The Fifty Ninth Republic - May Half Term beckons

[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 for school staff to let off steam.

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. Finally, upload your covid test results twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Just going back to pimms for the moment - I think it depends how strong you make it... a couple of pints made by DH definitely does it for me 🤣

Sorry I have nothing useful to contribute re the grades fiasco....

Mine was just out of a tin and was ruined by DH arguing on the phone with DS. Sigh.

Am thinking I need to start buying canned Pimmses

Yep Jan, staying with my folks for the week. It’s lovely :)

Happy half term (again) everyone! Pimms good and barbecues too. I'm packing, we're off to London for a few days tomorrow morning. Just had an emergency dash to Tesco for pants, socks and short pyjamas for both ds, who seem to be wearing everything a couple of years too small for them.

I'm full of good food and an afternoon nap today definitely made me feel better . Looking forward to a change of scenery.

Don't like pimms. Very much do like our relaxing week away in N Devon, just dd2 and I. Shopping, swimming, eating nice food and reading books. Dd1 finishes her uni exams tomorrow am and is catching the train down to join us so I have a trek out to Barmstaple in the evening to collect her to prevent me from drinking look forward to.

Sorry to keep talking shop folks! I really hope this legal challenge is successful

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/covid-schools-government-legal-challenge-b1856670.html

Chloe that sounds awful and probably explains the lengths schools are going to this year. The amount of hours that have gone into paper work on the off chance of an appeal is disproportionate.

All this talk of Pimms and getting out and about his has made me envious, especially with lockdown here set to be extended, as the new Delta virus is proving to be contagious on fleeting contact.

Hey ho.

Still, three weeks until the winter break.

Delta virus....is that another variant or a different virus altogether? Hope things ease up soon.

WHO don’t want us naming variants after places so naming them after the Greek alphabet-the Kent variant is now the Alpha variant!

echt sending solidarity across the world to you and hope you’re okay.

Don't be mentioning whole new variants we haven't heard of yet! I was just relaxing into the pimms and holiday talk and contemplating what you could add to pimms to make it worth drinking.

Delta? Please don't tell me that's as in the Nile Delta or that's my flights gone. Not that I'm totally self centred

I think brandy might be ok in pimms.

Phew Chloe! I might make to Sinai yet.

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

Delta virus....is that another variant or a different virus altogether? Hope things ease up soon.

I don't know if it's a variant or new.

Thanks for the support, all.

Delta is the Indian variant, I believe.

Pissed off here - dd has been notified by Track and Trace to isolate for a week. That means we can't host our friends here at the weekend who are over from the US.
But I suppose it saves me from having to blitz the house...

ITV has just trotted out the line that our schoolkids missed more school time than anywhere in Europe. they missed noticing the universities fudge then. how clever, DfE.

Yes Delta is the Indian variant’s new name. ehct is there evidence of the “fleeting contact” thing?? Scientists here have published data which shows it’s 67% more transmissible than the Kent (alpha?) variant, but that still means less than 20 % of close contacts being infected iirc.

Oh hendricks! Bummer.

Sending solidarity, echt. Are you in Victoria? Sorry, I can't remember.

Sorry echt.

Yes, DreamingofBrie, and thanks to you and The HoneyBadger.

Lockdown's just now been extended by at least a week, with the added complication of Years 11 and 12 (think 12s and 13s) being allowed in school. I teach neither, though imagine I'll be back to teach my classes remotely from school in order to be available to do yard duties and covers.

@echt oh no sounds like a nightmare!

@TheHoneyBadger I would say most things go with pimms, I like to add dissarano to most drinks, but mixing it with prosecco instead of lemonade and ginger beer/ale turbo charges it somewhat!

I hope lockdown ends soon for you, echt. I know it's the safe thing to do, but I look back on lockdown 1 and shudder at the memories of having to teach remotely and also get my own ds through the day.

I worked in Victoria for a few months back in 2000, in a place most Australians have never heard of . Happy memories of Melbourne Cup weekend through, had a friend visiting from Singapore and we hired a car and did a bit of the Great Ocean Road.

Posted this on the ‘extended school day’ thread:

As PP suggested, doubt it will go ahead:

“There had been reports that a recovery plan could include a longer school day - but funding for any further catch-up proposals will depend on the next spending review.”

Also, I’m getting pretty angry about this huge sum schools are receiving but 3 weeks ago the Government slashed the Pupil Premium budget. So much for helping the more disadvantaged!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-57320450

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "This is the third major package of catch-up funding in twelve months and demonstrates that we are taking a long-term, evidence-based approach to help children of all ages.
"The package will not just go a long way to boost children's learning in the wake of the disruption caused by the pandemic but also help bring back down the attainment gap that we've been working to eradicate," said Mr Williamson.

Really Gav???