The ‘School Covid tester’ recruitment drive has begun...

[Whattimeisdinner]

What could possibly go wrong?
AIBU to think ‘a lot’?

www.google.co.uk/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#fpstate=tlexp&htiq=school%20covid%20testing%20jobs%20uk

Link doesn’t work!
Google ‘School Covid tester jobs U.K.’

Why would anything go wrong?

£10 an hour though, wonder if teachers will get any additional pay for the extra administrative and time burden, and whether they will be able to isolate now if contact with positive cases.

@Backbee

£10 an hour though, wonder if teachers will get any additional pay for the extra administrative and time burden, and whether they will be able to isolate now if contact with positive cases.

Teachers won't have any involvement, schools are struggling to get enough of them for the classrooms.

It will be the head and support staff.

@Backbee

£10 an hour though, wonder if teachers will get any additional pay for the extra administrative and time burden, and whether they will be able to isolate now if contact with positive cases.

All secondary school staff are having routine testing from January-they will have daily testing if they come in contact but no self isolation - same for students.

I know there was a thread on it already but the idea that they don’t need to be DBS checked is quite worrying

Those jobs re all agencies on speculation.

Most schools won't use agency- they are trying to reduce random adults in schools.

@user1493413286

I know there was a thread on it already but the idea that they don’t need to be DBS checked is quite worrying

Schools will use their lunchtime staff on more hours etc - if it is being funded but there has been mixed messages on that

@user1493413286

I know there was a thread on it already but the idea that they don’t need to be DBS checked is quite worrying

They'll not be caring for children (and from the plans I've seen won't be alone with them) so they don't qualify for being DBS checked.

People are used to every single person setting foot in a school being DBS checked when that should never actually (in accordance with the DBS system) have happened.

There are already widescale tests going on in schools local to me and it seems to be working fine (although I'd have to ask my friend who teaches there is she's had any additional burden). The positive is that they're catching asymptomatic spreaders so reducing the number of staff that are catching it then staying off school.

Schools will use their lunchtime staff on more hours etc - if it is being funded but there has been mixed messages on that

Secondary school lunchtime staff are the teachers themselves!

That's good re: teachers. Well, not good overall for them, but good in regards to this. I've looked at the local job ads and they require an enhanced dbs.

I’ll be volunteering if needed. Anything that helps keeps the kids in school. I have a DBS and lots of experience working with kids which hopefully helps.
I don’t disagree with the principle but expecting schools to sort this out themselves is extraordinary

It’s more than I get paid in my school as a tutor 😂. Has anyone seen guidance on if parents do not consent to their child being tested?

At my sons school they have stated even volunteers will need to be dbs checked x

Are the kids doing it themselves? If so what is the point re accuracy?If not how well trained are the staff going to be? The “ volunteer” who rammed the swab up my nose caused swelling and was soo painful. Hospital testing was completely different.

If not how well trained are the staff going to be?

They get to watch a video.

There's really nothing to panic about.

No DBS because they will be supervised at all times - this isn't new, has always been the rule. Otherwise parents evenings etc could never happen.

Supervision from SLT and support staff who won't be doing extra hours, they are just being re-directed. Not ideal as their roles are important, but so is this.

People being recruited are largely from the families of the staff and children we teach - people who have lost their jobs this year, uni students who aren't going back until late Jan or Feb.

The only time it will take away from teaching staff is the time it takes to test them twice a week. Totalling around 10 mins in theory.

The purpose of this is to identify and isolate cases immediately so the rest can get on with getting an education. We could pick holes without offering a solution, sure - or how about we get behind it and see if it has the desired effect?

@ItStartedWithAKiss241

At my sons school they have stated even volunteers will need to be dbs checked x

The school won’t actually get to decide this.

There are rules over who qualifies to be DBS checked and who doesn’t. The over-use of the system is, slowly, being cracked down on.

Actually most secondary schools hire midday supervisors. Teachers are entitled to a lunch hour.

the t is incredibly easy, only nostril swab, results are very quick and since it started in the NHS has been really effective. I have had 50% of my team off over last 2 weeks who would not have known they had Covid had they not been home testing. Nightmare from a staffing point of view but better that then NHS staff giving Covid to patients in for non Covid reasons.

There's really nothing to panic about.

Then why is the DfE offering £1000 bonuses to DfE staff who work on this over Christmas? Sounds like someone is panicking there about the total lack of a plan. Up to 200 extra DfE staff needed, apparently.

The only time it will take away from teaching staff is the time it takes to test them twice a week. Totalling around 10 mins in theory.

A poster on another thread has been involved in the pilot sheme of this, and it takes a lot longer than 10 minutes.

I hope @WildWaterSwimmer doesn't mind me reposting, but it's certainly not a quick process.

We've been piloting the testing at our school. The students do the test themselves under supervision. You need staff to register each individual's barcode; process each test (takes about 5 mins); clean and disinfect in between each test; wait 30 minutes for the test to develop then another member of staff records the result by scanning it on the NHS app which automatically sends an email with the result.

The student has to remain in the testing hall for about 35 mins, because of social distancing you have to test students in batches. It takes 9 members of staff around 3 hours to test 100 students.

@Fieldofyellowflowers, I'm in my 26th year of secondary teaching and never taught in a school which hired in midday supervisors. We get a free lunch if we run a club or do a lunch duty. No clubs running due to Covid so I'm quite enjoying having a lunch break to myself.

If you mean staff who work in the kitchen, some of whom them also clean at the end of the day then I could see some of them being deployed for an hour or two in the morning before they would normally start work.

My friend is a secondary head and they've put this out informally to mid day supervisors and part time TAs, there's been a lot of interest as it's well paid compared to their usual roles and they're already in that environment having contact with those children so they don't see it as much additional risk.