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 been for a blood test. Those poor phlebotomists in their horrible sweaty uniforms and masks. Masks will be fun after half term in my school if it stays hot.

I have to annotate my file and then write a piece as well. My folder has so many of the same things repeated on different forms. It's going to take days.

Want it all to be over as I've run out of oomph for today (early cider and dog snuggled up to me not helping!). Maybe a little more faffing later on then a full days work tomorrow?

Thinking about it piggy and it might only apply to NHS not teaching, we got given the last jubilee extra holiday as annual leave as the hospital decided it was a public holiday and not a bank holiday so was a normal working day.

Just starting to rain here. Wondering whether it’s worth unhooking the pub. In danger of looking like one of those dedicated drinkers that sits outside in the rain.

What is this grey raincloud outside in the sky?
It's not on my weather app!!

Congrats, Hobnob! A Republic baby

No clouds here. It's well scorchio.

Thunderstorm here in North Wales!

It's well scorchio.

Once again it is a joy to be in the company of English teachers.

Hehehe

With the funding announcements, I've been seeing loads of statements in the media around schools and issues etc:

"Children have missed an entire year."
"It will take years and years for the youngest children to catch up."
"This damage will be felt for the rest of their lives."
"Almost a hundred thousand children will be starting secondary school illiterate now."

I just have to ask: do these statements ring true for the teachers here?

In my school, I can see the impact on some children but nowhere near the level being suggested. With just regular targetted teaching and learning, I'd expect that impact to be minimised by the end of the next academic year. Are my experiences so out of whack with the rest of the country?

No, @Iamnotthe1, I agree with you. We're not seeing that at all, either.

Impact on general behaviour much more significant than loss of learning, IMHO.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-57335558

Made mainstream media that Sir Kevan has resigned.

Oh dear, how embarrassing for the government.

I'm LKS2 these days, and although I haven't taught the year group before, there seems very little gap between where they are and where we would expect them to be at this point.

They are less independent, poor at working together, and very 'young', but their academic gaps are few. We did work our socks off in the last lockdown in particular to keep them progressing, though.

Oh dear, how embarrassing for the government

Poor government. They can’t even blame it on Gav. Didn’t he try and get more funding?

@DanglingMod

Impact on general behaviour much more significant than loss of learning, IMHO.

I agree. Not that our kids had much resilience anyway but it is definitely worse. They are so lazy. My own daughter included.

Behaviour and routines and general schoolishness very poor in our year 9s who are our youngest year. their middle schools literally washed their hands of them last summer. To be fair, it didn't help the the DfE insisted that schools in 3 tier areas still focus on bringing year 6s in in the summer term.

Go it Kevan, we love you...

Not that that helps really.

Wonderful baby new! Congrats!

Pissing it down here now!

Just a question - if extended days are needed for pupil 'catch up' and tuition is needed for pupil 'catch up' was remote learning a complete waste of all of our time? Just a question - feeling confused!!

Absolutely @TortolaParadise! (Welcome - or are you a NCer?)

Thank you joined a couple of weeks ago.

That's exactly how I feel tortola. Not sure why I tried so hard now!

Behaviour needs work, their relationships with each other at playtime and group work need work, and their resilience needs work, but academically ours are doing alright. It's amazing to think about where they were in September and where they are now.