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Post by Martin on May 13, 2020 8:17:40 GMT
My brother in laws mate has a small business which he wants to start back up (in a safe way), but his furloughed employees are being difficult about coming back. They'd clearly prefer to sit at home enjoying their free money, unfortunately it's not easy to just sack them!
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Post by LandieMark on May 13, 2020 8:47:46 GMT
Presumably, if the employer has sufficient social distancing in place, he can put them on unpaid leave and refuse to claim from the government as they are no longer on furlough?
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Post by PetrolEd on May 13, 2020 8:53:44 GMT
Yes I think my brother in law has a similar issue and has told is staff who don't show up today, to either have a coronavirus test or they are on statutory sick pay.
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Post by scouse on May 13, 2020 8:55:45 GMT
I see that estate agents can re-open from today. When did we find out? 8pm last night. As I said previously, we should be one of the last to re-open. You can't go and see your parents, but you can go a walk around a stranger's house with no restrictions! Even the bloody French have seriously restricted who can go and how viewing must happen, unlike here. FFS the industry was talking about doing inventories/EPCs/Valuations in fucking hazmat suits the other day.
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Post by Martin on May 13, 2020 9:11:22 GMT
Presumably, if the employer has sufficient social distancing in place, he can put them on unpaid leave and refuse to claim from the government as they are no longer on furlough? Yes, he's going to have to be tougher which hopefully he will. It's more the attitude of people that I was highlighting... they've got a job, have been looked after for a number of weeks, will have a relatively safe environment to come back to but despite all that, they don't want to support the owner of a small business who pays their bills.
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Post by Alex on May 13, 2020 9:15:31 GMT
I see that estate agents can re-open from today. When did we find out? 8pm last night. As I said previously, we should be one of the last to re-open. You can't go and see your parents, but you can go a walk around a stranger's house with no restrictions! Even the bloody French have seriously restricted who can go and how viewing must happen, unlike here. FFS the industry was talking about doing inventories/EPCs/Valuations in fucking hazmat suits the other day. There will be restrictions and as an employer you will have to ensure your staff are safe so valuations and viewings cant happen as they did before. Appreciate it's annoying that notice was late but it's in line with guidance that has been issued. Regarding staff refusing to come back off furlough, the scheme is for employers whose employees cannot work due to coronavirus restrictions, thus if the work is there and can now be done the employer is not obliged to keep them on furlough unless they have to remain isolated for medical reasons.
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Post by chipbutty on May 13, 2020 9:20:42 GMT
Taken from elsewhere (Telegraph Article).
Holy Fuck....................Is this part of the plan - announce fairy tale levels of free money, swiftly followed up by the likely bill ?
Or is this government determined to smash the good ship UK onto the rocks, Hollywood styleee ?
A confidential Treasury assessment of the coronavirus crisis estimates that it will cost the Exchequer almost £300 billion this year and could require measures including an increase in income tax, the end of the triple lock on state pension increases and a two-year public sector pay freeze.
The Telegraph can reveal that a Treasury document drawn up for Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, sets out a proposed "policy package" of tax increases and spending reductions which may have to be announced within weeks in order to "enhance credibility and boost investor confidence" in the British economy.
The document, dated May 5 and marked "Official – market sensitive", reveals that the "base case scenario" now forecasts that Britain will have a £337 billion budget deficit this year, compared to the forecast £55 billion in March's Budget.
It says tax rises and spending cuts which would raise between £25 billion and £30 billion – equivalent to a 5p increase in the basic rate of income tax – would be needed to fund the increased debt, and presents Mr Sunak with a menu of proposed measures to make up the shortfall.
In the worst case scenario – a so-called "L-shaped economic decline" – the figure would increase to a £516 billion deficit in the current financial year, rising to a cumulative £1.19 trillion over five years. This would require up to £90 billion in annual tax rises and/or spending cuts over the next few years.
Even the best-case V-shaped scenario, in which the economy falls sharply but recovers equally quickly – described as "optimistic" in the document – would lead to a £209 billion deficit this year.
The disclosure of the bleak economic predictions, which would suggest that Britain's finances are in their weakest state since the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, helps explain why the Government is now urging people to return to work where possible.
On Sunday evening, Boris Johnson set out the country's strategy for beginning to exit the lockdown but was criticised by trade unions and opposition MPs for apparently rushing the return to work.
The Treasury document warns ministers that, if Britain's economy does not recover soon, the country could be thrown into a 1976-style "sovereign debt crisis", a situation that led to an international bailout.
On Tuesday, the Chancellor announced that the furlough scheme to subsidise wages would be extended until October but that employers would have to pick up more of the bill from the end of July.
The scheme is now estimated to cost £100 billion, with almost 10 million workers now either paid by the Government-funded initiative or by universal credit.
Mr Sunak is advised that, to "stabilise debts" in the base case scenario, he will have to increase taxes or cut spending to raise between £25 billion and £30 billion a year.
In the worst case scenario, he will have to raise £80 billion to £90 billion a year. He is advised that an announcement on how to fund the huge increase in spending may have to be made imminently, but that the tax and spend changes could be delayed to avoid derailing an economic recovery.
The document says the Chancellor "has indicated a preference for accepting a higher but broadly stable level of debt" after the crisis. However, it adds: "As debt is likely to reach significantly higher levels after the crisis, it will be important to stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio and prevent debt from continuing to grow on an unsustainable trajectory."
The document advises Mr Sunak that it is now likely to become necessary to break at least one of the Conservatives' key manifesto pledges not to increase taxes or scrap the triple lock on state pension rises.
It states: "To fill a gap this size [in the public finances] through tax revenue risers would be very challenging without breaking the tax lock. To raise fiscally significant amounts, we would either have to increase rates/thresholds in one of the broad-based taxes (IT, NICS, VAT, CT) or reform one of the biggest tax reliefs (eg pensions tax)."
It adds that it would be "economically better to break the tax lock to achieve revenue of this scale than attempt to raise this level of revenue" and would also be "important to consider measures that support a growth-friendly composition of tax (consumption/property taxes rather than taxes on income/profits).
"We should also look at opportunities for new taxes that could meet some of the Government's broader policy objectives, raising revenue to relieve long-term fiscal pressures (eg an NHS/social care surcharge or new carbon/green taxes). A 1 per cent increase in the basic rate in the basic rate of income tax would raise around £5 billion p.a."
Mr Sunak is also advised that there are "further options to address the challenge through spending and welfare" reductions.
The document suggests a two-year freeze on public sector pay could generate savings of £6.5 billion by 2023-24 while "stopping the rising cost" of the pension triple lock would produce savings of £8 billion a year.
Officials have also been asked to provide advice on the timing of an announcement, which could take the form of a summer Budget. The document advises the Chancellor that the "timing, pace and composition of any consolidation should be managed carefully to avoid the risk of stifling the economic recovery".
However, it adds: "The timing of an effective medium-term strategy should also take into the account the right time to use political capital, and there may be benefits to setting out future consolidation plans now alongside support for the recovery."
The document, drawn up by the Chancellor's policy advisers, says "a more realistic scenario" than the idea of a V-shaped recovery is a "prolonged recovery and some permanent damage to the economy" – in other words, a U-shaped recovery.
In the Treasury's own worst case prediction, the economy would go through an "L-shaped" recovery, meaning economic output would remain below current forecasts for the next five years, leading to a large structural deficit and a budget deficit running to one third of GDP.
Mr Sunak has faced repeated questions about how he intends to recoup the cost of the coronavirus bailout package, but has so far refused to be drawn into discussions about future tax rises or squeezes on public spending.
A Treasury source described the measures set out in the document as "a summary of all the existing levers" rather than a recommendation of any particular course of action, and said no decisions had yet been made about revenue-raising policies.
The document reveals that the Treasury's own base case scenario – in other words, what it thinks is most likely – estimates that the current budget deficit, forecast at £55 billion for 2020-21 before the pandemic, will actually be £337 billion because of the cost of bailouts and lost tax revenues. The base case puts the deficit at £83 billion in 2021-22, dropping to £32 billion by 2024-25.
In a worst case scenario it will be £516 billion, or £450 billion more than pre-pandemic forecasts. That dwarfs the budget for NHS England, which stands at £129 billion.
The most optimistic scenario given by Treasury advisers is that the deficit will run to £209 billion in the current financial year and could even return to surplus by 2023-24.
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Post by garry on May 13, 2020 9:52:40 GMT
Taken from elsewhere (Telegraph Article). Holy Fuck....................Is this part of the plan - announce fairy tale levels of free money, swiftly followed up by the likely bill ? Or is this government determined to smash the good ship UK onto the rocks, Hollywood styleee ? A confidential Treasury assessment of the coronavirus crisis estimates that it will cost the Exchequer almost £300 billion this year and could require measures including an increase in income tax, the end of the triple lock on state pension increases and a two-year public sector pay freeze.
The Telegraph can reveal that a Treasury document drawn up for Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, sets out a proposed "policy package" of tax increases and spending reductions which may have to be announced within weeks in order to "enhance credibility and boost investor confidence" in the British economy.
The document, dated May 5 and marked "Official – market sensitive", reveals that the "base case scenario" now forecasts that Britain will have a £337 billion budget deficit this year, compared to the forecast £55 billion in March's Budget.
It says tax rises and spending cuts which would raise between £25 billion and £30 billion – equivalent to a 5p increase in the basic rate of income tax – would be needed to fund the increased debt, and presents Mr Sunak with a menu of proposed measures to make up the shortfall.
In the worst case scenario – a so-called "L-shaped economic decline" – the figure would increase to a £516 billion deficit in the current financial year, rising to a cumulative £1.19 trillion over five years. This would require up to £90 billion in annual tax rises and/or spending cuts over the next few years.
Even the best-case V-shaped scenario, in which the economy falls sharply but recovers equally quickly – described as "optimistic" in the document – would lead to a £209 billion deficit this year.
The disclosure of the bleak economic predictions, which would suggest that Britain's finances are in their weakest state since the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, helps explain why the Government is now urging people to return to work where possible.
On Sunday evening, Boris Johnson set out the country's strategy for beginning to exit the lockdown but was criticised by trade unions and opposition MPs for apparently rushing the return to work.
The Treasury document warns ministers that, if Britain's economy does not recover soon, the country could be thrown into a 1976-style "sovereign debt crisis", a situation that led to an international bailout.
On Tuesday, the Chancellor announced that the furlough scheme to subsidise wages would be extended until October but that employers would have to pick up more of the bill from the end of July.
The scheme is now estimated to cost £100 billion, with almost 10 million workers now either paid by the Government-funded initiative or by universal credit.
Mr Sunak is advised that, to "stabilise debts" in the base case scenario, he will have to increase taxes or cut spending to raise between £25 billion and £30 billion a year.
In the worst case scenario, he will have to raise £80 billion to £90 billion a year. He is advised that an announcement on how to fund the huge increase in spending may have to be made imminently, but that the tax and spend changes could be delayed to avoid derailing an economic recovery.
The document says the Chancellor "has indicated a preference for accepting a higher but broadly stable level of debt" after the crisis. However, it adds: "As debt is likely to reach significantly higher levels after the crisis, it will be important to stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio and prevent debt from continuing to grow on an unsustainable trajectory."
The document advises Mr Sunak that it is now likely to become necessary to break at least one of the Conservatives' key manifesto pledges not to increase taxes or scrap the triple lock on state pension rises.
It states: "To fill a gap this size [in the public finances] through tax revenue risers would be very challenging without breaking the tax lock. To raise fiscally significant amounts, we would either have to increase rates/thresholds in one of the broad-based taxes (IT, NICS, VAT, CT) or reform one of the biggest tax reliefs (eg pensions tax)."
It adds that it would be "economically better to break the tax lock to achieve revenue of this scale than attempt to raise this level of revenue" and would also be "important to consider measures that support a growth-friendly composition of tax (consumption/property taxes rather than taxes on income/profits).
"We should also look at opportunities for new taxes that could meet some of the Government's broader policy objectives, raising revenue to relieve long-term fiscal pressures (eg an NHS/social care surcharge or new carbon/green taxes). A 1 per cent increase in the basic rate in the basic rate of income tax would raise around £5 billion p.a."
Mr Sunak is also advised that there are "further options to address the challenge through spending and welfare" reductions.
The document suggests a two-year freeze on public sector pay could generate savings of £6.5 billion by 2023-24 while "stopping the rising cost" of the pension triple lock would produce savings of £8 billion a year.
Officials have also been asked to provide advice on the timing of an announcement, which could take the form of a summer Budget. The document advises the Chancellor that the "timing, pace and composition of any consolidation should be managed carefully to avoid the risk of stifling the economic recovery".
However, it adds: "The timing of an effective medium-term strategy should also take into the account the right time to use political capital, and there may be benefits to setting out future consolidation plans now alongside support for the recovery."
The document, drawn up by the Chancellor's policy advisers, says "a more realistic scenario" than the idea of a V-shaped recovery is a "prolonged recovery and some permanent damage to the economy" – in other words, a U-shaped recovery.
In the Treasury's own worst case prediction, the economy would go through an "L-shaped" recovery, meaning economic output would remain below current forecasts for the next five years, leading to a large structural deficit and a budget deficit running to one third of GDP.
Mr Sunak has faced repeated questions about how he intends to recoup the cost of the coronavirus bailout package, but has so far refused to be drawn into discussions about future tax rises or squeezes on public spending.
A Treasury source described the measures set out in the document as "a summary of all the existing levers" rather than a recommendation of any particular course of action, and said no decisions had yet been made about revenue-raising policies.
The document reveals that the Treasury's own base case scenario – in other words, what it thinks is most likely – estimates that the current budget deficit, forecast at £55 billion for 2020-21 before the pandemic, will actually be £337 billion because of the cost of bailouts and lost tax revenues. The base case puts the deficit at £83 billion in 2021-22, dropping to £32 billion by 2024-25.
In a worst case scenario it will be £516 billion, or £450 billion more than pre-pandemic forecasts. That dwarfs the budget for NHS England, which stands at £129 billion.
The most optimistic scenario given by Treasury advisers is that the deficit will run to £209 billion in the current financial year and could even return to surplus by 2023-24.
No-one should be surprised by this, but I guess there'll be no end of outrage - not paying nurses more , capping pensions, increasing taxes, etc. Not sure what else people could reasonably expect at the end of this crisis. There'll be the usual calls to tax the bankers and the super rich without any recognition that you could tax those groups out of existence and still not touch the sides of the deficit. It will be a shock to many that the free money the government has been giving out turns out not to be free at all, but a loan from the people to be paid back from our future earnings.
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Post by Big Blue on May 13, 2020 10:06:16 GMT
Much of the Facebook / Twitter hand-wringing is politically based: it was Boris and the Tories' fault so end of story. There's the odd sprinkling of scientific study but largely it's wankers making a point that this is the "wrong government and they told everyone so".
As a parent the school issue fucks me off immeasurably. There have been kids at our school continuously because there are lots of doctors / rail workers / nurses etc. with school aged children. Children are at such a low risk that there's more chance of them taking a knife from the kitchen drawer and killing themselves / their siblings / their parents during a prolonged period with access to that drawer. The main issues with returning kids to school are the risk to the teachers (ours are all in low risk age and health groups but those I saw on the news last night were clearly going to die if they caught a whiff of a child's lunch plate) and that's for their employer to manage just like any other - so teachers should be engulfed in PPE against those horrible resilient kids; the pre- and after-school care issue as whilst we have a 0730-1800 school many working parents rely on older relatives for the school walk and the 1515 pick up, which of course will put them at risk from those horrible resilient kids and then of course kids will mix with several kids from different families then go and visit their relatives under the new rules and everyone will be infected because of those horrible resilient kids. But then in the run up to lockdown that was all happening anyway......
The "stay alert" message is the biggest load of shite I've ever heard. Aside from any of the "control the virus" bollocks" the use of the word "alert" whilst being encouraged to stay at home and only go out if absolutely necessary is just poor use of English.
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Post by Big Blue on May 13, 2020 10:09:26 GMT
Chip Butty: Like I said yesterday...... "Our message today is simple: we stood behind Britain's workers and businesses as we came into this crisis, and we will stand behind them as we come through the other side." .......so don't complain when the tax hikes kick in, OK? I also saw that article and decided the time of just planning on ceasing work or permanently residing in the UK is my new goal as seeing it taken away by HMRC kind of upsets. Found some nice houses in Switzerland in my price range.....
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Post by Tim on May 13, 2020 10:21:05 GMT
I was speaking to my best mate last night, he's been furloughed for 7 or 8 weeks and is starting to think he won't ever be going back to that job (he's a quality assessor at a bodyshop) which will prey on his mind and cause increasing anxiety. Sadly he's one of those that wants to work, is always busy and is now starting to show early signs of stress at this and the lack of change to his routine while at home.
Similarly on a management team conference call this morning the subject of our first 3 furloughees came up and none of them is coping brilliantly. One colleague told us that 2 businesses similar to ours have told their staff their office will be shut until 1st October at least. I don't think people can cope with that, even if they are working from home.
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Post by Martin on May 13, 2020 10:39:51 GMT
I was speaking to my best mate last night, he's been furloughed for 7 or 8 weeks and is starting to think he won't ever be going back to that job (he's a quality assessor at a bodyshop) which will prey on his mind and cause increasing anxiety. Sadly he's one of those that wants to work, is always busy and is now starting to show early signs of stress at this and the lack of change to his routine while at home. Similarly on a management team conference call this morning the subject of our first 3 furloughees came up and none of them is coping brilliantly. One colleague told us that 2 businesses similar to ours have told their staff their office will be shut until 1st October at least. I don't think people can cope with that, even if they are working from home Yes, it's easy to focus on those who are enjoying furlough, there are people who do want to work. I've got over 20 people working in my sites who were on furlough (topped up to 100%), but would rather work than sit at home and I've just been able to bring back a couple of our solutions busy as I've been asked to look at the Network strategy again as the assumptions on volume/growth we have when we did the 5 year plan about 6 months ago are completely out of date. We're already past year 5 and creaking due to insufficient operating space.
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Post by chipbutty on May 13, 2020 10:57:27 GMT
I hope it is also a minority snap shot and that the silent majority is more sensible.
I also hope that team BoJo manage to grow a pair and start to use more and more of the data to neutralise the wetties and change the mood music.
Unfortunately, based on the way the last 2 months have gone, I'm shit out of hope currently.
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Post by PG on May 13, 2020 13:57:41 GMT
Much of the Facebook / Twitter hand-wringing is politically based: it was Boris and the Tories' fault so end of story. There's the odd sprinkling of scientific study but largely it's wankers making a point that this is the "wrong government and they told everyone so". As a parent the school issue fucks me off immeasurably.... If private schools can organise zoom lessons online from 9-4 most days, why the heck can't the state system do that? And make attendance compulsory or you're guilty of truant. I did see that the teachers felt they could not do that as not everyone has access to a screen / the internet. Well based on the amount of money we are spending as a nation, it would be cheaper to loan all those a free ipad and and 4G contract than allow their education to be utterly fucked up. I saw some primary school teachers on TV last night about not wanting to re-open the schools and have seen comments from union reps and unbelievably from head teachers too. What a hopeless bunch of wasters. I apologise profusely to any teachers who want to go back and who want to teach, but all that lot yesterday struck me as quite happy, thank you, to be at home on full pay and want to do everything they can to make sure that their full pay for less (hardly any?) work lasts right through until September at the earliest and if at all possible, 2021. A child is more likely to be killed falling down the stairs than from COVID-19.
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Post by Martin on May 13, 2020 14:03:26 GMT
My sister is a primary school teacher and is in school 1 week a month covering lessons for children of key workers, which she's volunteered to do and enjoys. The other 2 weeks she's doing online lessons, but it's not every day and she'd be much happier back in school full time.
My 14 year old was having online lessons through Teams, with decent amounts of homework set, but that's dropped off significantly. He can now get everything he's set for the week done in less than a day and (unfortunately) thinks it is great being off school. My 18 year old was due to be taking his A levels soon and when the lockdown first started was following his normal timetable but just online. He was being set essays and told that they would have a bearing on his final results but now that isn't the case it's all stopped and college is all over now.
I had an argument with my 18 year old about furlough yesterday as he was all for being paid to do nothing and thought anyone who would rather be in work was mad. I blame his mother, she's happy not working and living off a combination of her partner and the maintenance I pay while she does very little.....
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Post by Tim on May 13, 2020 14:18:28 GMT
Mrs Tim works in assessment for a local university and tells me all the lectures are being recorded and put online through some portal for the students. She's currently organising exams for students who are currently scattered round the globe so will be invigilating exams in a shift pattern at odd hours of the day and night. It's not running 100% smoothly but I think they're getting there.
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Post by ChrisM on May 13, 2020 17:25:43 GMT
Younger daughter works in a children's nursery..... she had a call today as they are planning to re-open on 1 June. She will be off Furlough after the next Bank Hol, as some of the staff have to go in and start getting the place ready (including her). She's also looking at moving flat ASAP, we are hoping to go view the place she has found on Saturday but of course have to go and come straight back as you can't stop off at a cafe etc for lunch out, as they are all still closed :-( So likely 2 to 3 hours in the car for a 20 minute viewing
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Post by Alex on May 13, 2020 21:44:32 GMT
The issue with schools not opening is the simple fact that the parents of children are now being told by their employers that they must return to work as the government has said they can, so what to do with the kids? Cant send them to granny because shes elderly and has to be shielded and childcare facilities are also not opening. Employers are in many cases not extending furlough just because you have children and with mass unemployment looming they know there are plenty others who will do your job if you cant.
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Post by garry on May 13, 2020 21:49:33 GMT
Younger daughter works in a children's nursery..... she had a call today as they are planning to re-open on 1 June. She will be off Furlough after the next Bank Hol, as some of the staff have to go in and start getting the place ready (including her). She's also looking at moving flat ASAP, we are hoping to go view the place she has found on Saturday but of course have to go and come straight back as you can't stop off at a cafe etc for lunch out, as they are all still closed :-( So likely 2 to 3 hours in the car for a 20 minute viewing Take sandwiches, find a park, have a picnic!
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Post by ChrisM on May 14, 2020 8:01:50 GMT
Finding an open public toilet is higher up my list than stopping for a picnic !
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Post by PetrolEd on May 14, 2020 8:26:27 GMT
Much of the Facebook / Twitter hand-wringing is politically based: it was Boris and the Tories' fault so end of story. There's the odd sprinkling of scientific study but largely it's wankers making a point that this is the "wrong government and they told everyone so". As a parent the school issue fucks me off immeasurably.... If private schools can organise zoom lessons online from 9-4 most days, why the heck can't the state system do that? And make attendance compulsory or you're guilty of truant. I did see that the teachers felt they could not do that as not everyone has access to a screen / the internet. Well based on the amount of money we are spending as a nation, it would be cheaper to loan all those a free ipad and and 4G contract than allow their education to be utterly fucked up. I saw some primary school teachers on TV last night about not wanting to re-open the schools and have seen comments from union reps and unbelievably from head teachers too. What a hopeless bunch of wasters. I apologise profusely to any teachers who want to go back and who want to teach, but all that lot yesterday struck me as quite happy, thank you, to be at home on full pay and want to do everything they can to make sure that their full pay for less (hardly any?) work lasts right through until September at the earliest and if at all possible, 2021. A child is more likely to be killed falling down the stairs than from COVID-19. Unfortunately your living in an ideal world there. The needs in the state system are not like they are in the private school system. My missus (deputy head)has to go round with the head teacher delivering meals to a large number of houses to make sure the child has had a proper meal that day. This is Fleet in Hampshire regularly ranked as one of the nicest places to live in the UK, its not Tottenham or toxteth so you can imagine the problems in those areas. Schools are woefully under resourced therefore have no laptops to give out and if they did go to a number of needy homes they'd never be seen again. The teachers can't just carry on teaching as per normal as only a handful of kids will be home schooled currently which leaves a shit storm when the kids return of them all being at different levels. Kids are provided with work for the week. speaking to mates who have their kids at private schools they are doing no more then then state system. They are handing out work sheets at the beginning of the week and are only getting 20% of the school fees for the privilege, they really aren't happy. But its a case they're all in the same boat so therefore something the schools will have to work on to get everyone back on track. All schools should be opening on the 1st June however the instructions are to open if you can. Therefore if there is a high number of people self isolating for whatever reason the schools will not be able to open. You'll also have a number of parents who won't be sending kids back which is a whole other problem.
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Post by johnc on May 14, 2020 8:37:37 GMT
My daughter has online lessons most days and has stacks of homework which she has to e-mail to the teachers. She has already started her Advanced Highers course so it should be a good head start for next year. She moans a bit about having to be up and online at 9am but she is much better with a structure to her day than sitting about playing games on her phone. Her English teacher in particular is putting in an enormous amount of effort to help and motivate the children. As a parent I am extremely grateful that not all teachers are looking for a free ride through this crisis and some clearly have a very big conscience.
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Post by Eff One on May 14, 2020 8:45:40 GMT
Yes, it's easy to focus on those who are enjoying furlough, there are people who do want to work. I've been furloughed since 9 April and although it makes looking after Mini Eff immeasurably easier (Mrs Eff is working from home and busier than ever), I'd be back at work in a heartbeat given the chance. I love my job, hate being off-grid, and the remaining members of my team are having a rough time - Google 'Carnival UK' and you'll see what I mean.
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Post by garry on May 14, 2020 9:03:34 GMT
Finding an open public toilet is higher up my list than stopping for a picnic ! Most service stations are open.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 14, 2020 9:22:56 GMT
Finding an open public toilet is higher up my list than stopping for a picnic ! Most service stations are open. I stopped going in public toilets when people kept finding George Michael lurking in them.
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Post by garry on May 14, 2020 10:38:54 GMT
Most service stations are open. I stopped going in public toilets when people kept finding George Michael lurking in them. Chris’s trip now has entertainment too!
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2020 10:50:21 GMT
I always thought Michael Jackson as the cadaver most likely to frequent public toilets. He had the nack.
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Post by Big Blue on May 14, 2020 11:43:35 GMT
Back to private school vs state:
Our neighbour is a teacher in a private school. Firstly she hates not being at school teaching as the interaction with kids is the reason she's a teacher. Their school does have online lessons in accordance with a timetable but as pointed out these folks (parents) do have the money to enable this. However the bursar is in trouble as lots of parents are either paying less and some not at all - state schools and teacher wages are being funded one way or another so the private sector isn't a bed of roses.
The biggest issue we're experiencing is shared broadband. Now we're on a fibre network with speeds and capacity to match but then so is the rest of the area and we're all using it to the max for long periods. Worst culprit seems to be the W2.1's VPN which sucks up loads of space when she's document handling. First world problems and all that....
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2020 12:11:01 GMT
Church schools used to have a pretty good reputation but that seems to be as variable as any other school type now.
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Post by Big Blue on May 14, 2020 12:12:47 GMT
Church schools used to have a pretty good reputation but that seems to be as variable as any other school type now. T1 went to a CofE school. He was 18 the week before last - doesn't believe in any kind of religion so it didn't work
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