Indeed. Sorry, momentarily forgot.
We’ve been running twice a week since almost immediately after Teams was launched, with full staff and senior cadet commitment, plus the keenest of the newer ones. There are some we know can’t connect but are still working in the background, and a few we haven’t heard from. Our sessions have also been supporting other units’ provision.
So I’m not too worried about much of that potential loss of interest - moreso that we’ll run out of things to do, but forward planning is in place.
Any we lose, we likely would have at some point anyway.
1 Like
We’ve only had a 3rd of ours show up, 23/24 at most. And that’s reflected across the whole Wing.
We only run once a week, have done well for outside speakers, but it’s hard to work to get the cadets involved.
We’re bracing ourselves for losing a lot. Plus we’d run a recruitment night the week before lockdown, had 15 just starting.
Similar to us.
We had just taken in 11 just over a week prior. About 4 of them are currently engaging for a total of around 12-15 out of 44.
To be honest, I’m really starting to struggle with CBA syndrome.
5 Likes
From what our staff have said they are struggling to get more than 5 from a Sqn over 70 when I last checked. Our wing are planning on doing some things but yet to see the emails about that. So are we all staying Alert 
Very much feeling the same.
We’re getting a similar turn out and it’s kind of dispiriting. Also extrememly disappointed in the lack of engagement from the NCO team.
I’m in Wales so free to remain unalert and at home 
2 Likes
We’ve had between 2-5 cadets the nights we ran and we normally parade about 20/25. We decided to stop and give out info about online resources for classifications and what not. The wing has had a few external speakers on Teams that cadets have went to though.
I think staff and Cdt NCOs both CBA but there’s no point forcing training if no one wants to do it.
Found this. Very creative, find a solution rather than constantly say why you can’t. Maybe councils, schools and teaching unions could take the notion on board, not circles perhaps but look for way to make reopening schools work. They’ve only had 2 months to think of something.
Just when I think I have a handle on the breadth of your ignorance, you go and pull another blinder.
5 Likes
Why because out there in the world people are finding and implementing solutions, while all we seem to hear is nope can’t do that. Supermarkets and similar shops have remained open almost from day one and as much of pain queueing and trying to not get too close to people is once inside, we have adapted to it. Life has to go on, and this is an interesting solution to get around a problem.
Like it or not restrictions will ease and to just sit there saying can’t do this or that all the time is not an option. I get it that schools won’t be easy, but the combined management of councils, schools and unions (as it seems the schools are still a bastion of unionism) have had 2 months to look at solutions, (unless they hoped this is how it would be for ever), such that when the suggestion of reopening appears, they will have got ways of doing it, restricting numbers and changing classroom configurations (where possible) seems to be the most obvious. Whether or not parents want to send their kids back or if teachers want to go back, is another matter entirely.
Given a number of schools have been open for vulnerable and “keyworker” children, they have been operating at some level. I hope that I’m wrong but because unions are ‘lefty’ the fact we have a Conservative govt whatever they did or said it would be wrong. If they said schools will be shut until the magical 1st Sep, I could see the unions moaning that the kids need to be back in school.
Schools especially reopening is key to getting the economy up and running. I can’t believe, working with them, that parents want to be off work indefinitely. If we wait until it is “safe” (whatever that really means) it could be a long wait. It will be interesting to see what happens when the govt handouts end or the weather turns bad at the moment there is no incentive for many to even. I hear a lot of kids playing in gardens or out and about. I bet a couple of weeks bad weather and parents will be all over SM moaning at schools, as they don’t like being cooped up with their kiddywinks. We have been lucky that this cropped up in one of the best April/May periods generally for several years. When I’ve been off it’s been nice to be able to potter around in the garden. Had the weather been crap, not so.
Supermarkets aren’t schools. You don’t sit at the same desk as six other people in a supermarket, and you certainly don’t all cram into one corridor (designed in the 60s for half as many people) eight times a day.
3 Likes
Rather than picking on each other, let’s think about how this could help you restart activities. I like the circles idea (and there was a picture in the paper of French children in the playground doing the same). Could you do drill like that? What else could you do?
What can we do rather than what can’t?
(Though as a teacher I can say that my union membership is likely to be cancelled soon)
Which looked awful. Kids sat in chalked off squares in their coats on the playground while teachers watched on.
1 Like
Sitmo…
Kinderlager?
2 Likes
Sure, but these are little children. Teenagers can understand.
That’s one of the most depressing images I have seen in a while.
2 Likes
Not some of the teenagers I’m working with… But, to be fair, even when school is open they don’t go!
1 Like
There it is again @NivlacSupreme echoing the rhetoric of the last few weeks, can’t even try and think of something. Yes in a supermarket unless you are on a till you won’t be sitting anywhere, but just think of the daily footfall, with people who may have had it, didn’t know they had it, on the verge of coming down with it, around lord knows how many people. I’m sure if there had been an unusual number of supermarket/shop workers coming down with it, it would have been headline news.
Are you a union rep? One of our union reps started making noises when this kicked in and was told to wind his neck in. It’s not going to be easy but it can be managed, as I say the education management/influencers have had 2 months to devise a working practice, not wait until you get a notional date suggested and go off on one, citing “not enough time”. It seems ironic that they will organise trips months in advance (like we do) but this is beyond them. It seemed schools were quick enough to shut up shop and got to home schooling with things put online, which would have been a lot more problematic than reopening. For one do the kids have sufficient IT given there is likely to be more than one child in the house at school. As I understand it they were prepping for closing 2-3 weeks beforehand as according to one of my mates the talk in the school was closing the week before Easter, it was a week earlier but they were good to go.
If you only have the vital years say 10 and those in the 1st year of A Levels, not as many kids and even then they can be reduced down to one or two form classes, so say 60 kids max per day and use classrooms that are remote from each other, then further measures like different breaks, one way systems, groups given an area to congregate to avoid overcrowding. If I worked in school management I think I’d be marked as a heretic. Primary schools are a different kettle of fish but with some innovative thinking, not impossible.
Looking at our local secondaries they each have 10/11 50+ seat coaches everyday, not to mention other kids coming by bus or train from out of area. That’s a bigger problem than managing the actual school day. This has been the case since before our kids started at one of them. Bad weather or accidents in the surrounding area, can see numbers depleted.
@Paracetamol The most depressing thing is when I’ve been walking around our rec and seeing families with young children and the silent swings, climbing frames etc being roped off and chained up or tied with cable ties. That is a depressing sight. Mind you someone has made a rope swing on one of the trees at the back of the rec, which I’ve seen kids using and climbing the trees. At least in the picture they are in the fresh air and playing of sorts with their friends, rather than being cooped up indoors.
So, how long can we go on for delivering ‘virtually’ before staff and cadets tire or get bored? Is there a time after which we will have lost too many staff and cadets and any restart will be difficult?