The Fifty Seventh Republic - the joy of bank holiday marking

[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 don't say that it isn't just that it's history and form and demographics are very different than in the USA.

The stuff about Dalian Atkinson at the moment is so shocking. Leon Gibbs. Don't need to go as far back as Lawrence. I am still reeling about Tony Sewell really. Some of the latest spat is kickback from that.

I don't think we'd disagree that Britain is racist, piggy, but the issues aren't the same as the US.

I'd also agree with Honey that conversations seem to be about race OR class.

Hmmm.... I think he Tories are successfully trying to shift it to white working class. God knows why. That's their fault too!

I think some people think we don't have shocking levels of racism in our history because we never had slavery. I am quoting students there. And the history curriculum doesn't , at present, tackle that in most schools. Nick Gibb pushing back on any change even though lots of historians have worked together to draw things up.

Well yes, that race report seemed to be pleased that white working class boys were performing so badly because it meant that it couldn't be racism. Hence, no institutional racism. Not racism AND other failings...

Nothing to see here. Nothing is their fault!

(And they massively ignored that black Caribbean heritage working class boys also performed very badly)

Did anyone see the unconscious bias thing yesterday ,where Ofqual were ;warning' that we are all biased a giant SEMN (re TAGs) and children form disdvantaged backgrounds but they found no substantial evidence of gender bias.

That made me . All those podcasts. All those lectures from poor, benighted male teachers who earn way more thna me.

No giant SEMNs!

against SEN....

@TheHoneyBadger

Oh there was literally ice crashing out of the sky at a 45 degree angle today here - trying to get kids to focus on Nuremburg laws rather than hang out the windows was fun. It was quite apocalyptic at one point.

The buildings opposite my classroom are being knocked down by various big diggers and things. Half way through me reading to them today there was an almight crash - I went to look out of the windows, then had to set up a line of chairs for them to stand on so we could all watch. We're on floor 4 looking down on it all. Was ace. We watched for half an hour nearly.

If we're not biased against boys, why do they get such shit results?

Or is that just representative of their actual performance whereas we underestimate other groups?

We're not putting names on our TAG assessments, candidate numbers only.

Maybe girls are just actually better??! It all comes out in the wash for most males eventually anyway. Annoyingly.

See in English ,we'd recognise their handwriting?

We're not putting names on our TAG assessments, candidate numbers only.

Same here. Only Exams officer knows who is who. Also having bias training Monday after school next week but not sure what in that.

I think I need masks to stay for a while yet. I have w loud class this year. It's alarming the number of times my primary "Shhh..." morphs into a silently mouthed "...ut the fuck up!"

See in English ,we'd recognise their handwriting?

Shhh.

Maybe girls are just actually better?

Can't be. Must be the FEMINISATION OF EDUCATION.

A lot of it is down to literacy. And, behaviour.

Oh God, yes both.

Although my DS2 is the most wonderful, kind human being, terribly hard working and determined. Probably wouldn't point it out if he were a girl.

You can quote Ofqual at them chloe if they tell you you think boys are shit.

Literally last year we were forced to inflate a load of boys' grades. Who are now shit at A Level.

Chloe teaches computing so it will be all boys anyway

I’m definitely further south than most of you. The apocalyptic hail only hit here just after 4....

If anyone is watching The Repair Shop (through tears no doubt) I had one of those nightlights! Mine was much smaller though. They don't make lovely lovely things like that any more. Health and Safety no doubt.

piggy what with you watching Dinner Dates yesterday, the image of you that formed at Christmas when you'd just finished reading War and Peace is starting to tarnish a bit...

We've had the apocalypse at chucking out time two days running.

Oh, I am also reading Barack Obama's book, Little Dorrit and Shuggie Bain for light relief..

@noblegiraffe

Chloe teaches computing so it will be all boys anyway

Almost! I have worked v hard on the female uptake though. Not where I would like it but: Year 13: class of 24, I have 7 girls Year 12: two classes with 39 in total, 9 girls Year 11: four classes with 92 in total, 28 girls Year 10: four classes of 89 in total, 34 girls

We do have a slight 60:40 to boys: girls ratio in each year anyway.

When I first joined the school in 2011, no girl took the subject. They all picked ICT before it was abolished as a GCSE. It’s a big issue for me!

And my first thought was that Barack Obama didn't write Little Dorrit.

I'm not currently reading anything. The shame.