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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

129 replies

drspouse · 04/01/2022 19:51

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!

OP posts:
UpDownRound · 04/01/2022 21:04

I'm a teacher and no way would I administer a LFT. Totally not in my job description and I'd be concerned about the repercussions. I'd be very surprised if most of my colleagues didn't feel the same.

Mumofsend · 04/01/2022 21:07

I wouldn't be agreeing to this at all in primary.

I'm fairly sure an invasive medical procedure within a primary is substantially out of their remit and they are on very very iffy ground.

I did want to LFT my kids prior to going back but alas, there aren't any available.

ittakes2 · 04/01/2022 21:24

The newer lateral flow tests can be used with symptoms.

greenlynx · 04/01/2022 21:26

I would put it in her diary and also email to the reception/ head teacher that you don’t give permission to test your DD, just in case. I remember there was something last year about support staff undergoing training to help with testing, it was about secondary but people who could come out with this school letter could come out with any ideas. I wouldn’t take my chances.

dementedpixie · 04/01/2022 21:26

@ittakes2

The newer lateral flow tests can be used with symptoms.
That's not the point Primary school is not where the child should be tested
Dolphinnoises · 04/01/2022 21:35

@pinkmink

Why is a LFT only for people without symptoms?

Surely they still work?

They absolutely do. This is some early comms fail in the U.K. which won’t die.
Cantfindausernamethatsnottaken · 04/01/2022 21:35

Challenge it with the educatin authority.LFT is an invasive procedure not a teachers place to be undertaking.

Summerfun54321 · 04/01/2022 21:40

Why on earth would a school expect their teachers to come into very close contact with a suspected covid case in order to take a swab? Surely it’s in their interest to send the child home ASAP and get the parents to test them.

justasking111 · 04/01/2022 21:41

Could it be considered assault, OP said her child resisted when they had to do it??

Gwenhwyfar · 04/01/2022 21:41

@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!

but is totally logical. Someone who lives with a positive person should not be mixing anyway.
Gwenhwyfar · 04/01/2022 21:43

"I wouldn't want anyone but my DH and I to administer an LFT to our DS."

So not a doctor or nurse either???

Arethechildreninbedyet · 04/01/2022 21:48

Fuck that with bells on.

‘Good Morning, I would like to place in writing that I do not consent to my daughter ‘Emily Jones’, year three to be given a lateral flow test by staff. Should the need arise for her to be tested please do not hesitate to contact me and I will take her to be formally tested. Kind Regards.’

Done. There will be dozens of parents going the same.

Original poster
drspouse · 04/01/2022 21:53

@Gwenhwyfar

"I wouldn't want anyone but my DH and I to administer an LFT to our DS."

So not a doctor or nurse either???

Well, I suppose it is more in a doctor/nurse's job description to get bitten/kicked so maybe...
OP posts:
RoyalFamilyFan · 04/01/2022 21:53

I am not sure I believe this.

PriamFarrl · 04/01/2022 21:56

@pinkmink

Why is a LFT only for people without symptoms?

Surely they still work?

They do work.

The idea is that if you have symptoms then don’t waste time with LFT go straight for a PCR.
LFTs are being used to pick up asymptomatic cases.
However some people have taken this to mean that LFTs can’t be used if you have symptoms.
Everyone I know who has had covid had a positive LFT first, including people with symptoms. I did one myself because it was 9 at night and I wouldn’t be able to get a PCR until morning.

Original poster
drspouse · 04/01/2022 22:00

@RoyalFamilyFan

I am not sure I believe this.
I'm happy to DM you a redacted copy of the letter from school if you like. Or, you could just report the thread.
OP posts:
FrecklesMalone · 04/01/2022 22:00

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Original poster
drspouse · 04/01/2022 22:02

The idea is that if you have symptoms then don’t waste time with LFT go straight for a PCR.
We would just do a PCR with DD because she hated the first one so much.
We might do LFT on us just to get an early result, but not for her.

OP posts:
Original poster
drspouse · 04/01/2022 22:05

@FrecklesMalone

I call bullshit. No posts since 2014 and then resurrected an old username for this.
Seriously? You need to up your advanced search skills. I post pretty much daily under this name. I started another AIBU a day or two ago. Report away.
OP posts:
3mealsaday · 04/01/2022 22:07

I cannot believe that any teachers are willing to do this.

DontTellThemYourNamePike · 04/01/2022 22:15

I'm slightly sidetracked by how your DD can be (mainly) NT. Is that a new thing?

Laceoff · 04/01/2022 22:16

How strange. I still need to fill in a form online every time the school want to give my DS a lft & he's 17 not 7.

Siepie · 04/01/2022 22:21

@FrecklesMalone

I call bullshit. No posts since 2014 and then resurrected an old username for this.
What? Drspouse is a name I recognise from mumsnet - and you can see from an advanced search that they post regularly!

OP, YANBU, I wouldn't be happy with school testing young DC either.

Moreteaplease55 · 04/01/2022 22:22

@FrecklesMalone no this is a regular poster who quite often moans about schools/ teachers. Sometimes in the 'staffroom' board.

Original poster
drspouse · 04/01/2022 22:23

@DontTellThemYourNamePike

I'm slightly sidetracked by how your DD can be (mainly) NT. Is that a new thing?
A bit tongue in cheek - sorry! DS is the one with diagnoses but DD has an IEP, a few mild sensory sensitivities etc that we might not have noticed if we didn't see them in DS.
OP posts: