The Forty Sixth Republic - online learning has killed the 'snow day'

[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.

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If you come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

I've got holiday booked last week of July too. Haven't been anywhere for 2 years by that point.

Actually, if they manage to get that through I think I might just resign. What is the point? It's not catching up if the weeks are jus redistributed from next year, is it? It's just a stupid gesture that appeases the masses but doesn't do anything.

How could they possibly make it fair for the staff that are leaving/retiring at the end up the year-they won’t get the time off in autumn! I expect being told to ‘suck it up for the children’ won’t wash!

There was a feature on this on R4 this morning - halfon and 2 academy chain heads. They were all 'pro' but managed to made a few good points - one chain head said that it had already worked well in his schools but teacher participation was voluntary and funded by a philanthropist. (We'd need a lot of philanthropists to roll this out nationwide ).
Halfon did give the bullshit agricultural timetable nonsense.
I'm amazed that anyone who has ever worked in a school would want children there beyond mid July. By 1st week July behaviour is so tricky in my school that we have extra adults out for break duty to diffuse incidents. Good luck trying to get children in that state to learn anything.
Coming back a week early after the summer with a 2 week October break I could buy into however.

Yes I can't see head's doing it. Nor many teachers (we have loads of summer schemes that many TAs and some younger teachers do though, because we are an sen school.)

Run free summer schools with loads of fun activities so kids can bond etc. But no.

A fellow parent I've just seen out on the snow field, who is a governor but doesn't have a school place made another point too, slightly different, that holiday prices are so ridiculous that he wouldn't think twice about taking his son (only child) out of school for a holiday later on in the summer.

Well my day consists of settling a poorly dd on the sofa. She has a headache and feels sick apparently. I've still set her up with maths and English but we're not going to bother with anything else today. She might have had a day off school in normal times, but I would probably dose her up with Calpol and send her in actually, so she can do some work at home in her pyjamas today.

I've got all afternoon on Teams with my form, as part of well-being week. Also as part of well-being week, we've got planning for our classes, with one person being responsible for half a yeargroup lessons. I'm in charge of year 10 foundation, so duly planned my lesson for today, including a video, and sent it to the other teachers. Then I cut it in half for my year 10 nurture group (aiming at grades 1/2) because there's no way on earth is fair to send them the same lesson as set 3 (aiming at grades 4/5). Then I had to do the same for my year 11 nurture group, as the lesson for their class (planned by a set 3 teacher) went as far as quadratic equations and not even a video included. So what was intended to lessen my workload hasn't actually done that, as I've spent just as long altering the lessons provided as I would have spent on planning my own lessons from scratch.

I think anyone who ahs suggested it has no idea about how hot it is in classrooms : it is a pretty good indicator of the crappy ventilation to be honest.

It is a typical Tory sticking plaster approach.

What will two weeks achieve in a lifetime of underachievement for some kids??

The agricultural calendar things was in the Torygraph, too. They know nothing!!

Will MPs be cutting their summer holidays by two weeks to catch up with governmental business missed due to the pandemic response?

I'm more stunned at politicians holidays than teachers. Do they think they're still at school?

The harvest thing really pisses me off. I wish a credible Twitter-friendly historian would publish a bit of research about holiday dates and harvests to show it all up as bollocks.

Thanks for new thread. More snow here so after a treacherous journey and almost reaching school I was sent back home as school closed.
Just watching this morning and they are discussing keeping schools open in summer holidays .

@TheHoneyBadger - we have cameras on for a virtual parents evening

No I am not working July & August as funnily enough, I have been delivering a full online timetable during the lockdown. Effing cheek! I have holiday cottages booked. Now if they want me to do overtime (when I am not in holiday cottages) then there will be a cost to that!

Thanks everyone for your support in the broom cupboard re my resignation. I’m just waiting to see what will happen. They’ll either just say “off you go then” or try to persuade me to stay. On leave at present so no need to log on to my work email! Only did so last night to email notice. I’m actually very relaxed about it, I don’t have responsibilities like the rest of you, kids are off my hands and OK, I could get by (just) on pension...but I do need something to fill the time and I have no real hobbies or pastimes that will do that. I need to teach a bit in some shape or form.

@Appuskidu

The harvest thing really pisses me off. I wish a credible Twitter-friendly historian would publish a bit of research about holiday dates and harvests to show it all up as bollocks.

it is lazy journalism. They need something to talk about and can't be arsed to do proper research

I can't think of anything worse than an extended Christmas break. I fucking HATE Christmas break as it is. Meh.

Me too rule

If the Christmas break was extended there would be lots of moaning about that too. It is dark, cold and kids will be cooped up inside - isn't that another problem with Lockdown 3?

None of these people have been in a typical classroom in July when it is hot hot hot.

I think the extra 2 weeks is appealing to some parents. At the moment they are struggling at home.

Assuming the kids all get back to school soon ish. The extra two weeks will feel like an imposition rather than a benefit. As someone else said m, the kids who will benefit most probably won’t turn up.

The kids I need the most are the ones who are doing no work now. Why on earth would anyone think they would come in during the holidays? They would be the ones who just don't turn up. Their attendance is already shocking (funnily enough, that's also part of the reason they have fallen behind)

Agree totally. Redistribution is fine but needs to be PLANNED and not a kneejerk reaction.

And yes to MPs having theirs made shorter too

Hmm, well I don't think redistribution is fine (for me, anyway) but agree that it shouldn't be foisted on us part-way through the academic year. Some advance notice is required (more than a few short months then).

I've got a holiday booked for 26th July.

They would never made this compulsory anyway as you can’t make children who have booked a holiday with their families miss it or threaten them with fines.

They could try to make it compulsory for staff by changing their contracts I guess, but I suspect it would backfire. People would leave/go off sick/support big union action. They can’t make staff miss booked holidays, surely.

I got up this morning and put on a new dress, tights, a necklace... to sit in my spare room. It keeps trying to snow, but just trying. I'm disappointed in its absence.

They had an education prof on radio Scotland just now - talking about the great catch-up and proposing we have both shorter holidays and longer school days.
Hilarious.

Rule I will send you some snow if you like.