The Fifty-third Republic - Ides of March Part 2

[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

Thanks Hobnobs! I found them by doing just that. How bizarre that the app doesn't let you PM.

@namechangedyetagain - I've replied, and hope it helps!

Yes, not only are we doing their jobs for free, the paid opportunities to mark have disappeared, along with the (usually rather good) training you get to mark exam papers which is worth nearly as much as the actual pay! So we’re doing their work for no pay and with no training. And no extra time.

I’m not strictly a one-woman department, as I do have a colleague teaching y12, but like piggy, she is even more of a stress head and perfectionist than me, hasn’t taught y13 yet (I’m the only one who has) and gets worked up into massive flaps over everything so I’m also trying to not mention anything at work to try not to set her off...

I hadn't realised that the exam boards had still taken their usual fees either - that is outrageous! They should certainly be doing more to support you all.

We're apparently standardised the marking of our gcse assessments. It's the paper I lead... but I am not going to be involved!

You couldn't make this shit up.

*standardising

What's happening with the sponsored Q&A to Dr Amir Khan thread? The HT answered some questions but it's been crickets from the dr.

@lonelyplanet we have abandoned the rows thing. As a staff we have formed the consensus that it is a nonsense when the children are so close to each other and all over each other. Our room sizes made rows pretty impossible and teaching more difficult so we have reverted to table groups. We are very strict on keeping bubbles apart and staff in masks in communal areas. We are also very good at distancing staff from different bubbles and all our meetings are remote.

@HarrietDVane

I hadn't realised that the exam boards had still taken their usual fees either - that is outrageous! They should certainly be doing more to support you all.

The exam boards may bleat that it’s to pay for all the inevitable appeals but even then, it will be the schools doing all the work for that as well!

You can PM in the app but it's not easy to find:

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Click everything and you'll eventually find your Inbox.....

MrsH I'm in a similar position. I am the only person in the dept who has ever exam marked externally. I'm moderating foundation but not higher. HOD teaches Higher...

The exam boards really do need to sort things out. Give the money back. The marking cost savings must be huge. Not sure what the time line is for printing/distribution of papers but presumably that hasn't happened either. There will be some QA from them and they'll print exam certificates. What else do they do? It's a scandal.

These threads are still moving so quickly.

Maybe it s just my general lethargy about everything creeping in.

I need to get up. I've got a shit tonne of marking, and a job to apply for, and I need to check the cover for my sick friend.
But I'm so bloody drained.

@lonelyplanet

I need to work out how I am going to sort out a few behaviour issues and position my one TA who is single handedly a 1 to 1 for 2 EHCP children with diverse needs who should each have their own. A large bunch of lower ability kids who are needing support need to be at the front and I've got a new child arriving next week with no English.

This is me!! Are you me? I've got two of my lower ability and probably undiagnosed autistic girls leaving me this term, but I just know that my incomings will be serious EAL and/or behaviourally challenging. That's all we ever get in.

As a staff we have formed the consensus that it is a nonsense when the children are so close to each other and all over each other.

We have formed a consensus that it's time to start sharing TA time around. There is no way we'll be able to plug gaps without doing it. Means our bubble sizes double, but 'only' to 32 (due to currently small classes). Anyone crossing bubbles wears proper masks the whole time (including me - I teach anywhere I get put on my management days).

Same.

Just caught up. Sorry for bonkers workloads. Luckily I have no year 11 or a level this year but I empathise.

Hope you all manage to take some time out this weekend. I just have a set of assessments to mark and some light planning.

After a staggered start and only three days of full capacity, I've tested positive.

Does anyone know if staff Covid results go directly to schools for test and trace?

Or when you're contacted to provide details of close contacts, will they want to know about adults or children you've spent time in a room with, even if school say the 2m rule is good enough?

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot and @lonelyplanet I have a class like yours. I am told to prioritise the EHCP, PP, SEMH, SEND, EAL and key marginals. That leaves me with about 4 that aren't top priority. There is just so much need and not enough me.

@Hoppscotch any chance you you be a false positive? Fingers crossed.

@SquashedFlyBiscuits Unfortunately, backed up with the pcr test.

School are of the opinion that as long as I've stayed back, noone is affected.

I'm just wondering if they will be contacted and they will be asked to confirm close contacts.

We've had in person briefings and lengthy after school meetings, but SMT have said this doesn't count if we're spaced out.

Hope you don't get too poorly.

I've recently had Covid. Test and trace collected contact details for friends etc but just took details my my workplace. The Head then got a call from them. I wasnt involved in discussions about who should isolate.

That leaves me with about 4 that aren't top priority.

I have 3 who don't have a tick in any 'boxes'.

RuleWithAWoodenFoot and lonelyplanet I have a class like yours. I am told to prioritise the EHCP, PP, SEMH, SEND, EAL and key marginals. That leaves me with about 4 that aren't top priority. There is just so much need and not enough me.

Yes, me too! The only box I don't tick is EAL. But we've got LA children instead.
And we have assessment week next week - that's going to be fun (not). They haven't yet managed "sit on your chair and pay attention for more than 90 nanoseconds", how we expect them to sit silently and do maths/reading tests I don't know.
But I did have my jab this morning, so that's something (I'm just a sniff under 50).

Yay for more jabs.

Sorry. I think that’s on completely the wrong thread. Or I can’t see the post I think I was responding too.

Sorry about the positive test, Hoppscotch. Hope you manage to stay well.

Rafa the last line in the post directly above yours