Sixty Seventh Republic - under temporary guardianship

[Hercisback]

In the absence of staff and her fabulous thread titles and witty openers here is a 67th thread. The broom cupboard is overflowing so time for another Republic. Hopefully we hear from staff soon.

Stolen from thread 66.
'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.'

I've said upthread no marking is work avoidance...... there's definitely a fine line between no marking or even looking at the work and verbal feedback with an indication that's happened.

There's definitely a balance, and marking for marking's sake is pointless.

We're definitely only doing the 12 year olds

Your marking policies are all insane.

*Psychologist Alan McLean, who specialises in education, notes that the accountability pressures that teachers face probably contribute, too, along with a lack of autonomy.

“Autonomy is gold dust for psychological wellbeing. The best cultures are those that give people lots of responsibility, challenges and demands but also lots of flexibility, ownership and independence,” he explains. “The emphasis on teaching to tests that routinises the job I’m sure has an effect on the level of burnout in the profession.”*

www.tes.com/magazine/article/are-schools-brink-burnout-crisis

Face book algorithms are scary, it's presented me with two marking related things today

Can I ask advice?

I was contacted by test and trace last week on Wed regarding being a close contact, which must have been the boy who had tested positive last weekend and who had last been in school on Friday. They said get a test day 1 and day 8, but that as it was already day 6, if I could just get a test on day 7 or 8 that would be fine.

I tested and was negative.

I have no classic symptoms, but do have a scratchy throat this weekend. I'm aware the rotton cold is circulating a lot at the moment, as well as lots of sore throats.

But... although I was contacted re being a close contact for the boy, I have not been contacted regarding the girl in my class who has also tested positive and who was in school on Monday. I'm wondering whether to work out for myself when day 8 falls for her (Tues prob) and get a test anyway for that after school.

I'm booked to go on a UK break at half term and if I come down with Covid after Wed this week it's all going to be affected, so part of me wants to rule it out. But mostly I feel that if I should have tested for the boy contact I should also test for the girl too.

My friend/neighbour tested negative on her day 1 test, then positive on her day 8 as a close contact.

Unless they've named you as a close contact, school doesn't count 🤦🏼‍♀️
I'd probably get a test anyway just in case.

It can't be for a child in your class, surely? How would they have your contact details?

I've taught over thirty children in the last two weeks who developed Covid. School didn't even tell us: only the register!

Slightly different processes in Wales though?

Yes just do it DrMaddie, and it doesn’t matter exactly what day it is as every case is different anyway!

We now think DD has got it, her (cold) symptoms started on Day 14 for DS /Day 7 for me.

We have VF in a lot of books for verbal feedback. Our marking policy makes a lot more sense than some of the ones you have 😱

I mark in green and pink highlighter, specific to the learning intention only. All live in class if I can. I never spend more than 20 minutes on a set of books outside of class time.

People might want to read @gruntbaby ‘s highly informed explanations and theories on the LFT/PCR issue on this thread - pp2/3 I think

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4371384-LF-test-and-PCR-test?pg=3

They're going for broke in Victoria and teacher vaccinations: no vax or intention to vax means no entry to school buildings from 18th October.

The pointy end is no job by April 2022.

Medical exemptions, but definitions are as tight as gnat's chuff.

Interesting. Obviously we've done that for carers but no way the govt could have insisted for school staff because a) there's already a massive shortage (of carers too but they presume they ARE more easily replaceable) and b) theyve spent the whole pandemic saying there's no Covid in schools

Thanks for that link Jan.
Currently waiting on PCR results for DD (she has a runny nose and coughed a bit Sat morning) so useful to know (although she’s negative on LFT but she’s not done a Flowflex one).

Just a few more days till DH’s half term as well-we so nearly made it but fallen at the last hurdle!

@DanglingMod

Interesting. Obviously we've done that for carers but no way the govt could have insisted for school staff because a) there's already a massive shortage (of carers too but they presume they ARE more easily replaceable) and b) theyve spent the whole pandemic saying there's no Covid in schools

And they still have JCVI bods here saying in media interviews that children don’t spread Covid

Checking back in so I can catch up at some point. How is it Monday already? Is anyone else on their knees or is it just me? Still can't quite shake the cold/ sore throat bug and still 10 days until half term. Yikes.

Is anyone else on their knees or is it just me?
It's not just you!

No indeed
I've booked a holiday for half term so am now bound to be isolating at the very least

I've just cancelled mine. 😭 or more accurately, Lufthansa has.

@namechangedyetagain not just you! I

MrsH - oh no

Namechanged - definitely not just you

Fellow covidees- how many of you have made it back after the ten days? I am due back on Friday but I am still wobbly on my legs, wheezy when doing anything other than sitting and napping all day. I think I might risk the wrath of the head and go for another week to take me to half term. I've only ever had an odd day here or there before. My year 6 will completely have screwed division up with a supply for that long.

Phleb I think I feel OK to go back tomorrow but am aware I’ll need to pace myself.

However my DS14 is now back in bed after we attempted to return him to school today, day 17. He’d put his uniform on but was shivering uncontrollably and coughing when I went in.

Think piggy and possibly others have needed longer than the ten days as well.

We’ve all started thinking that the isolation period equates to ‘how long you’re ill for’. It doesn’t!

Our local DPH seems to hhave abandoned her previous line of “schools only reflect community transmission”:

www.northamptonchron.co.uk/health/coronavirus/health-chief-feels-slightly-helpless-as-covid-cases-continue-to-rise-in-northamptonshire-schools-3413984?fbclid=IwAR3zT-8hhl7E18M2myL5wvLr5UcOrWFlXJ3mdqWFwUpcGgSk9tjPFxTxa1o

They’re wrong re Cambs being the first LA to reintroduce measures in schools of course.