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.

I don’t like the sway of BBC reporting today about schools (don’t know why I’m surprised)-it’s very much, ‘why are they bothering with masks, testing or even self-isolation and does it even matter if cases go up?’. Sounds just like Molly Kingsley.

Feeling a bit sick about going back next week and increasingly irritated by being told it’ll all be fine by vaccinated members of my family who don’t leave their houses.

I am livid as well that some parents say they are going to lie about LFTs and report them as negative. I don't care what their financial circumstances are to be frank , that should be a criminal offence.

I give al these celebrating types a week before they complain about something.

Does anyone know where these 200 pilot schools are? I am very worried that parents unwittingly signed the out of date consent form and so are now offering consent for the test instead of isolate process.

A getting thoroughly hacked off by all the really childish celebrations of kids going back to school/end of home learning

I’m not going to get upset about people joking about their kids going back. My Dh is very pleased to get some peace and quiet again whilst he works from home.

I am livid as well that some parents say they are going to lie about LFTs and report them as negative

This is really concerning. SLT have asked staff to let them know if / when they have been vaccinated. I think virtually no one has been. Head is clearly worried about staff getting sick and being unable to teach.

Why would they lie about LFTs instead of just not take them? Do they want to look socially responsible but actually not be?

Gavin Williamson today has written an article for The Sun, of all rags.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/14250462/kids-return-to-school-safe-as-possible/

Worth looking at just for the pictures (certainly not the words) and noting the kids not following the taped lines on the floor.

I wonder if classes will start popping left right and centre again just like in Autumn 2 and people will actually see a need for vaccinating teachers? Probably not though.

I am so bloody cross, that there IS a vaccine, we COULD be given it and it WOULD keep schools open and save staff lives, but it’s being deliberately withheld from us and we’re being sent out into unsafe environments anyway.

That probably sounds rather emotive language-but it’s what it boils down to.

@Piggywaspushed

A getting thoroughly hacked off by all the really childish celebrations of kids going back to school/end of home learning.

Picture July. A few teachers post something on FB/MN about it being the holidays and something about freedom. These are not our own children we are glad to see the back of for a while. How does MN react to our celebrations??

I understand people are relieved and that they think it is better for their children but to be celebrating and joking about their hangovers and using words like freedom and craving peace and quiet/ meeting friends for a coffee. It grates. And it is also crashingly insensitive.

This! I nearly fell out with my cousin last night. As I had too much prosecco so responded. He actually apologised though.

Where are parents saying they'll falsely report positive results, on MN? Obviously illogical to even do the test if you know you're going to do that, but I can see how human nature likes to toe the line to a point...

It's not joking as such when. A little quip is fine (because I am irritated by the ones who showcase sadness too! I prefer stoicism!). It's the OTT stuff which seems off the mark to me.

That's what I meant by lie noble : not take them and then enter a negative result is the plan.

Yes I can understand people feeling relived, but bugging it up with the Hugh Grant dancing meme etc.....

• bugging

* bigging, bloody autocorrect

Careful, Jan you'll have this thread filled with just you trying to override autocorrect

I was surprised that Vicky whatsit answered my question at some length although it wasn't really an answer at least it showed willing.

Not surprised that she didn't answer your mask question. They don't actually have any plan for that beyond 'ditch them unless we really can't get away with it'.

I had a phone catch up with my sister who's overseas and watching from a distance. She thinks this has all revealed the state of parenting and children as something to be gotten rid of or out of the way so parents can work and/or have a life.

I have thought about how it must feel realising your parents don't want to have to deal with you and see you as an inconvenience. For whatever (many understandable) reasons parents may want or need their kids out of the way it's still the same message on the receiving end of being a burden and an inconvenience and less important than other aspects of life.

I'd say that's at least as damaging for mh as missing school.

It says a lot about our society and attitude towards children and parenting etc.

Perhaps we can retaliate with our own memes when (if...) we get to Easter. Go nuclear with pictures of gin bottles and so on? I don’t blame parents really but they can’t complain when we do it now.

I'm remembering posts where people basically said I don't care if schools are safe I want my child back in. Imagine reading that over your mum's shoulder.

I'm surviving at the minute by remembering it's only 3 weeks till Easter.

Here's a summary of the Sept 'debate' about false positives, then more about PCR tests:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-false-positives-testing-covid-19-test-b550133.html%3famp

Piggy, I like yr recent posts in Data....

I’ve worked out how much I get paid daily to get me through.

But Honey surely you're looking forward to not having to wrangle you DS into doing homeschooling, regardless of how you might feel about the actual return to school?

DD and I certainly had a 'yay no more homeschooling' dance yesterday when the final piece was submitted to sodding google classroom and I'm pretty sure she realises that it was the work that was the inconvenience, not her.

Thanks jan .

Is the broom cupboard open yet? Heating on?

Ds continues remote Ed till Friday when his year group returns and I continue providing it for the week till everyone has returned so not quite there yet noble.

On Monday I'll be sitting in the classrooms I'm timetabled for live teaching any kw kids in that class and remote teaching the others as they're not back. On Wednesday I'll have a mixture of remote and live lessons. By Friday everyone should be back in. However Wednesday and Friday I shouldn't rely on really being able to teach because kids may be going off to the hall for tests mid lesson.

Maybe the week after when ds is back in school and all of my lessons are in person I'll feel the relief 🤷‍♀️

That Independent article. Jan doesn't appear to explain why JHB and Toby Young are wrong in their assessment.

Yeah, am still confused, but now am hoping the fact that the Beeb is actually talking about it will lead to proper debate/clear explanations ??

Just realised it might help glasses wearers on here to say I've now finally found an answer to the misting problem when masking:

www.visionexpress.com/glasses/anti-fog-products?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr4vXtNGb7wIVS57tCh27-AXjEAAYASAAEgIkUvD_BwE