A cheer for the teachers and a thought for the children.

Wonderful post, Gloriana. I am with you in supporting all the teachers and pupils who will be suffering through this mess.

Hear, hear!

The teachers have such a difficult job these days, I really admire those that stick at it despite lack of parental support.

Hear hear! Great post. My son and daughter are both teachers who have spent a lot of time during the summer break on prepping lessons etc. and now all these extra stresses.

They have to cope with teenagers disrupting lessons every 5 minutes by pretending they need the toilet when they want to go out and vape using vapes they have hidden behind ceiling tiles in the toilets, etc etc. Teaching is extremely stressful these days. Hooray for the teachers that stick at it!!

I don't always agree with you Glorianny but you have nailed it!
Our children's (and GCs') education has taken an absolute hammering over the last 3 1/2 years and its importance is crucial to their present and future lives in a million ways.
So hear, very hear! 👏 👏 👏

Another 👍 from me.

Absolutely Glorianny 👍👍

Hear, hear.
It is all very well expecting them to teach in different buildings- might sound OK in theory, but not in practice. Eg science or cookery in a community hall without the equipment. Even subjects which are less obviously practical are these days taught with use of inter-active white boards as standard.
A local primary school governor was on television saying that the church hall next door will be used, but that scarcely begins to alleviate the difficulties.

Indeed - the school where I am CofG has had to organise surveys - thankfuly all is well and we have been able to reassure the parents.

I am incensed that our Min of Ed saw fit to slag off everyone other than herself and her department in wholly inappropriate language - we all now know the cut of her gib.

Cabbie21

Hear, hear.
It is all very well expecting them to teach in different buildings- might sound OK in theory, but not in practice. Eg science or cookery in a community hall without the equipment. Even subjects which are less obviously practical are these days taught with use of inter-active white boards as standard.
A local primary school governor was on television saying that the church hall next door will be used, but that scarcely begins to alleviate the difficulties.

Do these people know how secondary schools operate?

If different buildings are used, are pupils expected to move between them for each lesson?

On one split-site school I taught in, pupils and sometimes teachers were expected to move between sites during breaks and even on the bell without a break. Nothing new there.

If different buildings are used, are pupils expected to move between them for each lesson ?
This is generally the case - specialist subjects are taught in specialist areas with the appropriate resources to hand. Many schools are on large, spread-out sites too.
Students are given enough time to pack away their own stuff - and bear in mind that even if whole class has eg Maths, they may be going to several different sets or divs.
Teachers unless on substitution are not generally required to move other than possibly within their own department.
Surely this is common knowledge?

Two of my grandchildren are currently being taught remotely as they were informed of their schools closure last week. What a nightmare for staff, parents and children. Only four schools have closed completely due to raac and their's is one of them. The local university have offered classrooms for some older pupils but all of this requires mammoth reorganisation regarding different sites etc. Then what about the younger pupils? My heart goes out to them all. What a sorry, sad situation.

Term started with the problem of moving 36 computers, setting up a location and organising wiring. A mobile smart board will make it a little easier, but not much.
When will it be sorted?

Well said, Glorianny

Thinking of the teachers and all the support staff too, and of the children in those schools which are closed having their education disrupted yet again after they'd just had years of Covid and lockdowns to cope with.

Thanks for all the positive posts. It has just occurred to me that some GPs will have had sudden demands on them to help out with child care. So renenbering them as well. This has damaged so many.

Our daughter is in pastoral care in a senior school. She goes above and beyond for her, sometimes very difficult, young people.

With them all the way - bravo.

Glorianny

Thanks for all the positive posts. It has just occurred to me that some GPs will have had sudden demands on them to help out with child care. So renenbering them as well. This has damaged so many.

Agreed.
The only good thing is that it’s not many schools, just think it could have been so many more! The next concern is how many other kinds of buildings are affected by this material?

Oreo

Glorianny

Thanks for all the positive posts. It has just occurred to me that some GPs will have had sudden demands on them to help out with child care. So renenbering them as well. This has damaged so many.

Agreed.
The only good thing is that it’s not many schools, just think it could have been so many more! The next concern is how many other kinds of buildings are affected by this material?

Unfortunately it probably is many more, because the government database has relied on schools completing self assessments.
inews.co.uk/news/education/were-headteachers-not-architects-calls-for-full-audit-of-raac-as-school-self-assessments-not-safe-2589372
Until all schools potentially affected have been surveyed it’s impossible to say what the outcome will be.
In the meantime, it’s truly awful for this to be happening for schools just as life was beginning to return to normality.

Oreo

Glorianny

Thanks for all the positive posts. It has just occurred to me that some GPs will have had sudden demands on them to help out with child care. So renenbering them as well. This has damaged so many.

Agreed.
The only good thing is that it’s not many schools, just think it could have been so many more! The next concern is how many other kinds of buildings are affected by this material?

Hospitals, office buildings, court buildings, homes

And St David's Hall, Cardiff 😲

Let's not forget the hospitals which are in a similar situation, some for many years.

I do actually think that there’s much more chance that hospitals will at least be aware if they have RAAC than schools will, because they have Estates departments in each area, and of necessity because use of facilities changes frequently they are constantly on site knocking things about and maintaining, much more so than in schools. They are also more likely to have maintained very detailed site plans, certainly from my experience that’s the case anyway. I know there’s already a lot of RAAC work going on in hospitals in Wales.
I worry about the huge blocks of flats in cities.

Blooming huge “big up” to all those working in schools in all capacities, an utterly thankless task in most places. DD just returned to a RACC affected primary school, not closed, classes though having to be amalgamated, so she’s teaching 35 little darlings in reception, in a classroom designed for 26/28 children, and has 2 extra LSA’s with her, due to high level of SEN pupils in her class, so 4 adults, 35 children and this heat ! Last year she taught in a classroom with metal struts holding up the ceiling, school completed work costing over £30,000, now deemed “not good enough” and Head and CEO of trust battling with DoE to get those funds back, plus funds to to the job again