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

I do wonder that, Hendricks.

Yr 13 have just been sent home. A positive case from PCR not a LFT. They managed 4 days 🤷‍♀️

Are the public /MSM going to be all when the number of bubbles and even whole schools closing despite the government's wonderful extra measures becomes apparent?

I assume the false positives vs positives problem will cease to be an issue after too long given the rate bubbles are bursting on MN. Given that a nearby LA did 11k tests and got 4 positives and I’ve seen 6k tests with no positives somewhere, I’m not sure how much of an issue it is.

I’d have thought it would be easy enough to just require a confirmatory PCR before bursting any bubbles if it was a problem.

I’m glad to hear that people are still getting PCR tests if symptomatic rather than assuming a negative LFD test means they’re ok. DD’s friend got sent home on Day 3 back last week!

We’ve been told to keep going with the lateral flow tests twice weekly over Easter which wasn’t the case over feb half term-I wonder why?

Hello. Thanks for new thread.

Dearest DrM, I hope you are managing. Such a dreadful dreadful thing.

@Appuskidu

I’m glad to hear that people are still getting PCR tests if symptomatic rather than assuming a negative LFD test means they’re ok. DD’s friend got sent home on Day 3 back last week!

We’ve been told to keep going with the lateral flow tests twice weekly over Easter which wasn’t the case over feb half term-I wonder why?

Oh that's weird we've been told NOT to test over the Easter hols apart from on the day before we come back!

So tired!

I have a group once a fortnight who just exhaust me and make me feel like a total amateur. Trying to get them sat down and shut up at the beginning of the lesson takes a good ten to fifteen minutes of false starts and warnings etc. There are at least 5 kids who are proper bonkers and a fair few more borderline and as a form so used to bonkersness that even the 'good' kids behave poorly. Sometimes seems like it can't be pure accident that results in a form group having that high a number of problems?! Eurgh I've just remember I forgot to record the warnings I gave out.

My other year 8s today were lovely. I think I'm shit at sharing groups - I'm alright if I have the lions share and they are 'my' group itms and it is me who has set the tone - I hate it when I'm the one who sees them once a fortnight last period - there's no relationship or real rapport I find.

Anyway done for the day. I managed to sit and get through my list of parents to email who didn't get parents evening slots and I have all the printing in my pigeon hole ready for Wednesday's lessons.

How is everyone?

Thanks by the way Jan. I don't think we're ill as such just really run down but that makes no sense after so long of not being at school Dunno. Ds has to go to school tomorrow. I can't imagine how hard it is dealing with a full on school refuser - it's hard enough with ds.

I can’t explain what our system is because it’s barely thought through for GCSE grades but it’s triggering a headache. This is a fucking shambles.

DrMM I'm so sorry - how utterly dreadful

They're vaccinating the over 50s here now - had my text today. I wonder how much of it is driven by the fears over the AZ vaccine causing cancellations. I'm going to do some reading before booking mine.

Had a wobble today about my Y11sand how unfair this all is on them and why the fuck hadn’t it been thought through. It’s fine it is what it is, just I really felt for them today.

Anyone want to get cross?
Read THIS
It's sponsored by the government.

My exam board has just said they are not providing new exams for use! Which is ridiculous.

That's a huge crock of shite, Hendricks

Off to get my vaccination now. Myself and 8 other colleagues got an appointment via a cancellation service. It is AZ. I am concerned but we’ve only been back a week and already one year group sent home. I think I’d feel after with it.

That Westminster Headteacher in the article looks about 16... or am I just very old?

And so we begin again - just like last week, I can't log into the NHS site to record my LFT result. Technical error. Not impressed. At least I know this time not to spend an hour arsing about trying to get the site to work, but just to ring 119 instead.

Oh DrM I'm so sorry to hear your news. That's utterly heartbreaking. for you and your sister.

Recording my LFT result via 119 (as I don't seem to be able to log in - the call handler said they're hearing that a lot....) took a total of 17 minutes and 23 seconds, including the 10 menus I had to navigate. Numerous questions that had to be answered twice.

Stuff that for a game of soldiers. How do you complain about Test and Trace??

DrMaddie what awful news. make sure you take care of yourself as well as your sister, it must have been a huge shock.

Remember that row about Katharine Birbalsingh in the Times last week saying she wanted climate change denial taught?

The video is up if you want to see for yourself from 33 minutes tbh it wasn't a great point. Imagine that she was saying that she thought that evolution was real but she heard that there were some people who thought that the universe was 6000 years old and that their views are never heard in schools and that they should be so that kids were aware there was a debate?

I think she is confusing scientific consensus with political opinion.

Anyway, I would like Herc to watch a bit of the video and confirm if she would still be prepared to shag Mark Lehain with that hair.

Bloody bollocking hell @DrMadelineMaxwell - as you say, it puts everything into perspective. Take care of yourself, and will keep you and yours in my thoughts and prayers.

What. A. Day. Behaviour is driving me round the bend, need a proper focus on behaviour for learning but it’s so hard to embed when you are running across the school site every hour, wrestle with technology and carry the world in your bag because pupils still aren’t bringing equipment to lessons!

@DrMadelineMaxwell thinking of you and your family.

noble, KB really needs to come to my school to see how very not left leaning some kids instinctively are! My sociology class today were very right leaning in their views on the Clapham vigil.

She believes because she is not left leaning that she is impartial doesn't she??

The bit before on systemic racism is also infuriating. I have my concerns tbh about how she teaches black children to think of themselves.

She really needs to get out of her London bubble.

I recommend reading Kate Clanchy as a quick anti venom.