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

[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!

[quote Moreteaplease55]@FrecklesMalone no this is a regular poster who quite often moans about schools/ teachers. Sometimes in the 'staffroom' board.[/quote]
I'd say it was mainly asking for advice rather than moaning, but this is worth a moan, don't you think.
I have had some very helpful advice from great SENCOs and teachers in AP for which I'm very grateful.

I suspect they've had parents being less than honest about PCRs/LFTs and are therefore trying to do it themselves. It'll go down like a lead balloon with parents though...

This is not ok at all. I would complain and point out they shouldn't be doing LFs without consent and there is no guidance whatsoever that suggests Primary schools should be conducting LFTs in school, or that anyone should be LF testing someone symptomatic.

And yes if you think school will ignore you I would contact the LA.

To get anywhere with a complaint then you'll need the school's complaints policy which has to be published on their website. Unless you follow it you'll get nowhere. Don't go to the LA, they'll bat it back to the complaints policy, so will ofsted. There will be a part in the policy about what to do if you are complaining about the headteacher. I imagine the step would be to complain to the Chair of Governors but worth checking.

Sounds like school are dealing with it in a similar way to NHS height & weight in Reception and Year 6 where you have to withdraw consent however they can't do this. There simply is no testing in primary schools. It goes completely against DfE guidance but school may argue that it's guidance and they are taking extra precautions. It would be work asking to see the covid risk assessment that see if this has been agreed by the Governors.

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?!

I’d say this is likely to be the reason and not even lie, just blatantly not take them - many of my primary school teacher friends have tales of symptomatic children being sent home with the parents asked to get PCR only for them to turn up at school the next day because “Mom says I have a cold”

I don't like the idea of this either. My children told me that the after school club did an LFT on a child there, but they've never asked me permission to do it on my children. I don't want them to, so I need to mention that when we go back.

One word: unacceptable

YANBU your school is batshit.

Providing you have an alternative, eg you are to be called to remove her from school and arrange a pcr test then absolutely yanbu.

@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!

If a child exhibits symptoms in school the parent should collect/arrange collection of the child within half an hour for the protection of the other pupils and the adults in the school.

Seems totally mad to me.

My accommodation would be that they would probably instruct the child what to do which is after all pretty simple.
I work in NHS and LFT s have been reliable all the way through for symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid. Don't know why people are still insisting they don't work when you have symptoms!!
However, your choice. They have asked permission but done so in easiest way which is assumed unless you instruct to the contrary.

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?

It’s a dilemma, isn’t it? Uuvaccinaed groups mixing freely when there are known cases in a household. School asking said children to isolate. It’s as if they were trying their damnest to keep the staff covid free and the school open.

@drspouse nobody at your child's school want to give them a lateral flow. I'm a teacher and I will leave my job before I put my fingers anywhere near a covid suspected child's nose. My colleagues all over the school (office, TA s) feel the same.
Write it in the diary- NO PERMISSION. Encourage your classmates to do the same. Everyone will be happy.

They have asked permission but done so in easiest way which is assumed unless you instruct to the contrary.
They haven't. They've given us the choice of LFT then call us or vice versa.

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

This sound completely horrendous, how old are these children ? In hospital we expect NT children to be compliment with medical procedures from 5 (so phlebotomy department for blood tests etc) How do your DCs manage the dentist ? I think this is the crux TBH I would expect an NT 7yo to be able to self administer a LFT with supervision (especially if nose only) so it's hardly being "done to" them. If it involves thrashing and restraint then of course that is completely different and way out of schools remit.

Complient not compliment fucking spell check.

You may expect them to be compliant by 5 but that doesn't mean they all will be!

I can't imagine our school doing this. Bonkers!

The thing is I have been saying this for months (probably years now) we have all got to get used to regular testing. I do get frustrated not just parents of not all that young children, but older people too. "Oh I don't like doing the nose/ throat" " Can you remind me I haven't done that many" FFS the only way we can live a normalish life with as few restriction as possible and keep health care that isn't Covid related and education open is regular tests. The children will get used to it, it becomes part of life, just like brushing their teeth or delousing their hair, they may not like it, it just has to be done.

I am not talking about anyone with SEN adult or child that is obviously going to be more difficult.

I know what you are talking about

Anyway they are asking consent (in a round about way) as other's have said do a Zammo (just say no). It will mean your Dd misses more school than her peers and your life will be far more disrupted (2 days off waiting for PCR rather than quick LFT, back to class) but that is your right and your choice.

But would also say, think about desensitization and that all the other children will be getting used to doing LFTs at the drop of a hat. What is going to happen when she goes to high school where it is expected twice weekly. I think these tests will be with us for a long time.

I just don't think it should happen from a teacher's point of view. We are not allowed to do this kind of thing, it is outside our contracted duties. TA's shouldn't be taking on the responsibility either - have they been specially trained. We all had to have training to use an Epipen on a particular child and that is easy.

My grandsons at Secondary School have to do their own LFTs under supervision which is quite different.

I guess it's where do you draw the line ? Wiping bottoms ? Doing up buttons ? You can do far more damage with an epipen and you are not doing it regularly, it will be an emergency so people stressed, not remotely comparable. This is a non-invasive, routine thing. Most NT 7yo could be taught how to self admiister. For reference NT 7yo do (supervised of course): blood tests if diabetic, catherisations if they have spina bifida, inhalers if asthmatic - I could go on. This needs to be normalised and demystified.

It isn't some rare occurrence sadly this is our bread and butter for all of us. Another analogy a year 5 or 6 with a period they were struggling with I would hope the support staff at a primary school would you know-support, maybe find some clean tights, trousers not just hold their hands up and say they weren't trained.