Priority for test- teachers

[squeekyclean]

The information on the Government website states that teachers will be given priority for Covid tests (if needed to keep schools open) but states 'if symptomatic'.

Does anyone know what happens if a member of a teacher's household has symptoms but can't get a test immediately? Obviously the whole family will need to isolate but does this mean that we can expect to have teachers unable to be in school whilst they wait for other members of their household to be able to get a (non-priority) test (which in many cases will be negative)?

In my area people are reporting real difficulties/delays getting a test so I'm wondering how long it will be before my DC are sent home because there are not enough teachers and also whether my teacher DH will have to isolate and not be able to be tested every time that our DC (inevitably) get a cough.

Have I missed something?

Oh wow I've not seen that ! Can you post a link as I'm a teacher and didn't know this was the case. Very good to know if this is indeed the case, but yes I would wonder about my kids if they need testing as I'm the one that would have to stay home with them if they couldn't go in....

@OpheliasCrayon I'm not sure how to do links but this is where I found the info. The section on teachers states 'where they have symptoms' - no mention of when they are isolating because another member of the household does

www.gov.uk/government/publications/allocation-of-covid-19-swab-tests-in-england/allocation-of-covid-19-swab-tests-in-england

I can’t find any information though, about when this priority will start and how you get a priority test? The testing website just asks if you’re an essential worker, and still comes up with no tests. The website does, however, say it will be temporarily unavailable tomorrow at midnight so maybe they’ll update it??

does this mean that we can expect to have teachers unable to be in school whilst they wait for other members of their household to be able to get a (non-priority) test (which in many cases will be negative)?

Yes, that sounds about right.

This is the case in the NHS, I would hope it’s the same in schools.

I think this new document is very clear in who gets priority testing - whatever that means - and it's not household members of teachers or HCPs, nor is it other school staff....

(I'm non-teaching staff and have two DCs)

Teachers are not priority! Way down the list!.

But if the reason symptomatic teachers get priority testing is to stop schools needing to close due to teacher absence then how is teacher absence due to family isolation Any different?
I mean, I totally get the need to prioritise but there’s surely far more teachers off due to forced isolation than there are due to being symptomatic themselves so limiting it to symptomatic staff won’t keep schools open.

Not a teacher but a TA. I became ill in work (high temperature and cough) and was sent home with a test kit which I posted on my way home before self isolating.

Got my negative result back 3 days later which I thought was pretty good going since most of the 3 days fell over the weekend and I was back in school on Monday.

Overall I think the government's response has been pretty terrible for reasons I won't go into here, but my personal experience of the test system was very good. It's just a shame my experience isn't more common.

I think ur over thinking it

I’m currently in Liverpool which apparently had highest cases in England and I don’t know a single person isolating with symptoms

Many sent home as contacts but that’s 1-2 max in a school of 7-900

Not that many are ill so chances are teachers won’t be isolating at the drop of a hat

I’m an FE teacher and so far no one been off

What I mean is that the number of people with symptoms is only tiny % of those isolating so it’s u likely you’ll have dozens of teachers families affected at same time

I’m a teacher and got a priority test through school. It was drive through testing place for key workers. I could have taken my children but didn’t as they haven’t got symptoms.