The Fifty-second Republic - Beware of Education’s ides of March

[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 non-staff as it attracts the wrong sort of crowd.

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 do wear a mask.

Apparently we had 100% attendance today, for pretty much the first time ever (only years 11 and 13 were in though). And 100% of them did the covid test which are useless because we aren't leaving them for long enough, even the ones who didn't bring signed consent forms. Our school nurse had a chat with each one without a consent form and checked they understood enough to be able to consent for themselves. And they all chose to do the test, which I'm quite surprised by.

That’s terrible mcvitoes

I’ve only taught Year 11s so far. Most wear them (grudgingly). To be fair it isn’t pleasant.

I’m genuinely worried about the state of my voice trying to teach with a mask on. Might even be a health and safety issue.

We have been told that pupils should wear masks but as the DfE has said its just guidance that there is nothing that we can do if they decide not to wear one.

With all the testing mania I forgot to mention our process for awarding CAGS. Each Yr 11 and 13 will have an evidence folder. From when they come back after Easter, until Whitsun, exam years will be taking mini exams in class under timed conditions. Going to be 6 weeks of heavy marking, wish they were doing their external exams!

@WhenSheWasBad I really recommend a head set with amplifier like the ones that aerobics instructors use. Been using one since October with my mask on.

motherrunner

The irony of those saying the we must go back to school for the mental health and well being of the pupils.

Only to put them under far more pressure and stress from testing seems to be lost on some people.

We've already had over 40 pupils sent home after one positive test in year 11. And so it begins again.

How can 40 kids have been close contacts of Y11 testing positive already?

So was that a second test, if close contacts have been sent home?

And that sounds like they've gone back to widening the definition of close contacts... or maybe not if lots of different sets and friends??

(@flumposie )

Mcvitoes agree with the others - that's rubbish

MrsH does Bob realise how famous he is?

Mother how is DS today?

Jan lucky Covid isn't an airborne virus then ... oh, wait ...

I am feeling incredibly cross that I can sit in a small room with 30 children and 3 other adults, but I can ONLY MEET ONE OTHER PERSON OUTSIDE. I can't even be outside with the other 3 adults that I share the tiny indoor space with. What sort of sense does that make?

Yes second test. Pupils sent home a mixture of close contacts from lessons and 'social.

Our Year 11s have been in lessons since yesterday, so a mixture of that and mixing at break, possibly same bus etc.

Bob is locally notorious. He would be delighted to know it's not just a local thing 🤣
He was on the route to exclusion before Christmas so we'll see how long he survives. I see him on Thursday...

Isn't it amazing that in the middle of a pandemic, parents still find the smallest things to moan about, taking it to the extreme with words such as, 'devastated' 'distraught' 'bullied'.

I mean, when did it stop being enough to use words like 'upset' 'fallout'.

Every single thing to the absolute extreme.

I often wonder what parental contact is like in secondary. I honestly think some parents I meet won't give over, even when their kids are in the workplace. At what year do they let their kids sort out their own problems?!

Well loveagoodbuffet...

We had three panicked calls from the same parent today about LFT tests. The child is in year 11, and none of the calls actually required panic.

The prospect of me contacting a teacher about anything at all always spurred DS on to sort his own problems out

Evening everyone. Hope it's going well.
Would it be very wrong to go to bed by 8.30? Absolutely shattered. Getting used to 20 new faces. I don't think I can do this, they are all over the place. Not listening, fidgeting, needing the loo every 2 minutes, chatting, squabbling. Have felt utterly pointless this week and really, really doubting myself more than ever. I've lost it. Not that I ever had much of 'it' to start with.

Having observation with slt next week. I hope I've managed to turn things around by then.

@Loveagoodbuffet

I often wonder what parental contact is like in secondary. I honestly think some parents I meet won't give over, even when their kids are in the workplace. At what year do they let their kids sort out their own problems?!

I'm trying really, really hard to let dd sort out her own problems at the minute, and it's incredibly difficult!!!! But I know it's a skill she needs to learn so I'm not getting in contact with the school even though I want to. She's had a bit of a fall out with a friend, a complete misunderstanding last week on Roblox, but her "friend" has said some really nasty things to her today. I'm sitting on my hands to stop myself emailing her teacher, while offering sympathy and advice to dd. My advice being things like "well stay away from her, and if she's so nasty you can't ignore her talk to the teacher" (she may well need to get a different friend to talk to the teacher as she's too quiet to do it herself)

@MrsHamlet, you see, I don't think I'd have the patience to tolerate that.

I imagine some parents (when little Jonny is 23) phoning up the work place and asking to have them move desks because they don't a colleague.

I am also a parent BTW. I wouldn't tolerate this level of fussiness from my 8 Yr old!

name I wanted to mute my class today. There are 12 of them and they're 16 and 17!!! You can do it...

LFT tests

Lateral flow test tests.

Like PIN number. Argh.

@MsAwesomeDragon I feel your pain. Roblox is a problem here too!

No, I obviously can't write specifics, but I'm talking about literal non events. Nothing to see here. No event. That kind of thing. Its now resulted in making daily phonecalls to make sure the non event is kept at bay

@Saucery yes, same response here with DD! I use it to shift her into gear as she takes it as more than a threat than support 😆

Facebook reminded me the other day that about a year ago I teacher voiced a parent at parents' evening.
I was apparently being unreasonable to then-Bob by expecting him to meet a deadline. He didn't have time. He couldn't possibly manage and I needed to move it.
Which might not have been unreasonable had the deadline:
A) not been in the calendar since September
B) not been supported by being given all lesson time and homework since the end of November
C) not been for A level coursework and as late as possible to allow marking etc.

I pointed all of this out very reasonably and mum said "but it's really not fair because Bob..."

I then had to point out that - as she knew - he kept dodging lessons and that I wasn't really concerned with making it fair to Bob at the expense of everyone else.

He handed it in on time (and thanked me later for being strict with him... he did well in both of my a levels because I nagged him constantly)