The Sixty-First Republic - Covid the gift that keeps giving even in the last half term!

[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.

Actually, I think I can see a couple of reasons for that. Mad as it seems. GDPR for one, but I'd guess it would also need an additional reporting system set up.

If it were me, I think I'd put a couple of contract tracers in with the MTU to prevent the schools having to do it and then just do whatever it takes to make pupils/parents confident enough to get tested. Just so you can get as many pupils as possible through as quickly as possible.

All the admin for the tests was done by staff employed by the school who spent many many man hours uploading data. I can't see how it is a GDPR breach if we have the data?

The only positive back so far was someone already isolating so not done at school. This would have been interesting if she had been doing the 7 days testing/come in anyway thing, as she began to feel ill on the final day of 10 day isolation....

Thanks for my share of the birthday greetings.
Currently being spoilt with a birthday breakfast with scrambled egg and smoked salmon bagels and Buck's Fizz.
Nice that it coincides with my day off.

Glad you’re being spoiled

He only took two early GCSEs but it seems to be a rather secretive process largely based on mock tests taken in March (which I felt was far too soon).

This seems fair and was within the rules set out. Schools could use what they wanted in terms of evidence and March mocks is quite recent compared to a lot of what they could have used (they will also have used homework, class topic tests/assessments etc). Nothing as formal as you are thinking, I’m guessing.

If results are not gathered on mass then there cannot be the norm referenced system we are used to.

Results were never going to be gathered between schools but within schools, there needs to be consistency between their own pupils. There is not going to be a norm referenced system this year.

Don’t forget that schools will soon be having the exam board staff come in and check their 3/4 subjects and processes/administration etc. and there is still the appeals process come September.

Busy day today if all my students rock up - but more dreading all the extra curricular stuff for my own kids this week, I’m fed up of ferrying!

So no students in and had the dreaded ‘come and fetch your child’ call as a close contact so no ferrying about tonight. Anyone want me to make wishes on their behalf or give them the lottery numbers this week?

That’s useful ChloeDecker, thank you. So basically the exam boards are moderating according to criteria? None of these results should be compared to previous ones then as that would be unfair. I’m thinking Ofsted and league tables here.

The exam boards aren’t really moderating specific pieces of work. They are just checking the processes and evidence gathered and stored for each child. They will be asking how we have come at grades for the pupils etc.

This years results and last years results won’t be included in league tables and won’t be used or compared to other year groups.

More 'you couldn't make it up'.

One of our girls who was SI as a contact last week (the one who has now tested positive) had a SLEEPOVER last Wednesday. None of the guests were SI at the time.

5 girls now having to SI as a result. Parents of two lots... guess what jobs??

Not HCP???

Nope. Teachers.

It gets better. the girls on the sleepover came into school, event thought hey knew their friend had tested positive. their parents told them to lie.

One girl broke ranks and told. The other girls then lied about the date (not sure why) and two parents continued to lie about the sleepover even happening.

I await the Mumsnet thread..

See this is when people should be fined. Knowingly sending close contacts into school when they've shared a bedroom with a positive case ffs.

Teachers was going to be my second guess. Ffs! (Yes that was Jan!)

I think ffs is all that can be said really...

It all sounds like the Autumn term all over again.

We have 5 weeks to go, don’t break up until the 23rd. Are we unusual?

Have hidden the joint cake behind the counter, plastic glasses out on trays, bottles of 🍾, gin, and elderflower and juice all ready.

Now we just need the birthday girls!

That's a week later than us Jan. When do you go back? We're back on Sept 1st again.

Save me some fizz for when I get back from the gym please! Missing out on booze because of healthy activity would be seriously unfair

We’re in until 23rd then back on Aug 31st for INSET.

Did you have a 7 week term after Easter? I seem to remember some people have a longer term either before or after Easter which may explain the different holiday dates now?

Either that or differently distributed INSETs.

Have put some by for you honey! Oh that’s interesting, it must be our relatively new ‘one week moved from summer to Oct half term’ then. Is it teachers back on 1st, because ours go back on the 30th or something?

Total subject change, and not very celebratory, but does anyone have any ideas for getting rid of that horrid gungey, almost gluey grey crud which gets stuck in the rubber seal of the washing machine (into which the door fits)? Mine appears to have suddenly worsened and expanded. Impossible to get rid of it all as it’s in folds and sunken shaped bits which might be to do with drainage etc. Can’t work out how to get to it all. Have tried a 95 degree wash with soda crystals and it hasn’t touched it really. If my machine were in the bathroom I’d try using the shower jet on it. A high pressure wash it what it needs....

Sorry, really not very party-like!

Jan Were in till 23rd too. Feels so long :(

Glad am not only one. It’s weird though because am sure we weren’t noticeably later than others last year (maybe I just didn’t notice though, things being what they were!)

We break up the 16th. Inset 19th/20th but we’ve done twilights since can take them in lieu.