To think that if testing in secondary is optional there's no point?

[FitbitCat]

We've just had a message from our head letting us know the school testing is optional and we will need to register our children if we want them tested. Surely this means the irresponsible families will just not register nor take part and there becomes little point to the whole exercise?

@VienneseWhirligig

grittle it is self administered by the child - not by staff. The DfE and NHS hosted a webinar today to explain it.

Good to hear

Is it just secondary? I’ve seen mixed posts

The guidance has changed since being released @MarshaBradyo so nothing is certain.

The press has reported that there will be volunteers helping (according to Nick Gibb) and teachers actually testing (according to Robert Jenrick) or children doing it alone-I don’t think it’s been confirmed.

I think it’s secondary from 4th January and then primary by Easter.

Thanks Achristmas

I don't see how you can make it compulsory and not everyone who doesn't consent is irresponsible

It doesn't affect my DC, but there is no way I would be consenting for a random person to perform a medical procedure on them. We are doing out best to be responsible and if DC get symptoms then we will isolate and arrange appropriate testing.

There are plans to roll out to primary later in the year according to what they said today. But they were very clear it was self administered, and if you read the handbook it shows the process.

I don't understand how this works.

Say Amy is positive but has no symptoms, she comes to school, sits at one desk, leaves traces picked up by another student who starts to pass it on too and may or may not show the 3 or 4 symptoms they test for.

As well as the desk Amy passes it onto to her classmates.

Some may or may not show symptoms, so only some get the offer of a test by which point, how many others have been infected over the course of a week?.
I don't get it?

Ie surely every pupil should be tested before they set foot in a classroom, and weed out those ones first and then do it every few days bar the students who can't do it?

@LolaSmiles

I don't see how you can make it compulsory and not everyone who doesn't consent is irresponsible

It doesn't affect my DC, but there is no way I would be consenting for a random person to perform a medical procedure on them. We are doing out best to be responsible and if DC get symptoms then we will isolate and arrange appropriate testing.

But the whole point of this plan is the majority of children are asymptomatic.

I have a LFT every time I visit my relative in a care home. My 9-year-old has had a test which was the same method to get a sample - back of throat, them up one nostril.

I’m generally squeamish and have strong gag reflex. DD is not stoic in the least, and was worried beforehand. However both DD and I found test unpleasant but not painful nor traumatic. I can understand how a child with ASD or an ASN would really struggle, particularly in a busy school hall, but personally I think most (not all!!) children would manage to be tested.

@LolaSmiles

I don't see how you can make it compulsory and not everyone who doesn't consent is irresponsible

It doesn't affect my DC, but there is no way I would be consenting for a random person to perform a medical procedure on them. We are doing out best to be responsible and if DC get symptoms then we will isolate and arrange appropriate testing.

The whole point is that a third of people show no symptoms.

This really really will help cut transmission in schools. It is a really really good thing for teachers and pupils.

@VienneseWhirligig

There are plans to roll out to primary later in the year according to what they said today. But they were very clear it was self administered, and if you read the handbook it shows the process.

Do you have a link for this? I haven't seen it in the news. I'd like to see what plans are for primary schools. Thank you.

This really really will help cut transmission in schools. It is a really really good thing for teachers and pupils

No, I don’t believe it will cut transmission and it isn’t a good thing in the slightest.

It is replacing self-isolation for close contacts/siblings of positive cases with inaccurate tests. I think it will increase transmission in schools.

This really really will help cut transmission in schools. It is a really really good thing for teachers and pupils.

Asymptomatic spread maybe, but as this will replace SI then you are simply robbing Peter to pay Paul.

X-posted

@sherrystrull I don't know if there is a link to any news reports, I heard about it in the live webinar today. The handbook is here but the woman from the DfE (Tess?) said the thing about primary. I don't know if the webinar will be published though

[quote VienneseWhirligig]@sherrystrull I don't know if there is a link to any news reports, I heard about it in the live webinar today. The handbook is here but the woman from the DfE (Tess?) said the thing about primary. I don't know if the webinar will be published though[/quote]
Thank you.

This really really will help cut transmission in schools

Any number of health workers/volunteers/parents will come into school every single day. Any number of children who are asymptomatic or who have active symptoms will be in school every day. Those workers/volunteers/parents/children will need ushering through school and will touch doors as a minimum and will need access to toilet facilities. Schools will be expected to provide handwash, paper towels and cleaning of bathroom and touch points.

Currently, any child who has been near a confirmed case goes home for 10 days.

Which scenario is likely to result in more cases?

In addition, it is quite clear that school staff are going to be expected to facilitate testing, many of whom will end up testing because no one with half a brain is going to volunteer to put themselves in front of who knows how many covid positive people every day. The result will be unnecessary deaths. This is not a ‘national effort’ so much as a piss take when literally millions has been thrown at testing daily fewer than will likely need testing in schools and a failed track and trace system already reliant on schools to do their job for them.

My family have been told to take legal action should I die.

We got the same leaflet, the swab is throat and nose. I’m surprised by the people who don’t think that’s a challenge. I struggled on myself not to touch any other part of my mouth and had tears running down my face from gagging and was sneezing repeatedly. If you don’t do it thoroughly it’s much less accurate...

My family have been told to take legal action should I die.

Mine too (or long term ill).

I can't imagine students volunteering to do this in the hall. I hate even having to do it in a car park surrounded by other cars. My DCs were done yesterday at the local hospital and the horse actually said 'we need to see you gag'. Who wants to be seen gagging and violently sneezing? What non-HCP should be expected to supervise that?

The horse didn't say anything at all I meant the nurse.

Dear me, what a bunch of pathetic moaners! It is clearly a positive thing testing school kids for covid.
Testing is not traumatising for your child, you are projecting your own anxieties. If everyone was as self absorbed as half the posters on here we would never get anywhere.

Has anyone seen the data from Birmingham university research on the sensitivity of the LFT? They're saying 3% sensitivity. So if there's 100 cases in a school, only 3 would test positive with this test. And 97 infected kids back into class.

I really want to comply with anything that helps stop the spread in schools, but this current scheme by the govt is an utter joke. It's not been tested by the govt properly for accuracy, it's not been funded or resourced for schools. It will have to be rushed into schools because they haven't had enough warning, and tests carried out by non-medical random volunteers. No way will they have time to dbs check or train enough volunteers to staff this, and safeguarding will go out the window.

I won't be consenting to my kids having this test while the effectiveness of it is so poor.

I will not be consenting for my DD

[quote Ffsffsffsffsffs]**@stanlet* It's not traumatic, is it?*

Obviously never had one yourself, or tried to administer a test on an 11 year old eh?[/quote]
How is a few minutes of discomfort less traumatic than being shut inside for 10 days?

more traumatic

How is a few minutes of discomfort less traumatic than being shut inside for 10 days?

For some children it is less traumatic to isolate than to be tested.