Why not check temperature in schools?

[notevenat20]

Does anyone know why routine temperature checks are not being suggested by schools? It seems a cheap and easy step that could help. I am thinking non-contact infrared thermometers as is common in other countries.

[notevenat20]

The school my children go to (and all in this country) are required to check each child's temperature before they are allowed into the school

That's really interesting! Which country?

[Menora]

I think this would work best if you know your child’s normal temperature, like you do with a peak flow, so you can tell fluctuations. It’s no good just randomly taking a temperature surely because people present differently at different temps.

So I know my normal temperature is about 36.1-.4 and I know this because I often just take it as a baseline when I feel well. Yesterday I felt really ill and awful and my temp went up to 37.2, then went up to 37.7.

Now COVID guidelines say that 38 is a temperature but for me, I physically had a temperature at 37.2 because I felt so unwell with it (cold, chills, shivers, exhausted, aching etc) and it was above my normal baseline temperature and continued to rise even though it never went to 38. I felt better this morning and it’s 36.1

[itsgettingweird]

@AlphabetDinosaur

The school my children go to (and all in this country) are required to check each child's temperature before they are allowed into the school. At our school they are checking temperature as you go through the school gates. They have 4 'entry lanes' and each one will have someone checking the temperature. You are also meant to check your child's temperature before taking them to school. Anyone with a temperature will be placed in a waiting area and their temperature re checked after 10 minutes to account for people rushing to school etc. If it's still high you get sent home.

That's sensible they are waiting.

My mum has cancer and had to go for blood test at hospital during heatwave.

She showed a temp and so they told her to stand outside in shade and retest.

It was fine.

[AlphabetDinosaur]

The school my children go to (and all in this country) are required to check each child's temperature before they are allowed into the school. At our school they are checking temperature as you go through the school gates. They have 4 'entry lanes' and each one will have someone checking the temperature. You are also meant to check your child's temperature before taking them to school. Anyone with a temperature will be placed in a waiting area and their temperature re checked after 10 minutes to account for people rushing to school etc. If it's still high you get sent home.

[notevenat20]

My child's school require their temperature to be taken before they leave the house. And they are scanned on entering school.

Really interesting. Is this a state school?

[HemlockStarglimmer]

My child's school require their temperature to be taken before they leave the house. And they are scanned on entering school.

[Piggywaspushed]

Yes, they have also - many of them- reduced class sizes and/or number of children on site at any given time.

[notevenat20]

Seems China, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, and Taiwan all have required temperature checks at school entry as well.

It does frustrate me how we say things are impossible that lots of other people are already doing.

[Iamnotthe1]

@Firefliess
So they don't want to discourage parents for taking responsibility for checking their own child's temperature maybe?

You have more faith in the DfE then me. I think they aren't asking schools to do it because it undermines the core messaging of 'kids don't spread it!' and 'schools are safe!'.

[Kitcat122]

Let's face it our government is doing nothing to make schools safer.

[itsgettingweird]

@Underhisi

Underhisi

"There is no way I would be putting ds through 14 days indoors on the basis of what an infra red thermometer says.


What will you do?"

I would test with a reliable thermometer to see what the temperature actually is and before I took him home from school.

Any self isolation for ds will be incredibly difficult and I have already told social services that if his behaviour becomes unsafe in the house ie severe self injurious behaviour and/or persistently attacking us then we may have to use the emergency reason for taking him out - away from other people of course.

If I didn't believe he had symptoms that look like covid or had been in close contact with a positive case I would not be keeping him inside.

There needs to be a system for testing young people like ds.

Ah I see. That sounds difficult.

I agree if you have a child who needs outdoor for safety if themselves and others an open space is a good compromise.

I wouldn't use a supermarket but I'd go for a walk down the beach.

My ds has asd and I used the going out for as many times as needed. Even just a walk around the block.

We didn't go out when I was Ill but that was because I was too ill!

[Firefliess]

I wonder whether DfE think that parents might be more likely to send kids to school who the think might be slightly ill if they are relying on schools to check their temperature. So they don't want to discourage parents for taking responsibility for checking their own child's temperature maybe?

[Iamnotthe1]

@MinesAPintOfTea

However, that same issue exists with handwashing. If students are to wash their hands when they arrive on a morning and they must do this for at least 20 seconds with time to dry, you can get through 2 children per minute per sink at best. This would take at least 15 minutes per standard primary class per hand-washing 'round' and who knows how long in secondaries.

It is still being done. A temp check would be easy if there was one device per class and it was used whilst waiting to wash hands when they first arrive. You could even do it with one device per four classes (although you shouldn't) and it wouldn't add any extra time on.

The reason schools aren't doing it is because the DfE has told them not to. It literally is that simple.

[Purpledaisychain]

That article just says what they are doing . It doesn't state whether or not the process is effective, whether it is beneficial, any problems that have cropped up etc etc. They are also doing it only in lockdown areas, not everywhere. And staff being exempt sounds daft. There is not enough evidence in that article to convince me that it is worthwhile.

[Underhisi]

Underhisi

"There is no way I would be putting ds through 14 days indoors on the basis of what an infra red thermometer says.


What will you do?"

I would test with a reliable thermometer to see what the temperature actually is and before I took him home from school.

Any self isolation for ds will be incredibly difficult and I have already told social services that if his behaviour becomes unsafe in the house ie severe self injurious behaviour and/or persistently attacking us then we may have to use the emergency reason for taking him out - away from other people of course.

If I didn't believe he had symptoms that look like covid or had been in close contact with a positive case I would not be keeping him inside.

There needs to be a system for testing young people like ds.

[KnobChops]

Those scanners are very unreliable. We stopped scanning people at work (hospital) because of this. The fever won’t be present in some positive people and even then it’s a very transient feature for most. For secondary age kids it might be better to ask them to bring in an ear thermometer every day and during form take the temp and also complete a short tick sheet screening for symptoms (chills, aches, new cough, anosmia). You won’t pick up everyone but it would capture most.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

Let's say you can get a child done every 6 seconds (3 seconds to scan, another few to line the next child up). That's 10 per minute. If a single-form entry primary school did it, they would need someone to spend 20 minutes every day just on temp checks, assuming noone needs checking twice.

For a large secondary that's more like 2 hours. Yes, you can get more thermometers, but school budgets are in tatters.

And whoever is on a "check hundreds of temperatures" job is not supervising the playground/educating children/managing a safeguarding problem etc.

[everythingthelighttouches]

It’s ineffective and gives false reassurance.

I’d rather schools were given more resources to focus on measures which are more effective such as hand washing and the government was more honest with parents about early symptoms in children, which are more broad than temperature and cough.

[Danascully2]

Raininsummer - I really admire your work ethic, dragging yourself in with severe hypothermia.....!
There was also a long delay one morning when the gadget wasn't working properly....

[Iamnotthe1]

Schools have suggested this but the guidance from the DfE and PHE is clear that we are not to do this as they feel it's unreliable as a method of detecting any potential Covid-19 infection.

We've had to ask parents to do it ahead of bringing children to school. Some will, most won't.

[RaininSummer]

Those temp guns seem very unreliable. I am zapped at work every day and my temp has been everything between 33 2 and 36.

[Danascully2]

They did contactless temperature checks for the holiday club we used.... It consistently underread all the temperatures - every morning for 5 days all the (primary school) kids were about 35.7. Their threshold for not allowing kids in was 38 iirc. So I don't think anybody needs to worry about their kid running around and mildly raising their temperature... However I think a child which had a fever of 39 would probably only read 37.5 on the thermometer so pretty useless from that point of view.... However maybe the deterrent value of stopping parents sending ill kids to school might be useful??

[Dontforgetyourbrolly]

Kids have temperatures all the time , I bet covid would be the last reason on the list .

[Piggywaspushed]

I do note in that article that teachers don't get the check. Not sure what the point of nay of this stuff is if they keep excluding teachers form all the safety measures. (I know what the reason is!)

[Piggywaspushed]

If you read our papers, it will tell you that all British kids get temperature checks ( I saw this in The Times last week, along with pics of classrooms with Perspex screen dividers) It may well be true, but I am not going to believe what I read in any paper without hard eye witness evidence, tbh.