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.

Also from the article : The BBC has learned a much bigger and more ambitious plan costing just over £10bn was still under discussion between government departments as recently as last week but this was rejected by the Treasury.
Sources close to the talks said the Treasury was reluctant to sign off on such a big upfront commitment.

So our young will have to make do with £50 each. It’s an insult.

Sorry for all the posts - really shouldnt be this angry in a holiday!

They do this to us every holiday mother. It's insulting.

£10bn!? And yet they want to do away with a free platform like Oak National Academy that will be like 0.0001% of that, which already exists (being free with the zeroes there!)

How about they spend that £10bn on building extra space so that class sizes don’t have to reach 34, on free meals during the holidays, on support staff for Mental Health and in schools with provision for SEND?
That would do the most to help narrow the disadvantage gap but noooooo must be seen to be doing something to show the middle and upper classes....

Grrrr.

I keep reading that some of the money that survived the treasury foot stamp is for teacher training. In what?? So we can do everything they won't fund? I have never seen it explained.

The National Tutoring Programme has been outsourced to a Dutch company which here seems to be controversy about. The other tutoring programme will be part funded by the gov (75% and schools to pay the rest), so buying in 20 year olds in our case. At some unspecified point, schools will be expected to pay for this in its entirety.

Had a jug of pimms to myself at a bbq the other day - I wasn't planning to, but hasn't realised that DH doesn't like it! It was a nice strong pimms, none of this 1:3 nonsense. Toddler got very upset when I didn't let her eat the strawberry garnish! 😂
Disarrano? Hate the stuff! We will need a very well-stocked and varied bar at the Republic get togethers!

After all that talk about alcohol... This just happened!!!

Oh, that's so exciting!! Woo hoo!
Sign of the times, I thought that was a LFT at first...

Congratulations hobnob

Congratulations 🎉

Congratulations :)

Congratulations!
Yes I too thought it was a positive Covid test

Congratulations hobnob!!! That's very exciting!!! 🍾🥂🎉

Congratulations hobnob

How exciting HobNob congratulations

Congratulations hobnob.

My pimms in a pub garden by the river plan this evening has been spoiled by the presence of some ominous rain clouds.

Woohoo! Wonderful news! Spring babies are fab!

Congratulations hobnob 👏👏, wonderful news!

Many congratulations, Hobnobs !

Hobnobs, that’s AMAZING news! Congratulations!

(Feel old when I realise how long it is since have seen one of those!) Congrats hobnob!!

Seen this - dejá vu??
www.thevisitor.co.uk/education/call-for-lancashire-pupils-to-stay-at-home-after-half-term-to-halt-covid-spread-3257827?fbclid=IwAR02DlGCL1OcObq7uEigAxdUvD0G8DWpz8L0Vt_TwmPTMNmffUTqKtPnBFQ

Interesting, Jan. In some of those areas I don’t know what is driving the increase, but several food outlets in my area have closed for Covid infection reasons. Can’t tell if it spread to customers, of course, but even if it is ‘just’ among the owner families and employees that can explain the jumping numbers.
Plus, trips and residentials are taking place again. Usually using the same chartered coaches that have just dropped off a load of college age youngsters - tiny windows, no cleaning in between, crappy aircon and not leaving time to even attempt to ventilate.

Several cases in our year 12 apparently so quite a few losing half term. Oh well, the buggers should be revising anyway!

Congratulations Hobbers! Exciting times! :)

(I’m not writing the biscuit version of your name because the bit on the end makes me twitch)

Delta variant also presenting in younger children as gastric symptoms, temp, fatigue. Which again, seems to be being sat on. Parents aren’t getting their dc tested with those symptoms.
School is once again becoming a scary place to be, even with ventilation. Lax attitude to mask wearing among staff, some getting close to others again. Quite a few indoor parties among staff and pupil families, which is understandable, but a bit shortsighted with the data freely available (in my probably over cautious opinion).

Good point about the coaches saucery.