To write to school to tell them not to give my 7 year old a LFT

Tal45 · 04/01/2022 19:55

That seems strange, firstly LFT's are for people without symptoms and secondly surely they can't do the test without your express permission. I know even at my DS's secondary school we have to give permission everytime they're going to test before going back to school, permission doesn't roll over from the previous time.

I would write in the diary that you don't give permission for your dd to be given an LFT at school.

Original poster

drspouse · 04/01/2022 19:57

I have! Don't worry.
They have form for being slightly bananas.

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 04/01/2022 19:58

They shouldn't be giving them in primary school as its not within their remit. If they have symptoms they should get sent home and ask them to go for a PCR

CaptainMyCaptain · 04/01/2022 19:59

@drspouse

Letter home from school. If a child shows symptoms of COVID the school team will administer a LFT and ring us afterwards. If we want them to ring first we need to tell them by writing in their home school diary. NO. If my DD has COVID symptoms she needs isolation and a PCR. Done at home. By me. This is my (mainly) NT child but she screamed and kicked when she had a PCR test (and turned out to have COVID). So on the one hand... Good luck to them! But I'm not giving her an LFT with symptoms anyway!

When I was a teacher we weren't even allowed to look in children's hair for head lice. I can't imagine being allowed to give them a LFT.

pinkmink · 04/01/2022 20:00

Why is a LFT only for people without symptoms?

Surely they still work?

dementedpixie · 04/01/2022 20:02

Because with the false negative rate of LFT a negative result couldn't be trusted to be a true result.

Thehop · 04/01/2022 20:02

Definitely not okay for them to do this what if they went too high up the nose? Their insurance wouldn’t cover an invasive procedure!!

Can’t check for bits but doing this?

I’d honestly let OFSTED know it’s crackers.

Firawla · 04/01/2022 20:04

Not okay at all. I would contact them to say do not lateral flow my child under any circumstances, or perform any kind of test on my child. They are not even allowed to do that. Testing and then contacting afterwards, when it’s too late for parents to say no?!

ballsdeep · 04/01/2022 20:04

We can't even give a plaster without having four sheets signed by parents so I doubt very much they can do this. The poor staff who have to do it!

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 04/01/2022 20:08

Yes I would inform them (politely but not giving room for doubt/ interpretation) that you don’t consent to this, and they can’t do a LFT on your child.

I don’t think they’re meant to be used on under 11s officially (although of course many of us have used them on non symptomatic children in that age group before seeing relatives etc) and definitely not if you’re symptomatic.

Thebig3 · 04/01/2022 20:19

This is appalling! There seems to be many cases of things like this happening in schools etc seems many schools are going against government guidelines and making up their own rules.

Our school (primary) has just brought in a rule that if anyone tests positive for covid in the house then no child can attend school for 5 days and must have a negative pcr before they return. This is not in the gov guidelines at all!

saraclara · 04/01/2022 20:25

@Thebig3

This is appalling! There seems to be many cases of things like this happening in schools etc seems many schools are going against government guidelines and making up their own rules.

Our school (primary) has just brought in a rule that if anyone tests positive for covid in the house then no child can attend school for 5 days and must have a negative pcr before they return. This is not in the gov guidelines at all!

It isn't, but it's by far the more sensible action. Schools are in one hell of a difficult situation right now. And the family members of anyone with Omicron are very very likely to get it, and will be spreading it at school before they're even symptomatic.

Thebig3 · 04/01/2022 20:33

@saraclara

It may seem sensible to some people but where does it stop? What about parents who have to go to work still and now can't because their children aren't at school? If my husband tested positive I could still go to work as I'm fully vaccinated but my kids could go to school?

Thebig3 · 04/01/2022 20:34

*couldnt

TreeLawney · 04/01/2022 20:36

[quote Thebig3]@saraclara

It may seem sensible to some people but where does it stop? What about parents who have to go to work still and now can't because their children aren't at school? If my husband tested positive I could still go to work as I'm fully vaccinated but my kids could go to school?[/quote]
Your husband could look after them?

This is what I had to do when 2dc + I had Covid in October. DH had to go to work every day.

Original poster

drspouse · 04/01/2022 20:41

That's completely beside the point. If she needs a test I will give it, and it will be a PCR.

OP posts:

balalake1 · 04/01/2022 20:42

I'm glad you are willing to do this, I'd guess there are parents who would not.

WonderfulYou · 04/01/2022 20:44

Most schools are doing LFTs.
You either have to give your consent or withdraw your consent.
You would have had a letter/email.

Just give them a ring tomorrow and say you don’t give consent.

There’s a child at my school who refuses to do the test so her dad asks us to try but if not does it himself at home.

Due a shortage of LFTs and disruption to lessons, I can’t see it being a regular thing.

WonderfulYou · 04/01/2022 20:48

I personally would prefer this.

Although LFTs can be false negatives, I’d rather my child is kept in school if they have a cough or feel achey and they’re negative for covid.
It has do many different symptoms that no child would be in school if they just went by symptoms.

3mealsaday · 04/01/2022 20:55

I wouldn't want anyone but my DH and I to administer an LFT to our DS. Sometimes he is cooperative but that usually stops when the swab is inserted and his head needs to be held incredibly firmly to do the test and prevent him injuring himself by thrashing around. I can't imagine a teacher being willing to restrain a young child in this way or take the risk of injuring them.

Howshouldibehave · 04/01/2022 20:58

Goodness, I’m surprised by this. Which local authority is it? I’d drop the LA a line to check they know what the head is doing.

If a child has symptoms, they need to isolate and be taken for a PCR test by their parents.

Original poster

drspouse · 04/01/2022 20:59

You would have had a letter/email
PRIMARY schools don't do regular testing.
If you read my OP you'll see that they didn't ask permission. They just told us.

OP posts:

Pixies74 · 04/01/2022 21:00

Our primary school has asked that children do LFTs before going back tomorrow, as they said a lot of children were asymptomatic before Christmas.

Fair enough asking, but I'm not going to subject my 5-year-old to one uneccesarily. She's had two PCRs and each one was incredibly traumatic.

But no way would they administer them themselves at school.. They've said if a child has symptoms they will ask for them to be collected and sent for a PCR.

What's the point in them doing this? It's not going to change the course of action whether it's negative or positive?? The parents are still going to have to take them for a PCR?

Unless do you think they think parents will lie about taking them for a PCR?! So if the LFT is positive, they have evidence that the child shouldn't be in school?!

Original poster

drspouse · 04/01/2022 21:01

@Howshouldibehave

Goodness, I’m surprised by this. Which local authority is it? I’d drop the LA a line to check they know what the head is doing.

If a child has symptoms, they need to isolate and be taken for a PCR test by their parents.

Might not be a bad idea. School does not like us so we are confining our communication with them to "do not test our DD, thanks"

OP posts:

PickledPeppa · 04/01/2022 21:04

If a child shows symptoms of COVID the school team will administer a LFT and ring us afterwards.
If we want them to ring first we need to tell them by writing in their home school diary.

If something goes wrong, the school will need to be able to prove that they absolutely had the parent's consent to administer the test. It's not enough to say, "Well they didn't say no..."

Even my DC's secondary school will only administer LFTs if the parent has given their consent and the child themselves has also consented. They don't just presume that it's all okay just because no one has actually said no to them.

At the primary school where I work, we have to have signed consent from the parent(s) before we're allowed to even put a plaster on a grazed knee. Even then we wouldn't put one on a child who didn't want one. Carrying out an LFT on a child who had no written parental consent and who was refusing to co-operate with the test would be unthinkable.