers were being spent in brothels and crack dens.

Haven't been around much lately, just too effing busy. But @Piggywaspushed I hope your DF hears very soon.

Test last week fortunately negative. At school we have the chance to use the lateral flow tests at home twice a week (primary). I don't think it's instead of self-isolation. We can opt out but I'm thinking of opting in, just because it may make my anxious DH feel slightly more relaxed about me going into work. I will be very interested to see what happens. We've only had 3 cases in school, one over Christmas, definitely two were staff members but not sure about the other one.

Is anyone else actually doing these LFTs? I know they may give false positive due to viral load stuff but if I'm offered for free I may as well, right?

My DBro 3 years my junior a semi-retired CAHMS psychiatrist (and a very very good one, working in a clinic desperately short of funding) had his vaccination last week - he hasn’t done a face to face consultation since last March. He sounded very sheepish when he told me, especially as his DMIL aged 80-something and with terminal breast cancer (current treatment palliative care) at that point hadn’t had hers (she has now had her first jab, yesterday).

I'm choosing not to go in so I'm not being tested.
I was chatting to a colleague on Friday - she's support staff so expected in all the time. She reckoned there was 1 child on site for every 3 staff!!! It's madness.
In other news, I've just finished the middle panel of my three panel blanket. It's taken me 6 years so far....

MrsH are they staff forced to be on site?

We have a significant minority (including me) choosing to come in for part/all of the week.