The Fifty-Sixth Republic - Who is up for a game of TAG?

[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

Ooh, I just had a look - in my old job I'd have now just cracked through the £50k barrier. Obv not in this one.

I think that might be the stat I am querying, rule.

As far as I can see the assumption is that:
+ve LFT and then +ve confirmatory PCR = has covid (the 71%)

• ve LFT and the -ve confirmatory PCR = doesn’t have covid and LFT has them incorrectly self isolating.

But I don’t think it follows. We’re not comparing the LFT result with the actual number of people with Covid. It’s being compared with the result of another test which might miss up to 20 out of 100 cases. The assumption on the Bbc website that 1000 people have been incorrectly told to isolate due to LFTs seems to be flawed.

LFT has them incorrectly self isolating

But for 24 hours? That's a small price to pay, surely.

.

I started on about £14,000. It seemed loads after being a student

£16,000 in 2000. I was RICH!

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay that’s been discussed on the Data thread: no conclusions drawn. We don’t Know what causes false positive LFTs, we don’t know what causes false negative PCRs, apart from testing too early/ late.

The media and government talk about PCR results these days as the “gold standard”, but all that actually means is that they’re the most reliable test we have.

£19000 (and something) in 2002. I started on point 2 though because they recognised my teaching scuba diving lol. Don't think they had many applicants.

That was enough money to get a mortgage and buy a really nice one bed flat. It also would have bought me a 2 bed terrace which had I had a psychic ball and foresaw a health crisis, an unexpected pregnancy and a recession on the horizon I would have done. It was a lovely flat though - high ceilings, massive bay windows and high ceilings, original fireplace and ceiling roses etc.

I had an interest only mortgage that cost something like £320pcm so on 19k I felt rich and would throw cash in regularly to pay the mortgage down.

Clearly I like high ceilings as I mentioned them twice.

Btw I've managed to burn us 2100 cals today with errands around the village. I'm going to the gym at 7.45am tomorrow before work. Is anyone feeling slimmer yet?

@TheHoneyBadger I don't feel slimmer but I do feel exhausted even reading about your exercise plans! I have tried to eat more healthily this week and feel better for it. It's probably psychosomatic (sp?) though!

Not feeling slimmer here. The opposite in fact. Not helped by it taking hrs to get home so skipped the walk I’ve started doing.

I'm feeling fatter. Can I be pregnant? I've had three negative tests since November and not had sex in years... but that would be a better explanation than "just fat"

I've had three negative tests since November

We've explained before, MrsH, those are lateral flow tests and you aren't supposed to wee on them.

(I'm guessing it was a vaccine thing...did you still feel nervous despite the lack of sex?)

I knew I'd mess up somehow!

Yep. Have to check at every appointment. The nurse comes in and whispers "MrsHanlet is not pregnant" before they'll stab me.

Definitely nervous. I'm not grown up enough to parent!

I’d forgotten it was you that was doing the vaccine trial. Was really confused about all the pregnancy tests.

43+ year olds can book online dudes (without letter or text). Well, around here they can.

Just read theyve had a case of clots after second jab. And the clots have gone up by 68 in about a week.
I think the low risk re first jab is one thing but im not happy with my uncertainty over whether gov will either
Force previous AZ to have top up of AZ if needed
Force the over 30 to take the risk every time.
Coupled with it maybe not working so well on variants.

Still not a.sniff of a vaccine appt here. Wales have done 60%+ of 40s and overs. My county in the north have done 7%.
Pathetic.

@MrsHamlet

I sat on a bench in the sun at lunchtime and did some marking. Bob stopped off to say hello. Twenty minutes later he was back - this time escorted. Somehow he'd split his pants. I offered him a spare dress and he said "only if I can have them shoes as well" Bless Bob. I don't share shoes.

I like Bob. He is getting nicer and nicer towards his school end date. The minute he can stay at home for study leave that's it he will be gone.

Just so long as he doesn't want to do A Levels and will definitely go to do his woodwork apprenticeship then life is good.

You're near the border, aren't you, Maddie? I was reading an article about vaccines in England and there was a place where the vaccine take-up for over 65s was pitifully low, like under 20%, but they explained that it was near the border with Wales and that a lot of people were getting their vaccines done in Wales and so not counting in the England figures.

Could that be happening the other way around where you are? People getting vaccinated in England?

You're right, noble. There isnt a centre that routinely is offering over the border though. Lots of our staff got a jab at chester but through a link I think was initially meant for nhs staff who were Welsh but it wasnt made 100% clear and people booked thinking they were able to and no details checked, so they got it.
I decided to wait until properly offered it, then all the issues with the problem in supply raised their heads.

I know ill get it eventually. But it's a long old wait when most people i know have had it because of their age or work or vulnerable status.

Today is going to be a long day, have been up since 3am.

@eitak22

Today is going to be a long day, have been up since 3am.

Hope you have access to loads of coffee. On the plus side it is Friday.

My Bob is going to be a plasterer. For his dad.
His dad can't get him out of bed for school so I hope he has more success with work.