The Sixty-Second Republic - Pop da pop pop, the beat don't stop until the break of 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.

schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-lose-90m-in-pupil-premium-stealth-cut-dfe-admits/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

What was that about improving outcomes for poor white boys and increasing PP?

Setting in primary is so tricky. Both like it and don't like it.

I've had a group of year 6 kids working at a year 3 level in reading, who have come on 2 years in 4 months as a result of being taught reading in a year 3 level class.

But they aren't stupid, they know the deal.

I'm dead proud of myself already today. PPA at home, but got up at 6 and went swimming as if I was going to work, then got a healthy breakfast into my child, taught her maths, attended an annual review on Teams and have almost finished my reports. I've won the day.

The child who sat right at the front of my room on Friday has tested positive over the weekend. I helped her quite a lot in that lesson, wearing a mask when at her desk but not while talking to the whole class at the board which might sometimes be within 2m of this child. What are our thoughts on whether I should be isolating? I suspect I probably should, but haven't been told to (yet?)

Well, the TA who has taken out child's bubble has also taken out only the few children he works with in another year group. They've done a secondary school option and only isolated the children he specifically works with, rather than the whole room. Everyone forgotten it's airbourne again?

It's madness isn't it?
I don't want to have to isolate, but I'd rather isolate than catch it and spread it around.

I’d say yes MrsAD, but it’s a school, so who knows.

Being on the receiving end of the school stuff makes me realise how bonkers it all is. I mean, I know it's bonkers, but it's REALLY bonkers. Makes no logical sense to me at all.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

I’d say yes MrsAD, but it’s a school, so who knows.

Me too. But I suspect I'll be told I don't need to and just do lfts every day instead. Which would most likely be pointless because they don't work very well on vaccinated people. I've emailed the person in charge of deciding who isolates and told them that I was helping this child quite a lot on Thursday and Friday (apparently symptoms started on Wednesday -why the hell was she in school??!!)

It is appalling. Schools are not following the rules about isolation at the expense of fellow students and staff.

At the moment whenever I hear the mention of staff well-being I just think they are paying lip service until the end of term. Good will at my school is now at an all time low I fear that pupils will soon sense it

It's all nonsense - you wearing a mask would have negated her risk of getting it from you considerably, your risk from catching it from her only marginally as I recall.

If it happened anywhere else you'd be told to isolate but as it's school probably not because....??

We're doing transition between classes on the day before the last day of term, teachers wearing masks because that 'means we're not part of that bubble'. But the kids..

If I have to isolate the first week of the holidays I'll be furious.

Ooof. ‘It’s going to be irreversible, there’s no going back’ is a brave statement to make on your second day in a new job when schools are closing left right and centre.

🤦‍♀️ rule

Staff never isolate when a kid tests positive in our school unless they've been in a meeting in a tiny room or office with them for a substantial period. Normal classroom teaching or teaching assistant? Nope, o matter how close.

But we've got loads of staff out isolating because their app beeped - probably from passing contact in a cafe or shop

Following our numbers conversation am I wrong to not like the way this fatality rate has been expressed: Latest estimates for the infection fatality rate show the ratio of infections to deaths is 20 times lower than it was in the winter wave. Just 0.08 of cases result in a death

It would be much clear as a percentage or a 1 in however if you as most people I presume would try to convert that to such you would get 8% of 2/25 which has to be bollocks because we've never been close to a fatality rate like that surely? Presumably they mean 0.08% but didn't say that.

Maybe I'm just number dumb but if so I'm unlikely to be the only one and can't understand why the BBC didn't just put a percentage sign or say 1 in 1250.

Just checking to say that although we’ve lost a year group today, we are still have multiple sets of whole staff training this week. Clearly a sensible plan 🙄🙄🙄

God, I really really hope MN massive aren't representative after looking at the isolating schoolkids thread...

So much aggression in some of those women! And quite a lot of bullying. Still whining about school and live lessons/ work. When did worksheets become the devil's work anyway??

I console myself by thinking it is a core of posters who descend on thread like those to sway and influence others to their point of view. But it's not nice as a teacher to read it.

If I had a genuine covid related problem (surely what the board is meant to exist for?) the last place I'd post for advice/ a handhold would be that board. That does not reflect well on MNHQ.

Apparently I do NOT need to isolate, even though everywhere else I ever go I would have to isolate after that close contact. Hey ho. I'm going to do lateral flow every day (even though I am very unconvinced of their effectiveness), just to put my own mind and everyone else's mind at ease.

That is plainly ridiculous!

@Piggywaspushed

That is plainly ridiculous!

I agree, but what can I do really?

I sat next to a child for 2 hours and was told I didn't need to isolate.....

Non school friends are horrified.

Not much MrsAD. It is so silly, isn't it? Schools continue to be unsafe places for adults who work in them. And no one cares.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9733289/SAGE-expert-urges-ministers-rethink-school-bubble-isolation-rules.html

Sorry for the Fail link. Isn’t this the twat that published a paper really early on saying schools were safe?

Things are really awful round here-loads of secondary schools have whole years out and primaries have several classes.

I can see the government just scrapping LFD testing as a solution and saying ‘nothing to see here’. Then we will have absolutely no means of attempting to mitigate risk in schools.

@TheHoneyBadger

Maybe I'm just number dumb but if so I'm unlikely to be the only one and can't understand why the BBC didn't just put a percentage sign or say 1 in 1250.

Sometimes I think that the way the media report statistics and numbers is part of a giant plot to keep the population in ignorance of the facts. Other times I think it’s because they’re essentially innumerate themselves.