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[3rd rail land]

The teaching unions are powerless as in many schools there's a 'culture of fear'. Not just in my previous school but in many others.

The problem is that it is impossible to do the job perfectly, corners have to be cut. Anyone looking for fault (perhaps in someone who rocks the boat) will find it.

When you ask staff to try and make a stand they won't through fear or better still when you have a meeting of the Union in school the management will find someone who still happens to be a union member (but now in the management) to attend meetings which guarantees that people don't step out of line.

Nearly six years on I am still bitter that they got away with it. It will still be happening in schools across the country to get teachers to do 'extra'

Given there isn't exactly a queue of people wanting to become school teachers I'd have thought the unions/teachers would have had more bargaining power.

 

[yorkie]

Given there isn't exactly a queue of people wanting to become school teachers I'd have thought the unions/teachers would have had more bargaining power.

I'm not sure about that. There always seems to be a never ending supply of new recruits. There does seem to be a high level of turnover though. I've known several NQTs quit within their NQT year or soon after.

If anyone here is thinking of becoming a teacher my advice is to get experience working in a school first (e.g. as a TA) and try to visit a few different schools, talk to students, talk to teachers, find out what the job really involves. If anyone in such a position sends me a conversation message I will see if I can help you (I've helped several forum members in that position in the past).

Many people do seem to underestimate the hours that need to be put in.

I wouldn't do it personally but I don't want to put others off either.

 

[nedchester]

Given there isn't exactly a queue of people wanting to become school teachers I'd have thought the unions/teachers would have had more bargaining power.

The teaching unions or rather their members are not the RMT!!

 

[3rd rail land]

The teaching unions or rather their members are not the RMT!!

I am always amazed at how the RMT seems to have so much bargaining power given that there are a lot of people that want to work on the railways. I suppose that TOCs are reluctant to fire and hire due to the time and cost of training a new recruit.

 

[35B]

I am always amazed at how the RMT seems to have so much bargaining power given that there are a lot of people that want to work on the railways. I suppose that TOCs are reluctant to fire and hire due to the time and cost of training a new recruit.

There are many schools, which are each separate employers. Therefore issues in one school will have limited read across into other schools; the size of railway employers means that the unions have much more leverage over the same problem.

 

[3rd rail land]

There are many schools, which are each separate employers. Therefore issues in one school will have limited read across into other schools; the size of railway employers means that the unions have much more leverage over the same problem.

I hadn't thought of it in this way. I suppose each school operates as a small business whilst each TOC is a large employer in comparison.

 

[Halish Railway]

I tested negative at school today (I’m in upper sixth by the way) - The entire process starting from when I walked into the sports hall where the tests took place till the time that I received the test result took 90 minutes.

Seriously, there must be a better way of doing this; As far as I know, we will be taken out of lessons to do a test, although I’m not sure whether I’ll have to wait about until I receive my test result and go back into my lesson.

 

[Jamiescott1]

I tested negative at school today (I’m in upper sixth by the way) - The entire process starting from when I walked into the sports hall where the tests took place till the time that I received the test result took 90 minutes.

Seriously, there must be a better way of doing this; As far as I know, we will be taken out of lessons to do a test, although I’m not sure whether I’ll have to wait about until I receive my test result and go back into my lesson.

Sounds like its more a case of disorganisation from your school.

Years 7 - 13 had their first test last week during the time that was scheduled foe their sports ed lesson.

The second tests are today until Wednesday and pupils are in and out in less than 5 minutes. We have 9 testing booths so a class of 25 takes no time at all.

 

[Western Sunset]

I have to do a lateral flow test twice a week as I work in a primary school.

 

[Richard Scott]

Digressing a bit but technically you don't have to take a Lateral Flow test but it's being pushed as such.

 

[A Challenge]

Digressing a bit but technically you don't have to take a Lateral Flow test but it's being pushed as such.

Don't you, the implication I've seen is that the educational institution can say you must be tested twice a week, even the the government haven't made it compulsory for them to do so?

 

[yorkie]

Don't you, the implication I've seen is that the educational institution can say you must be tested twice a week, even the the government haven't made it compulsory for them to do so?

My education employer has made it clear it is voluntary but recommended, with no pressure placed on individuals to get tested.

 

[pdq]

My children's secondary school has made it clear that the tests are voluntary and must be opted in to. Take up seemed good from the stats they provided last week, but how that will continue when testing transfers to the home remains to be seen.

 

[Richard Scott]

Don't you, the implication I've seen is that the educational institution can say you must be tested twice a week, even the the government haven't made it compulsory for them to do so?

No, it's voluntary but they aren't keen to let that be known.

 

[Ianno87]

No, it's voluntary but they aren't keen to let that be known.

So not keen that they're telling everybody openly about the fact that they're voluntary.... <eye roll emoticon>

 

[Darandio]

The letter from the secondary two of my children attend was quite clear that it was voluntary.

 

[Richard Scott]

The letter from the secondary two of my children attend was quite clear that it was voluntary.

That's encouraging!

 

[Jamesrob637]

I really don't know how to respond to this.

You are really saying that kids have been off for so long, their education is so harmed it doesn't matter if we harm it any more?!

If it meant three more weeks now versus three more months after Easter, then I know the lesser of two evils.

 

[35B]

The letter from the secondary two of my children attend was quite clear that it was voluntary.

And I received identically worded letters from the two schools mine attend - I am sure they are working off a template. Judging by my son's feedback (daughter has just done first lateral flow test, goes back in tomorrow), take up is high within his year group.

 

[yorkie]

The Unions probably don't want people to watch this, as it shows how out of touch they are with their members...

School 'feels alive' after children's Covid return

The BBC visited one school in Lincolnshire to see how its staff and children were coping on week one.

www.bbc.co.uk

Covid and schools: First week finished after children in England return​

Covid and schools: First week finished after children in England return

School staff say it's been "brilliant" to see classrooms and playgrounds full of children after schools in England were allowed to reopen this week.
Children haven't been at school for more than two months because of coronavirus restrictions.
The BBC visited one primary school near Skegness, Lincolnshire to see how children, parents and teachers have got on.

Meanwhile, in my local press:

Big rise in number of York children testing positive for coronavirus

THERE was a big rise in the number of York schoolchildren testing positive for coronavirus just before schools reopened last week.

www.yorkpress.co.uk

THERE was a big rise in the number of York schoolchildren testing positive for coronavirus just before schools reopened last week.

City of York Council's latest Covid data tracker report says that in the seven day period to last Monday, 34 children of primary and secondary school age tested positive. This compares with just five children a week earlier.

But the report says widespread testing of secondary school children took place prior to the return to school last Monday and the majority of children who tested positive were of secondary school age and were picked up as asymptomatic cases through this testing programme.

With many thousands of rests done, and given the fact that there will be false positives, there has not been any actual "increase" in any meaningful sense of the term.

Some anonymous complainer has moaned about school kids in York at lunch times:

Head teacher hits back amid claim pupils are not socially distancing

A HEAD teacher has defended her pupils after complaints about them not sticking to Covid-19 guidelines on their lunch break in a popular part of…

www.yorkpress.co.uk

A HEAD teacher has defended her pupils after complaints about them not sticking to Covid-19 guidelines on their lunch break in a popular part of York.

A man, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted The Press to claim that pupils from All Saints RC School in South Bank gathered outside shops in Bishopthorpe Road in “groups of more than six, ignored social-distancing and didn’t wear face masks or incorrectly wore their face masks”.

But Sharon Keelan-Beardsley, head at All Saints, said: “We have been in touch with the gentleman in question and he said that ‘young people are spreading this [Covid-19] disease’, so he felt that our pupils were spreading the disease.

“Our children are so excited about being back at school after being in lockdown for so long, and the joy and happiness over being out and about and getting back to some sort of normality has been great,” she added.

“Ninety-five per cent of our pupils have been tested [for Covid-19] and we haven’t had one positive result back in 3,000 tests. We are as safe as we can be. The children are wearing masks in the shops, in the classrooms and in the school corridors and I think just having that bit of fresh air is important for them.”

There is no requirement for anyone to wear face masks outdoors anyway; social distancing isn't mandatory in law. This person sounds like yet another moaning authoritarian who really ought to consider if they want to stay in their home rather than moan about other people.

Despite schools in York being fully open for two weeks now, cases continue to decline:

York now an island of pale green on map after Covid rate falls again

YORK'S Covid rate has fallen yet again and is now the lowest in the region - meaning it is now an island of pale green on an official map.

www.yorkpress.co.uk

YORK'S Covid rate has fallen yet again and is now the lowest in the region - meaning it is now an island of pale green on an official map.

Public Health England said today that the rolling seven day infection rate in the City of York Council area in the week to March 16 was 32.3 cases per 100,000 population, down from 33.2 yesterday and 38.5 last Friday.

The number of students at York schools testing positive has continued to be very low; the only ones that I am aware of were tested before they attended school.