How will schools be able to go back in September? (Continued)

khalessi wrote: »

Thank you for your concern, the public also expect us to keep their children safe and voicing concerns and highlighting an inadequate plan is not moaning.

It may interest you to know that there are not enough substitute teachers to cover potential absences depsite what the government say. My school has 60+ teachers and is one of 16 schools of similar sizes that were grouped together, so that 4 substitute teachers could cover potential absences. So that is 4 teachers covering absences of a minimum of 700 teachers. Good luck with that

Since this is not enough the government has sanctioned that the Learning Support or Special Education teachers can cover absences if no sub can be found as the classes cannot be split. So these children will be in school and still on the backfoot as their withdrawal with be suspended to cover absences. Highly unfair that yet again the government punish the most needy in our schools.

This has been highlighted a number of times by teachers, principals, parents, and ignored. They do not care.

It is not that they do not care, it is that the levers of government cannot react to the needs as quick as one would like. Too many moving parts, too many variables, too little competence in the Dept. of Education, not enough skills there or in teaching staff, or the BoM of schools etc.. etc..

So, they made a plan, not a great plan but a plan doesnt have to be perfect to work, it just has to be good enough to get schools open... and then when they are open, they change it here and there, but once the schools are open again nationwide, they are never going to close again enmass like what happened in March.

khalessi wrote: »

I know of many teachers voicing concerns about the inadequate guidelines here and elsewhere, but I know of no teachers who have said we should not open and indeed many teachers have been "getting on with it", otherwise how else would the schools open.

There have been meetings, discussions, ordering of resources, and the physical organisation of classrooms. But you choose to ignore that. Teachers have always got on with it despite constant chronic shortages and made the best of it and will continue to do so. Thank you for your input.

Teachers in this very thread are saying schools should not re-open. I think you may want to re-read parts of it;

markodaly wrote: »

Teachers in this very thread are saying schools should not re-open. I think you may want to re-read parts of it;

They are saying that the schools should not reopen unsafely. Every teacher on here and every teacher I know personally - and that is a fair number of people - are more than willing to get back to their schools and students. A phased return has been suggested, to iron out potential problems. But why let a small detail alter your biased view? You have a little habit of picking out the points that suit your agenda, but ignoring the bits that don't.

markodaly wrote: »

It is not that they do not care, it is that the levers of government cannot react to the needs as quick as one would like. Too many moving parts, too many variables, too little competence in the Dept. of Education, not enough skills there or in teaching staff, or the BoM of schools etc.. etc..

So, they made a plan, not a great plan but a plan doesnt have to be perfect to work, it just has to be good enough to get schools open... and then when they are open, they change it here and there, but once the schools are open again nationwide, they are never going to close again enmass like what happened in March.

I agree with your points about the government but you are wrong about the competence in teaching staff but anyways.

Thank you for mansplaining the plan, I appreciate it otherwise I would not have understood how a plan works. The fact that in every area the "plan" goes against all health advice for the wider community and against their own roadmap to reopening the country of a phased reopening of schools is the issue.

This new government saw it as a way to score brownie points to reopen schools and outshine the previous cohort, so they rushed out a plan. The teachers have been in classrooms for weeks trying to make it work as best they can. They are getting on with it and schools will reopen, but it would be remiss of teachers to not voice concerns for the safety of students and staff.

markodaly wrote: »

They are re-opening but my response was to a poster who thinks that they should not, a post and stance many teachers agree with.

The stats are clear, schools are re-opening, its time to just get on with it.

Please show us the posts where people think schools should not open?

Posh Dave wrote: »

So should a teacher get paid if they refuse to go back?

If you refuse to go back you don't get paid. Only those in the very high risk group get paid as they work from home.

markodaly wrote: »

You really believe that do you?

One just has to look at the honest truth. Look at the complaints on the teacher forums here, many many threads and posts giving out about pay, near nothing about the lack of infrastructure, profesional IT facilities etc..

So yes, strike action IS a measure on the priorities of the teaching Unions.




It may not be up there with Health, Housing the economy and jobs but people do care about education. It is unfair to tell them that they dont.




Correct, teachers teach, so the rest of it really shouldnt concern teachers. It is up to the schools, BoM, the health authorities and the Dept of Education to sort it out. Not teachers.

Teachers are trying to have it both ways, they dont want to provide solutions as they admit, they are no clue in project mangement, H&S or logisitics, yet they want to put their oar in everytime. Too many cooks.

You realise schools are made up of teachers? You contradict yourself saying it is up to schools to sort out, not teachers.

Boards is also not a good measure of the wider priorities of society. Individuals care about education but clearly our society as a whole does not as we don't prioritise it during elections. It wasn't even a debate topic in 3 of the 4 major debates in the last general election.

As regards strikes being a measure of priority, strikes are last resort tactics. Usually what happens as regards infrastructure issues is schools lobby on a local level and get their issues sorted or get some sort of half promise for.the future so schools are in different positions regarding need therefore an all put strike isn't warrented. In my own school for example I teach in a prefab that is over 20 years old, we are bursting at the seams and have inadequate toileting facilities. As a result of lobbying we have been sanctioned for a new school, 5 years ago we got that promise, we still have no plans for a new building but are reassured every so often that things are in the pipeline. Only this January we had surveyers out from the Department to assess our need. The process is slow but necause we are mid process we as a school community continue to lobby to speed things up but would not have any reason to strike. What would it achieve?

Children are more likely to be harmed by not returning to school next month than if they catch coronavirus, the UK's chief medical adviser says.

Prof Chris Whitty said "the chances of children dying from Covid-19 are incredibly small" - but missing lessons "damages children in the long run".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53875410

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Any word from Norma? Probably holding off till next week to take the heat off ClifdenGate.

Norma will roll out a little welcome back video message for all d boys and girls on Wednesday I would reckon. Good for optics and pr.

irishblessing wrote: »

Why does nearly every post of yours drip with immature condescension. Even if you are right or have a point, can you not make it maturely without that nonsense?

It brings me back to secondary school fadó fadó withThe Dominicans !! A few nuns were seriously sarcastic. Of course no one really paid much heed to their point but we would listen , argue and often agree with the level headed and wise ones . !!