“Encouraged” to test twice a week - final straw.

[motherrunner]

I have just read an email from my Head where PHE are recommending teachers take twice weekly lateral tests.

This is because:
-1 in 20 asymptomatic people in my city have tested positive
-my school has not been fully open since last week in Sept (we have fully closed on multiple occasions)

I am on my knees with exhaustion and stress. I teach full time, I leave the house at 7.15, drop my children at their breakfast club, work, collect them at 5.30 and then it’s home, tea, bedtimes and then planning/marking. How am I to find the time to go to the test centre twice a week? The email says we it is “voluntary” but we are “encouraged” to do so and focussed a lot on community responsibility etc.

I have slowly felt more undervalued at time from the ‘schools are safe’ propaganda, to ‘stressed teachers want to close a day early at Christmas’ (that’s another headache, my school not closing but my children’s school is). I haven’t seen my mum since March as she is a nursing home and I won’t be seeing any family at all over Christmas due to my job.

Is it unreasonable of me just to say ‘sod it, I’m not having the tests’ or is that irresponsible?

If it's something the school feel is important for staff, can they arrange for a batch of tests for the school, given they can be done at home. I know schools don't like staff taking time off for medical appointments, but worth asking if arrangements can be made for any floating relief staff to cover when they're free. This might only be once a week for those that request cover, but better than nothing

@Teachertodaygonetomorrow

I'm a teacher. Have been for 20 years and my choice but I've always working in "difficult schools" usually in SM or RI. Well, back in September I had enough.

From March to July I was expected to be in most days and teaching key worker children -except I have my own young children & I'm a single parent-one of whom their school wasn't open at all on Wednesday and one whose school wasn't open on a Friday. I'm a single parent who is CV -immense pressure put on. Then on top on-line streaming, setting and marking work, welfare checks etc -and we were expected to respond to emails from 6am to 11pm. Year 10 went back in June and then I was in 4 days a week. No PPE, no masks, no staffroom, no area to make tea -they took it all away and make the staffroom a classroom. Fine. No outside cover for absent staff -all done in house. I got 3 hours of PPA -planning time a week -all of it is used each week for cover -as no outside supply under "protecting us from Covid". Then add in the fact we were open ALL Easter and ALL May HT and expected to be in with no extra pay as "we need to pull together to support local families". Clap for NHS. Teachers vilified for being "lazy" and enjoying "WFH" -ok then! When our challening students came back -they were difficult before -supposed to have masks on in corridors-I was challenging maybe 100 students a day who repeatedly don't follow the rules -don't stay in their pods, don't have their masks on when walking around etc. Regular fights, no social distancing. Lots of covid positive tests.
We as the teacher now move lessons -so the students are left unspervised whilst staff move -frequently you arrive to a destroyed classroom -I can't teach in my classroom anymore. I wheel everything around on a huge trolley. Breaktimes and lunchtimes -we supervise students in their pods. Windows either open and classroom freezing or no windows that open. Three classrooms I can't be more than 1m away -there is no room. They don't wear masks in classroom, so I'm with 30 students for 6 hours a day with no respite. 20 years of teaching, outstanding in every lesson observation etc and the final straw was a student spiting in my face when I asked him to put his mask on in a corridor -for the 3rd time back in September / October time. I've always treated my students with respect and kindness and always believed in "giving something back" and teaching in state. SLT were discussing opening in October HT -we already teach and stream our lessons at the same time -the demands are not realisitic. Year 11 don't want to do any work -they believe the exams will be cancelled. I seriously thought about leaving teaching altogether -but then a friend of mine phoned me -he'd heard I was thinking of leaving teaching and invited me to his school, a little local private school which has 10 students in a class -about 300 years old (the school)-I went there as a student for 6th form, and it is lovely. Really lovely, I know it well and they had a vacancy for a teacher and he wanted me to apply. Excellent facilities. My own classroom. So I'm going in January 2021 -bye bye state education and the government -well done you. In the 20 years I have taught, the behaviour now in most local state schools near me -is shocking, most people will be horrified. Teachers punched etc -it's awful. I just can't do it anymore -if I remain in education and I'm going to give it 12 months at my new school, remains to be seen over the coming months. But the 7 staff in my department (large secondary school) -I'm leaving, 2 staff are currently off with stress and 2 are leaving for Janaury for a different schools-one is leaving teaching altogether. I was asked what the handover position for January was - 3 long term supply teacher recruited, all 3 are not qualified in the subject area.

Education and state education was on its knees before, it is passed out on the floor now. The farce over the last inset day. My school is still open -my DC1 school is shut. DC2 is open. DC3 is shut. Well done government. I can't take my kids to school with me. I have no childcare.

Bloody hell.

I do hope things are better at your new school. My dh teaches in the independent sector and unfortunately their covid precautions ar worse than our local state schools (we have a chid who went through the state sector and next door neighbour who works at our local high school)

starfish the DfE will say they have given us tests. A huge school like mine has 5.

If only people with symptoms got tests, how on earth would they routinely test NHS staff and careworkers?

I don’t blame you op. I don’t know why they can’t just give you the home kits like we (nhs) have?
I wouldn’t be going to a test centre.

Does anybody know if we can use an unused home test kit?

It was sent months ago and I need to test DS now, but drive though/walk through appointments are scarce again.

Oh OP I really feel for you - as many PP have said it's simple:

Either the school (/DfE) makes testing available at the school during your normal working hours, or they supply a box of home tests.

You don't have time to magic up to go to test centres, if you try it will overburden you even more than you're currently overburdened and you will get ill.

Please draw a line in the sand. You're not unwilling to do this, you are unable to do it.

@JayDot500
Check the expiry date on the pack, I would think you probably can, as long as you've not kept it anywhere too hot or too cold.

I feel for you op my sister works in a school and I know how hard it is right now. I’m nhs staff and I have lateral flow kit at home that I do twice a week. I’m not sure about their accuracy to be honest but I don’t mind at home If you can’t do it then don’t.

Maybe the powers that be ( government, D of E etc) should have listened to their school and education staff on how to work more safely than what they have been left to deal with. It’s hardly teaching and support staff fault that it’s spreading in schools. If they want you to test they need to help you do so. Don’t feel guilty.

@Piggywaspushed I’m not routinely tested at work in fact I’ve had one test throughout. I work for the NHS with patients contact.

We’ve been given the lateral flow kits two weeks ago for frontline staff to take home and test twice weekly, although the accuracy seems dubious and less than PCR testing.

Yes, I know but some are (my friend for one who is not frontline but works with cancer patients). I know of several teenagers whose positive tests have been thrown up as a result of a mum who works in a carehome having an asymptomatic positive from fortnightly testing.

I was responding to the point by a poster that you had to have symptoms before having any test at all , which is simply incorrect.

Nut thanks for your moral support for teachers!

But...

OP, you are not a terrible anything. You sounds so lovely, hardworking and are putting everyone elses needs before your own. Therefore you are totally burnt out. You are not whinging or pathetic, you are raising quite an important issue. The onus should not be on you or indeed the families of your school, many of whom will be in the same position. If they genuinely want to make the school safer then they need to actually put the effort in by bringing the tests to you! Whether it is home tests or them coming to the school to do it, or setting up more testing sites so there's a closer one to your home or school to make it more accessible. Do not feel guilty, you literally cannot go as you do not have the time. It is their responsibility to make this possible, not yours. Do not let anyone make you feel guilty for this! Take care, look after yourself

Thank you all for the supportive comments. Have spoken to my dept and even they said it’s unreasonable to ask to go outside of work hours. Hopefully other depts feel the same and if no one gets tested then maybe (cross fingers) the tests can be brought to us.

Not a chance I would comply unless they made it easy for me to do so. Plus, surely standing in a queue of people who think they've got it is likely to heighten your risk of actually catching it? Madness.

You can do not do what you can do. If adding in this extra voluntary action isn't possible or is so difficult as to be nearly impossible then you can't do it.

you've got enough on your plate and I wouldn't want to go and queue up either. At the very least they should give you home tests. One more week to go!

If they want to do this then, its them who have to make it viable and doable not you who has to facilitate ridiculous requests.

They should be 'advised' that if they want sufficient take up of their request, to get the bloody things to the school and for them to be carried out on school time.

Honestly i wouldn't do it. And I'm not sure i know anyone who would take the suggestion seriously.

Oh and given how bloody unreliable these instant tests are, i dont think it particularly helpful either.

It does pick up some assymptomatic tests but its as much about political pr and getting the numbers of tests up rather than something more useful.

Coronavirus -- the virus so deadly you have to be repeatedly tested to see if you have it....

Just don't do it. Fuck em

@motherrunner

I have just read an email from my Head where PHE are recommending teachers take twice weekly lateral tests.

This is because:
-1 in 20 asymptomatic people in my city have tested positive
-my school has not been fully open since last week in Sept (we have fully closed on multiple occasions)

I am on my knees with exhaustion and stress. I teach full time, I leave the house at 7.15, drop my children at their breakfast club, work, collect them at 5.30 and then it’s home, tea, bedtimes and then planning/marking. How am I to find the time to go to the test centre twice a week? The email says we it is “voluntary” but we are “encouraged” to do so and focussed a lot on community responsibility etc.

I have slowly felt more undervalued at time from the ‘schools are safe’ propaganda, to ‘stressed teachers want to close a day early at Christmas’ (that’s another headache, my school not closing but my children’s school is). I haven’t seen my mum since March as she is a nursing home and I won’t be seeing any family at all over Christmas due to my job.

Is it unreasonable of me just to say ‘sod it, I’m not having the tests’ or is that irresponsible?

Of course you should do it, it takes less than five minutes.

@FridayWineTime It’ll take me more than five minutes to drive to the test centre, find somewhere to park, queue up.

The headteacher should be encouraging parents to take their children regularly too . A mass testing centre for people without symptoms has also opened in my area I took all my 3dc after school yesterday to be tested ( all negative)

I just feel so guilty. I feel like a terrible teacher, a terrible mother and a terrible wife at the moment and now I’m a terrible member of the community.

Bollocks to that.