The Sixty-Sixth Republic - Who will be the medal winners on Results Day? Grade inflation predicted again

[Staffholidayclubrep]

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But how the hell do you work that out in a secondary school!!?!

I suppose starting with: we have 5 cases in year 9 - are they in the same friendship group/form/maths set/PE group?

We need to employ a Venn Diagram specialist mathematician for the year. Simples

I have 11 in my class this year....

@DanglingMod

I suppose starting with: we have 5 cases in year 9 - are they in the same friendship group/form/maths set/PE group?

My head hurts just reading that!

Not to mention who they were on the bus with/having a crafty vape behind the PE block with ...

Article in The Times today where a head mentions needing clarity on this.

The government are playing this game again of saying' yes, we said staggered starts but really we expect them to do it all before the start of term'...

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they started off with thinking of a primary school ‘10% of the class within 10 days of each other sounds good’, then remembered that the guidance had to apply to secondaries and universities too so took out the bit out classes, then realised that meant you had some pretty big numbers in your threshold, so put in the 5 as a ‘reasonable’ threshold then thought ‘fuck it that’ll do’.

Article in The Times today where a head mentions needing clarity on this.

Where? And can I kiss that head? I hate feeling like I’m going mad because I don’t understand something that should be straightforward.

Tbf, ‘that’ll do’ is how I very much live my life.

It's in their usual coronavirus spread.

It also says that the guidelines were published yesterday!!

Yes, that's the issue piggy isn't it

Take for example, my Y11 class. 16 students.
They are with me for science but are spread across 3 maths groups with kids not in my class (so they may be in any one of 5 other science classes), then 3 different English groups with kids in any number of different maths/science classes.
Then they have their option subjects where they mix with kids who may or may not be in any of their English/Maths/Science groups and/or other option groups.

Some will then mix with others in the
restaurant at break/lunch, play on the same sports team, go to each others houses etc.

It hurts your head just thinking about trying to identify who mixed with who. I didn't enjoy bubbles one bit but at least it narrowed it down a bit!

Even at primary -if I ask my son who he played with, he usually says 'everybody'

Is it this bit, piggy “ But head teachers predict that infections will soar and have criticised “confusing” guidance issued by the government that relies on schools knowing who has been in contact with whom, even though they are no longer supposed to track and trace children.”?

The rest is behind a paywall.

We've been told we're keeping rows and have to record our seating plans centrally still. But all years are back to sets and we're having 6 lessons a day instead of three.
I think there's a backup emergency timetable but it could well be chaos.

Someone just posted on the ‘children’ thread that their school is keeping staggered starts, one way systems, bubbles and masks - how???

Yes nother, I’ve read examples of that too, and thought the same thing. I suppose heads can unless/until someone objects (parent, taking it to governors/LA/press?) or tells them not to (LA/DfE??).

Yeah I think they just thought “That’ll do!”

As I posted previously, because the 10% have to have mixed closely it will come down to 5 in a group or team or whatever, that’ll be the only measure that counts.

Unless different PH teams interpret it differently? Then we’ll have ‘Postcode lottery’ headlines...

Also just read the ‘4 yo positive’ thread and people saying to keep their other child at home. So on one hand people want schools back to normal, and on the other ‘keep your sick child’s sibling at home’.

Primary, motherrunner - there is definitely more scope for being a law unto oneself as a primary, if parents are supportive. It may be a head who just hasn’t kept up by the guidance, or who has decided that the powers that be are unlikely to come after a single primary doing more than the rules say. Or may, given their school demographic, be doing the best for their children (eg specific medical needs in the cohort). Or may be taking the calculated decision that their H&S responsibilities trump weaker Covid guidance. Whatever, it is definitely easier for a primary to do their own thing than a large secondary.

I started the 'children' thread thinking about my worries as a parent.
I haven't said I'm a teacher too (yet)

An awful lot of posters seem to not want household contacts in school.
Lots do of course - the 'back to normal lot.'

Only a couple of teacher bashers too...... I think that might have been different if I said I was a teacher from the start!

Now I keep reading about waning immunity after vaccines. I had my second vaccine in March (school staff were given the ‘spares’ in my LEA) but I won’t qualify for a booster. I worry about my immunity level come winter.

@noblegiraffe

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they started off with thinking of a primary school ‘10% of the class within 10 days of each other sounds good’, then remembered that the guidance had to apply to secondaries and universities too so took out the bit out classes, then realised that meant you had some pretty big numbers in your threshold, so put in the 5 as a ‘reasonable’ threshold then thought ‘fuck it that’ll do’.

Yes, that’s how the decision making process goes, there’s no other explanation for the ineptitude.

And they will have forgotten about FE too. You can see in the previous guidance where they’ve shoehorned it in/adapted it to fit.

It's further into the article. Just one sentence from a head saying he doesn't understand the 10%.

@MrsHamlet

We've been told we're keeping rows and have to record our seating plans centrally still. But all years are back to sets and we're having 6 lessons a day instead of three. I think there's a backup emergency timetable but it could well be chaos.

How did it work with three lessons a day rather than six? Really I mean, were there any upsides to this?

This thread is hilarious, (unless you are an anxious new teacher in which case don't read it!)

twitter.com/pdlouisep/status/1430161896775225350?s=21

I think I actually love that Head, piggy