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.

The deadest of cats what is red sled with maggots.

*riddled

Anyone else getting sick of hearing ‘robust’?

mobile.twitter.com/AdamP_SENPE/status/1368494710214557696?s=08

If you want a good laugh ..!

I said it before, holidays won’t be cheaper - why would they keep cheap out of term prices when there’s a larger market for those dates? Long summer holidays are the only perk of this job, those shiny new covid recruits will realise even sooner that it’s not the job for them and the rest of us may as well get a proper job that pays. May definitely doesn’t need to be longer holiday - it’s tight enough before/during exams as it is. I can see 5 weeks summer plus two weeks October but I’d still rather not. Our country isn’t spread out enough to have staggered holidays - it works in France as you’re unlikely to live in one region and work in another (and it’s an established system so you know what you’re signing up for and where you should live for a job) - we’ve had Easter and October where we’ve been unable to holiday as a family due to different dates (and different beginning/end of summer).

It’s utterly demoralising.

Omg, my friend who works in super posh Eton level school is in a right state. All overseas kids not back, nor are some UK based kids, two thirds are back boarding. Remote and in class teaching. On duty from 6.45am until 11pm. Every day. Not legal that, surely?

She's high up in exam boards, career teacher, and cried and said she'd get out now if she could.

Do parents actually want 4 weeks at summer with no wriggle room?! Would love to start a poll but don’t have it in me today-too bloody stressed about going back.

On duty from 6.45am until 11pm. Every day. Not legal that, surely?

It’s against the European Working Time Directive that says you should have a minimum 11 hour break between shifts but does that apply anymore after Brexit?

Would i be better off staying away from twitter today?

Good luck for tomorrow everyone.
I've heard holiday-changing talk for decades now, it never happens. I would not be overly concerned about it.
Most parents already know how hard it is to get time off at some point in the summer to go on holiday - if that shrunk to four weeks would be nearly impossible in a busy workplace.

@Appuskidu

Do parents actually want 4 weeks at summer with no wriggle room?! Would love to start a poll but don’t have it in me today-too bloody stressed about going back.

I thought there was a poll in AIBU and the answer was 75% no.

I don't want 2 weeks off in October. I want it off when the weather is nicer in the summer. Surely that makes more sense for children's mental health too, as they'll benefit more from the chance to play outside with friends than many other things.

Some of my friends have 2 weeks off in October. But their dc in the next region have only one, so it's a bit of a waste! With 2 weeks I'd definitely go away, presuming everyone in the family and the same holidays. We have a week in Feb which is only really good if you can travel, though this year we had snow which made a change to being at home!

I thought there was a poll in AIBU and the answer was 75% no

Oh really-was that recently? I’ll try to find it.

Was that my AIBU poll? That was about 4 weeks of summer school this summer.

Think you might get more support for a 4 week holiday from those who struggle for childcare.

@HarrietDVane

I suspect we won't get to the end of the week without another bubble closure in my primary. We've had at least one bubble out every week through this 'lockdown' period. One group has been out 3 times since Christmas.

Same here Harriet!! We have a sweepstake on which bubble will pop first.

Every class bar Reception has had to SI at some point since Sept.

We're in a high-level area & on that TES list too.

I'm not holding my breath (absolutely no pun intended there at all )

I just know that lots of my little ones will be so excited to be back but when they tell me about play dates / family parties / travelling to see relatives, my heart will just sink...

I hate the way Gavin says 'robust' and 'youngsters' all the time. It wound me up last year when he was messing up DD1's GCSEs and it continues to grate on my nerves now. I can't bear to listen to him.

@TheLuckiest We are running a sweepstake too

You're right about the play dates/parties/sleepovers - parents just think 'they're in the same bubble anyway so it doesn't matter.'

@noblegiraffe

Was that my AIBU poll? That was about 4 weeks of summer school this summer.

Think you might get more support for a 4 week holiday from those who struggle for childcare.

Yes, agree re childcare.

I know so many people though who work in offices/NHS who struggle massively to get the weeks they want for holidays in normal times, this will make things much more difficult for them.

Would they also be happy with fines if they had to go outside of the set dates? Especially if private schools kept their 8 week summers! Would they be happy with price hikes?

I suspect not.

I’m hoping this is all just a deliberate distraction from the shitstorm of schools going back as in September tomorrow though (well plus some crap tests they need to use up, and masks if you can be arsed-no change in primary, though), and won’t actually ever come to anything.

My ds announced to his teacher online that he'd been found to "mummy's friends house to play" - I went to the friend's front garden, she and her child came outside and we went to park round the corner to sledge. Only time I've done even that. It won't have sounded like that to the teacher though!

@CarrieBlue

I said it before, holidays won’t be cheaper - why would they keep cheap out of term prices when there’s a larger market for those dates? Long summer holidays are the only perk of this job, those shiny new covid recruits will realise even sooner that it’s not the job for them and the rest of us may as well get a proper job that pays. May definitely doesn’t need to be longer holiday - it’s tight enough before/during exams as it is. I can see 5 weeks summer plus two weeks October but I’d still rather not. Our country isn’t spread out enough to have staggered holidays - it works in France as you’re unlikely to live in one region and work in another (and it’s an established system so you know what you’re signing up for and where you should live for a job) - we’ve had Easter and October where we’ve been unable to holiday as a family due to different dates (and different beginning/end of summer).

It’s utterly demoralising.

This bloody infuriates me! Have people no concept of supply and demand and the impact on holidays. What did someone say about MN on Twitter yesterday ‘angry and low-iq’

If we get shorter holidays then our pay will have to go up due to our contracts and of course our pension. Someone at the Treasury will have to have a word with Muppet Gav.

Private schools will not necessarily change their term dates as long holidays is seen as a USP

I will be out of teaching if this happens

Looking at other threads, I cannot wait for all the slagging off of schools before Easter for sending bubbles/contacts home for positive LFT results....

This is actually very interesting (and so far not a bunfight) . There seems to be an age divide. For younger kids it is all about friends (understandably). Older kids seems far more divided and far less excitement. Because they foresee the disruptions ahead?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4185409-Are-your-children-looking-forward-to-going-back?watched=1&msgid=105336793#105336793

Checking in, will catch up later. Thanks Staff.

Already spent an hour this morning looking at and chasing for homework! We've got everyone in tomorrow.

Regarding home testing kits... my school gave me a pack for myself, but the dcs haven't had any instructions. I looked on the government website and I think it said they would be distributed by school.

Does anyone have a link for ordering home test kits for dc at all? Not sure if I've missed something.

Yuk. Made the mistake of checking my emails. Rude email from the teacher who had a go at me in front of people at the beginning of our meeting last week. I asked her to clarify where something was as I couldn't find it and got, 'It takes seconds!' as a response. That's very outing if she or any of my colleagues happen to be on here but how is that necessary?

There is going to be a lot of hugging on Monday isn't there???