To think school parents won’t get themselves or their kids tested

[Sistery]

...and will probably send in kids who should be isolating?

I did a Covid test last week (negative). It wasn’t terrible but was a faff and uncomfortable.

I just think that if so many people won’t even wear a bit of fabric over their face to protect others then they definitely won’t miss work or stick a swab in their nose/throat. Especially bearing in mind that they’ll have to do it every single time anyone in their family has a cough or temperature or can’t smell anything (all winter... ) They just won’t. People send sick kids to school a lot anyway - it’s how sick bugs and viruses fly round so easily so they’re already inclined to do this, and given the government is pushing hard at the narrative that Covid is some magical virus that children conveniently don’t spread, parents will be even more likely to send them. Especially if it’s someone else in the household that’s got symptoms

We just don’t seem to live in a country with a strong sense of social responsibility but equally we don’t enforce any so no temperature checks or mandatory PPE or anything at school.

YABU = People will isolate for 10 days if they get any Covid symptoms and their household will isolate for 14, until a throat and nasal swab shows a negative result, and they’ll repeat this every time anyone in the household gets any symptoms all winter.
YANBU: No they won’t.

Most people have abided by the rules and they continue to do so. Most of them are asking for tests when they do have the symptoms and they do isolate.
For me the problem is those so called symptoms. Many people mildly affected actually have different symptoms ( like diarrhea, sore throat or turedness) instead of fever, cough or loss of taste/ smell. So further symptoms should be included in the guidance or we risk to miss some of the infected.
If it were in the guidance, I think most people would indeed get a test.

The symptoms not matching the testing criteria is another issue I guess. Two unrelated confirmed cases I know had gastro symptoms and only tested as they’d had a confirmed contact with a positive case.

YANBU. My worries exactly. The number of times a child in my class has gleefully told me "I was up all night being sick Miss!" is unreal. People send their kids in when they're sick all the time.

So you need to isolate if the test is negative?

I can’t see people just missing 10 days of GCSE/A level courses whilst they sit on their bums waiting at home with no symptoms. Schools need to record lessons if pupils are expected to be absent for 10 days at a time.

Sistery, the ever expanding symptoms is another cause for concern.
It took ages for the loss of smell and taste to be added.
Why are we so slow and clunky to react to anything in the UK. Its maddening!
Sore eyes, runny nose, many times nothing to do with temperature at all.
I think I had the gastro one?
Diarrhea, nose, tingly, loss of smell...

False negatives is still a pretty big problems with the test so I imagine it would be easy to just not swab far inside your throat or nose and get a negative. But in truth I don’t think this is the main risk. I think people will just send their kids in with symptoms other than an obvious cough, and will send them in if a household member has any symptom including an obvious cough.

Beep apart from the actual vomit though, people are under a lot of stress to send children to school. It's been drummed into us.

It's one of the reasons I think there should be daily temperature checks at registration.

Another thing that the return to school guidance says schools shouldn’t do!

We would and have.
I work for the NHS, I’ve been tested twice (due to me/my family having symptoms). Both times we’ve had to all down tools and stay in.

How long you have to stay in and how easy the tests are to access will become issues. I just checked, and my nearest testing centre is 45 minutes down a motorway. Handy. So a wait for postal tests to arrive and be returned then.
I thought they were supposed to be ramping up testing? Another joke.

We live in a culture which doesn't allow people to be ill.

Kids get certificates in school for not being ill. Adults get let go from jobs / passed over for promotion if they don't prioritise their jobs over their kids.

It's massively unhelpful to blame this one on the parents.

No doubt once teacher are looking for homework there will be some students who start coughing and are then sent home for 2 weeks

Yes I wish schools were going to check temperatures. But even then I suppose a morning dose of calpol could defeat it.

I’ve been reading the comments in our local FB group (never a good idea!) and it’s all ‘Covid is totally overblown’ type stuff so I don’t see people like that bothering to test or isolate.

@Helloitsmemargaret Yes good point. A lot of emphasis on school attendance at all costs.

Just out of interest why aren't schools allowed to ask to see negative results? are they allowed to ask to see positive results? Surely it would be better for everyone if they had to see them to allow children to go back?

Dont worry OP. The education minister says theres no evidence to suggest it spreads in schools so all is good

Despite the fact that it was in a school early on in my area and did indeed spread to other pupils.

I think there will be all sorts of pressures on parents though. A lot of people are worried about redundancy and taking repeated time off work is going to be a sacrifice many can't afford. Weve already seen employers (even an NHS one) try to force staff in to work when those staff had COVID symptoms.

I won't be testing my DC however I will take the isolation without arguments due to not testing

@Thegreymethod

Just out of interest why aren't schools allowed to ask to see negative results? are they allowed to ask to see positive results? Surely it would be better for everyone if they had to see them to allow children to go back?

Indeed. There are lots of things in the government school guidance that make no sense. It goes some way to explain why teachers are wary of the plan and a bit pissed off.

If a child is showing any signs of the virus, they’ll be sent home immediately, parents won’t just be able to send them in with a cough/temp like they do a lot of the time. It’ll be a case of keep them off for the isolation period or get them tested, they won’t have a choice if they want them back in school. Schools can also ask for evidence that testing has been done.

Its a tough one in our house as my eldest child is 13 and I would let him take the test my 10 year old however I would not. He has autism ADHD ocd and an eating disorder. He cannot put new foods in his mouth so what chance is there of a swab in his throat. He also will not put anything near his nose so I guess if the youngest gets a cough we will be stuck home if the eldest gets one he can be tested.

Although I agree in principle. Schools will send home sick kids now so hopefully the shoving the kid into school with calpol and fingers crossed days are over.

A good thing all round really.

Remember ... the Government issued paper for schools is “guidance” not rules/legislation. There will be many schools (I know several in the local authority that I teach in) who will be asking for confirmation of results before children are allowed back.

One of the problems, as is demonstrated on all threads about the pandemic, is that the guidelines and testing facilities and everything is so unclear and confused that lots of people dont know what they need to do and when. My son has asthma, which gives him a cough all winter - I'm hoping that doesnt mean he misses lots if school this year but if he does when do the rest of the family and I need to isolate/test? At what point do I decide it's not his normal winter cough and keep my family inside? How quickly would I get a test result and then what do I need to do? I really dont want to infect anyone but at the same time I need to work to pay the mortgage, my kids need school for their mental wellbeing as well as the education.
Some people will be pricks about it- some people always are but most people want to do what's right but also NEED to work. If we had a half competent government we'd have regular tests for school staff - they're at more risk than the children and would be an effective way of monitoring if it was in the school. It would be more efficient than relying on parents who are often, as other's have said, without sick pay and are not public health experts.

Out of curiosity.. what is stopping a parent testing themselves and passing it off as their child's sample?