The Fifty-fourth Republic - Easter holidays anyone?

[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

We do them in the autumn term - it's a pita if you take over a class! I usually write my references in the summer term ready for the onslaught.

For which he would have required pretty high grades, work experience, an interview and some get up and go. Studying politics and Spanish A Levels (and business ,which he hated) wasn't exactly a match to anything obvious either. Uni is actually easier to get into!

I 100% agree with this. Universities are desperate for bums on seats in the main and will usually often offer on lower grades or an equivalent course at the very least. Apprenticeships inc degree apprenticeships actually want pupils who will stay the ‘course’ and will be reliable so it’s not been the ‘easy’ option many still seem to think it is. I think the word ‘apprenticeships’ has negative connotations to many and I hope that that is slowly changing.

Yeah, the NHS came under my STEM thing.

I did know that obvs hence I didn’t put it first and I did Um and Ah about putting it down but wanted to point out it wasn’t just for the ‘medics’ if you see what I mean

@Piggywaspushed my youngest is at Bristol. Comp kid and having a ball. Currently somewhere in Wales with her arm up a sheep's bum delivering lambs.
Everyone she has met so far has been very lovely and very normal. Me and hubbie both v working class backgrounds who went to Uni for free (& they gave us money too !). I've only met a few parents but they've been lovely, especially the very rich one who drove 2.5 hours to make sure the kids had food when isolating. Included cavier which mine thought was revolting stuff.
Think some parents are just weird and try and helicopter when kids at Uni.

The other alternative Piggy is to look at the ones being offered by universities near you, maybe. Just thinking.
They focus on the course first and place you with the organisations rather than the other way round. These ones you apply through UCAS and don’t carry the tuition fees etc and have a salary. There’s an interesting list of courses that’s for sure!

@Cantaloupeisland

Lots of kids with end of term-itis here today, got around 60 off sick and 4 gone home already. Sure some of it is genuine but a lot isn't. Shows how worried parents really are about their kids missing school!

I have to admit I laughed when some localish U4Ters took their kids out of school for the day to protest wearing facemasks in school. It wouldn't be high on my list of things I considered more important that education.

Unis near me are shite chloe to put it bluntly and don't offer degree apprenticeships afaik. It really is a black hole either.

here.

We've got 72 isolating after 3 cases. Causing chaos with year 11s. Poor kids.

We use Unifrog now which is good for reference writing : although some teachers still write like they are writing a report and mention A01 etc which is hardly helpful to unis!

harriet, I am on a year 12 support thread in secondary education which you are welcome to join. No one bites : all very lovely!

Thanks @ChloeDecker and @MrsHamlet - she's an avid reader and reads widely around her subjects so hopefully that will help.

Lockdown really hasn't given her much opportunity to do all the volunteering/sporty stuff etc I would associate with a good personal statement.

Think some parents are just weird and try and helicopter when kids at Uni.

I'm going to have to keep myself in check when DD's at uni! I know I'm going to find it very tough to let go. I am struggling with the idea of her leaving home even though it's absolutely the right thing for her to do and I know she'll have a brilliant time.

Oh that’s crap Piggy - there really is a gap in opportunities for your DS and other young people where you are. Scandalous really.

My school can’t afford Unifrog subscription but DH’s school uses it which I have looked at and I have also used as much of the free stuff in it, with our Sixth Form, as I can. I like it.

Thanks Piggy - I will go and have a look. I generally avoid wider MN as I don't want the grief!

Thanks folks. I am pleased to hear it is a trend rather than the odd random occurrence.

It absolutely makes sense for industries and employers to fund quality tailored training and to try to attract able, motivated people at 18 imo and I really hope that trend continues.

50k+ in rent and fees is a crazy price for a non specific piece of paper that opens no doors. Fine for those who can afford the indulgence but a bit of a con for those who can't and won't be able to afford pg study or unpaid internships afterwards.

I'd love to see far wider options for young people and more funding input from industry

If mine weren't going 'job' degrees I'd find it hard to justify their debt. It's mahoosive. But no other way to get there, so needs must. Know lots of v bright kids choosing apprenticeships now.

Lockdown really hasn't given her much opportunity to do all the volunteering/sporty stuff etc I would associate with a good personal statement.

So hard for them at the minute but I would milk all the online opportunities as she can. Any online virtual tours of ‘industry’ or volunteering/getting experience via ‘Zoom’ observations if someone lets her (and she can even claim doing work experience by watching you Harriet
Dropping off food to food banks or doing shopping for a neighbour or relative could also be a volunteering tick maybe?

Sorry can't remember who said about stem opportunities but ds has been really let down by the science department at our school. He had an ambitious flight path and achieved it all the way through ks3 only to be dumped in set 3 at ks4 with lower ability kids with lower assessment scores in sets above him 🤷‍♀️

I tried to challenge it with much fobbing off and refusing to put things in writing and he has totally switched off now. He was predicted a minimum grade of 7 which he'd been on track for till they put him in that set and is now achieving 2s. I have failed to get any justification of his setting and failed to get him to put in effort when he's been dumped into a set way below his ability with no reasoning.

@ChloeDecker Thanks for the advice - I'll make some suggestions and see what she fancies doing. I think she would struggle to find any additional stuff to put in to balance out the academic side at present.

@michino They rang dh and he queried them about my risk and they were adamant that I was group 9 by their records (even though I'm not old enough) and it was a flat no. Also n Wales. Weird how places are so different in their approach.

The apprenticeship levy is paid by all firms with a payroll of over three million, so naturally they want something back. Hence the proliferation of apprenticeships being used as training schemes by employers.
It’s benefiting many people stuck at a certain level of employment as they’re held back by lack of qualifications, having not achieved at school for a variety of reasons. I’ve taught many in their 30s and 40s and even 50s and 60s. It’s a real game changer for them, and they’re lovely to teach. The worst, least supportive and most demanding employers are - guess what - schools.

Approx 75% of our apprentices are over 19. I don’t think this aligns with most people’s perception.

Should just point out unpaid internships are now illegal..

Well, it's not really a gap for my DS chloe as he wants and will go to uni and older DS would not have suited an apprenticeship . However, it is a gap for some local youngsters for sure.

harriet this whole conversation started back a bit when I commented on the personal statements thread : it's a tedious thread but worth reading. They really don't need random stuff to balance out academic stuff in personal statements. If she does lots of reading and so on that is better than a load of extra sports stuff.

Interesting born. I'm really encouraged by all this. Industry should be paying in and investing in their future.

I do hope that nhs bursaries will return. Madness that trainee nurses etc should pay 27k to train for a job that is essential to us and has a low salary and requires you to do placements on nhs wards as part of your studies.

While unpaid internships may be technically illegal now I'm sure there'll still be quiet arrangements whereby you get 'work experience' if mummy knows the right people and you can afford not to need a job post graduation.