The Fifty-first republic - twice weekly tests and wear masks at all time till Easter

[StaffRepFeistyClub]

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.

Do not give the staffroom password to others 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. Do not sit on the chairs and wear a mask.

The ball thing describes me and my same-aged DS too though, honey. In our case at least, I'd say it's due to the combination of lack of exercise or indeed virtually any physical movement for him, living on top of one another, and the general shittiness of everything for both of us at the moment.

And (- I know this definitely isn't your situation) having to share a house with the aforementioned DD15! 🤫

My dog is about to come through though. He has almost learnt to weave through legs on "Twist" at 10. I am with him in thought and body. He'll do it for chicken or ham, be kind of halfhearted for those tooth cleaning treats, not even bother for a dog biscuit. I need to be more my dog. Is it worth it?

I can't copy it, but if you haven't seen it, search on Fb/Insta/Twitter for the letter from Betsy de Thierry (trauma recovery specialist) plus 2 other child psychotherapists to Gav, in response to his FED speech, explaining what children actually need at this time. School staff mentioned too.

Another one juggling peri with adolescents here! DD2 is also Y8 and the hormones are strong. It is hard to meet the storms with calm when you feel so bloody awful yourself.

@JanFebAnyMonth! Don’t tell me that, lie and say it gets better... DD is 11 so I’ve got all that to come 😱

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

One of our school refused parents has lodged an official complaint because we said we have no evidence to grade them, therefore unless they got into school and produced some evidence, they'll get all. Us.

Another parent has emailed 40+ times saying that we can't LFT her child because she doesn't want Bill Gates microchip inside them.

Have you had any lectures about how we don't need vaccines and such devilry, we just need to trust in Jesus, yet? Or the 'if everybody went vegan like us, they wouldn't get ill', we haven't their kid coughing is just due to pollution ' ones?

for all mums juggling adolescent children! It's such a stressful time for all of us, parents and children. I just feel happy if they're getting on with each other (and me) at the moment.

[quote JanFebAnyMonth]Good news for those in group 6:

All group 6 should be able to book online within the next 48 hrs www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4183213-All-group-6-should-be-able-to-book-online-within-the-next-48-hrs[/quote]
Great!! I've just booked mine. It's the first available appointment art the closest centre to me (an hour and a half drive), which is 28th March. Does anyone know if there GP might still contact me for one of theirs if it comes up sooner? I mean, I'm happy to have an appointment booked, but people I know who've had it done at the GP are getting appointments for a day or two after the phone call. And the GP surgery is a 5 minute walk rather than an hour and a half drive.

Sorry for all of you struggling with teenage daughters. I’m dreading the teenage years with my dd.

Not sure what the behaviour situation is going to be like at school. Some kids have done nothing since December. Could be interesting when they come back.

Betsy de Thierry

Love her. Knew her through being a senco in Oxfordshire. 95% of ADHD is trauma from ACEs she said... I looked around all my ADHD medicated kids in my school, and just nodded.

Oh wow Rule, that's fascinating. I'd never heard of her.

I think they might do MrsAD. But I'm not sure if that's changed now they are allowing group 6 to book online rather than just through the GP.

I sent off for a Vitamin D test from one of those private companies that works out of NHS labs. I'm now £30 lighter, with a sore finger and no result because both samples haemolysed. Which apparently is nobody's fault. I can't see anything obvious in the terms and conditions or on the website that suggests not getting a report at all is a possibility. Wondering whether it's worth a slightly cheeky complaint or a refund. They've sent me a link for a trust pilot review at the bottom of the reply to my first e-mail.

Yeah complain, Rafa. Why not? Literally nothing to lose.

That's what I'm thinking. They send you a replacement if you don't get enough blood, which they did. There's nothing on there that says you'll just be left with nothing if the second one fails. Or that haemolysis might be an issue. If it had, I might not have paid for it.

I could just go to my GP, but since I can't even get an asthma review over the phone a random blood test seems out of the question.

Oh no. Look what's back on the agenda.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9327617/Pupils-not-sent-home-one-child-tests-positive-new-Government-plan.html

Being trialled in 200 schools.

FFS. Idiots.

www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/critics-slam-letter-prestigious-journal-downplayed-covid-19-risks-swedish

Has anyone posted this yet? Might be useful the next time Sweden comes up.

I suspect ds has adhd, and one of my friend's dc does too - no ACE for either of them I thought there was a genetic element in adhd actually.

Study leader Professor Tim Peto told an online lecture: ‘Because quarantine is unpopular, we know that lots of people refuse to take up voluntary mass screening, so you didn’t pick up all the positives in school.

‘The idea is that you have daily contact testing, allowing people to continue at school in spite of being a contact. The pilot works if the uptake of voluntary testing is increased.’

These bits are a problem, right? Surely take up is low because people are worried that they are going to be positive not a classmate. So it doesn't seem very logical.

Secondly, uptake of testing is the wrong measure of success. Massively increased covid spread in schools vs schools not in the pilot feels like the thing you should be measuring.

Had a feeling testing replacing isolation would rear itself ugly head. I hate a love/hate relationship with my Head. I don’t think she’s an effectual ‘teacher’ but she’s a fantastic ‘Head’, so I know she would fight as much as she could to not implement this. Not saying she ‘cares’ for us but more pragmatic, knowing illness equals her having to get supply!

Sorry to hear those of you whose schools are dropping subjects in favour of more core. DD is 9, extremely bright (not boasting), DS is 6, mastery in English and Maths due to innate intelligence but would never challenge himself to go above and beyond. Both my children would be upset if they couldn’t do non-core subjects. DD has a real love for learning and she would be bored if she didn’t have a range of subjects a day, DS’ behaviours would be uncontrollable. He only enjoys topic work as he’s able to research, discuss and draw. Dropping non core subjects will make all students - mastery, on and not met - miserable.

Shortening summer holidays back on the table too: inews.co.uk/news/education/gavin-williamson-shorter-summer-holiday-five-term-school-year-899127?ito=social_ifb_theipaper&fbclid=IwAR25YzFKabBwB3nSLTrJ2FFe7pOnwvZv2o2mWSDmKYrsEnHqLBQ04JK1EYU

What about the pupils who don’t want to test at all, for various reasons? You still can’t require daily tests from them without new legislation and the govt risks attracting the ire of U4T types if they do that, which I can’t see them being willing to do. They also aren’t going to be keen on employers being inconvenienced by an increase in morning phone calls saying people can’t come into work because their child has tested positive. Which might not be a massive problem with crappy LFTs anyway.

@noblegiraffe

Oh no. Look what's back on the agenda.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9327617/Pupils-not-sent-home-one-child-tests-positive-new-Government-plan.html

Being trialled in 200 schools.

Defies logic and will only lead to increased transmission from people with viral loads below the LFT threshold and from those who are presymptomatic.

But, hey, it'll give us bums in seats and that's all the DfE give a shit about right now.

It'll be unsustainable if enough parents and teachers refuse to consent to this type of testing.

@noblegiraffe

Oh no. Look what's back on the agenda.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9327617/Pupils-not-sent-home-one-child-tests-positive-new-Government-plan.html

Being trialled in 200 schools.

I really want to post something about this but all I can come up with is

All I can come up with is what a stupid idea.

Bloody lateral flows. Totally stupid idea.

It’s bad enough that my school only sends home kids sat 2 metres away from an infected kid.

Gav is quoted as saying that it's been a battle and now a victory in getting the children back to school on Monday.
One wonders who he feels he has battled. The pandemic or us pesky teachers and unions who want safer conditions.