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

Shocking to see the attitudes and ignorance of what many people's lives are like on the "Are you kidding me?" thread expressing incredulity re govt possibly offering £500 to those who test positive.

schoolsweek.co.uk/fact-check-are-school-staff-at-greater-risk-from-covid-19/?f&fbclid=IwAR3WKtm4XdWf84IOEkXkR0k9iw44dGw5v0hZALSRbw2viwK0Vqj0EzDJEIk

Thanks @RigaBalsam that article helps unravel it a bit..

This has reminded me of the year the head of sixth form made the exams officer phone the board to ask what was in an exam paper because we had an anxious student who might take a turn if certain topics came up. He wanted them to let him know what the paper was on.
I believe the answer was don't be so bloody stupid; we're not telling you we can't help with that.

Just spat out my tea!

Apologies if this was discussed yesterday but this is pretty concerning.

Secondary rates would have been sky high.

Sorry missed an axis and won't let me post a better image

Ah there.

Is that from today's ONS report @TrashedWarrior? Crikey that just shows how closing schools helps slow the infection rate (doh!)

Doesn't help your setting type of course

Interesting. Secondary school kids seem to be the most impacted by this lockdown. Worrying that the infection rate drop in other age groups isn't as big as you might expect. An uptick in primary??

@noblegiraffe

Interesting. Secondary school kids seem to be the most impacted by this lockdown. Worrying that the infection rate drop in other age groups isn't as big as you might expect. An uptick in primary??

Because more kids are in primary, on ‘KW’ places maybe?

We have had two bubbles go just in the last week.

Yes, I meant I wasn't sure if there was an uptick - if there is, we all know why!

"Currently in our main analysis, individuals in school Years 12 and 13 have been grouped with young adults up to age 24 years. We are considering the most appropriate category for these individuals to be grouped with for future bulletins.'

FGS ONS we've been wanting this since September.

Gosh that's really marked, the difference between the graph for secondary compared to every other age group!

Fortnite and TikTok must be doing well...

The only reason I can think of (unless something about the new variant means it affects that age group way less than all others, which is unlikely), is that that's the only group with nothing driving a good proportion of them into risky situations. No jobs where you can't WFH, no carers needed, no childcare, no hospitalisations. Is that too simplistic? I know some of them will still be meeting up however. Dunno.

Those graphs do look worrying. I can understand the uptick in primary, that's because there are so many kids still being sent to school. But why aren't other age groups dropping like secondary age kids? Is that because so many people are still going out to work rather than being furloughed this time round?

I put on an optional live lesson for year 13 this morning to offer help for those struggling with the hypothesis testing we're doing (there are 3 in particular who aren't coping). Guess how many turned up, out of 16 in the class?? That's right, just me. On my Todd for a full hour just in case anyone arrived to ask for help. Nobody did, but I can guarantee there will be all the excuses under the sun for why they haven't managed to do any of the work I've set.

I think it's clear that the biggest risk to secondary kids was going to school and the vast majority aren't any more. Working age population appear to still be going to work/supermarket if the roads are anything to go by.

Stats show during first lockdown and again in Nov, around 50% of people still WOH. I wonder, if the govt started cracking down on employers demanding this without due reason, whether that would drop by much.

It would reduce the number of kids in schools if more employers used childcare furlough or allowed wfh.

We agree noble. Obviously when I said "no childcare" for other age groups I was partly meaning primary school as childcare.

Yes, the secondary figures show what can be achieved if you do actually stay at home.

@MsAwesomeDragon (and others), that must be so depressing. I hope Heads, and thence LAs, THE DfE, Ofsted AND U4T are being made aware is such engagement problems.

Total aside but it's so cute hearing my nice year 7s on google meet. I'm not teaching on there today but just put up links so they could join if they needed help after watching the recorded lesson or just generally so they could say hi.

I've got another hour and a half and I'm done with lessons and just need to do the admin stuff and engagement register.

Tbf, MsAwesome, I wouldn't turn up to an optional lesson on hypothesis testing either.

But yes, very frustrating when it's Y13 and you're busting a gut and they're not.

If secondary children spread among themselves and to adults close to them, then adults spread to other adults, wouldn’t we expect a lag similar to what we see here? And yes, many primary children still in school would explain higher rates among them and possibly their parents and grandparents as well. Do teenagers interact closely with younger siblings over lockdown? I’d assume they avoid them as much as possible.

Me and partner were just a bit cheeky fucker and had a lunch date walk while our child is in school (one day a week for me to do PPA). It was lovely. First time we've been alone to just chat for fucking months.

I've gone a bit ANGRY over the last few days, I think I'm going to try and have a full weekend off screens/SM. Just read a book, so some painting, make a complicated bread recipe or something.

I've already put work up for Monday - what's the bet some kids do that instead of today's, despite dates. THAT will be the first bit of work they hand in since Xmas. Ha.

Lovely @RuleWithAWoodenFoot . I'm going mad with the Never Being On My Own in the House