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

Hear Hear. So much is expected of teachers- results, safeguarding, wellbeing, and now a spot of buildings surveying.
My children had two teacher parents and a teacher aunt and uncle.
Did they want to teach? No thanks!

SueDoku

It will be - and I am incensed that this shambles of a 'government' are preparing to publish a list of schools that haven't filled in their surveying forms - as far as I know, civil engineering isn't part of teacher training..! It's all part of shifting the blame onto teachers/heads/anyone but them...!!! 😡

You forgot to add school governors who are also under fire.
Even the buildings subcommittee are not required to be civil engineers. We consider ourselves very fortunate if someone with that qualification volunteers.

SueDoku

It will be - and I am incensed that this shambles of a 'government' are preparing to publish a list of schools that haven't filled in their surveying forms - as far as I know, civil engineering isn't part of teacher training..! It's all part of shifting the blame onto teachers/heads/anyone but them...!!! 😡

I found that in incredible too!!

It will be - and I am incensed that this shambles of a 'government' are preparing to publish a list of schools that haven't filled in their surveying forms - as far as I know, civil engineering isn't part of teacher training..! It's all part of shifting the blame onto teachers/heads/anyone but them...!!! 😡

That’s how the secondary school I went to operated. A to F blocks and expected to migrate between them throughout the day. What a carry on - especially in rain or snow!

When will this government start to really consider the needs of this young generation.in health, education, social support, mental health, housing,climate change.. the list goes on and on and yet not enough is still NOT being done and the people who have to support these young people are also NOT being supported by government.. This particular government has allowed everything to deteriorate and because they have been in power for 13 years they can't blame anyone else.. good post Glorianny

Hear hear, as the mother of a teacher and also a grandma to a child whose school has been affected & disrupted by this I’m totally with you.
Other public buildings are affected too so let’s hope things are swiftly dealt with and made safe for everyone.

One of the most stressful jobs a person can do is be a teacher, regardless of grade level.

Some people simply do not have any concept of what it involves. Pile on low salaries, overcrowded conditions, dealing with kid’s emotional / anxious states, keeping children safe, confrontational parents, scant financial support for them to do a completely efficient job, crumbling infrastructure, and governing boards that are in-fighting themselves and becoming too political… it’s a thankless job.
Teachers are the Heroes!
USA Gundy

Absolutely agree. It must be a nightmare for them all.

Totally agree, was talking to a colleague this morning who is a specialist in a senior school; what a nightmare it has been, not helped by there not being zero availability of demountable classrooms, country wide.

What an absolutely lovely post. Thank you. Totally agree.

I do worry that all of the open schools have not yet been properly checked for RAAC

Total incompetence displayed by Keegan - an issue known about for years and kicked down the road in the hope it would be some other politician's problem. Two days' notice before term was outrageous. And she has set a hare running throughout the public estate, the costs of which could be enormous. She spent £34m on a DfE refurb while schools have been starved of repair funding. I expect if they find RAAC in Parliament it will be given extreme priority.

All the best to all of them.

As an ex primary school teacher my heart goes out to all teachers in this difficult situation.

What sort of country has this become when the safety of its people is so low down the priority list ?

As a retired teacher, I am amazed at the resilience of our teachers. With everything that they have had to deal with over the past few years, they still have the best interests of their pupils at heart. They are an easy target and their working conditions, salary and professionalism have been marginalised and downgraded by this government.I remember my daughter's school had asbestos and to my knowledge it probably is still there, as are the portacabins. Heaven knows what else is lurking in our public buildings.

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

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.

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

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 😲

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.

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?

With them all the way - bravo.

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

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.

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.

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?