The government wants YOU to volunteer as a school covid tester

[noelgiraffe]

The govt have proudly announced that there will be mass testing in secondary schools, colleges and special schools from January.

What the headlines don’t quite convey is that schools will be expected to set up and man their own testing centres and that this make-shift testing of close contacts of positives will replace close contacts having to isolate. The tests pick up about 50% of positive cases so I’m sure this will be fine.

Covidy kids will be getting the bus to school to queue up and be tested by people who have watched a video and a couple of online worksheets.

Even better, they want those people to be YOU!

“The document says that reasonable costs for additional workforce will be reimbursed.

It adds that a school may want to hire temporary staff, such as agency and contract workers, or draw on volunteers such as parents, retired teachers, Red Cross, St John Ambulance and community organisations.”

If you can’t help in person, perhaps you can support by talking positively about this effort on social media and parenting forums?

“Under a section labelled “social media guidance”, the document reads that “consistent, accurate and positive communication about testing activity is essential”.

They want to see “proactive public social media using agreed materials” and schools are encouraged to “monitor your existing social media channels, parents forums etc. and provide any feedback”.”

Come on folks, do your bit!

schoolsweek.co.uk/7-staff-roles-2-hour-training-and-dhsc-sign-off-on-press-schools-given-mass-testing-instructions/

@bornatXmastobequiet

Watching Susan Acland-Hood yesterday was awful. Poor sod was meant to go from that into an all staff briefing which had to be delayed until later that afternoon - it really is not being dreamt up by the civil servants and she has a real poisoned chalice.

Figgypuddingfiend
Yes, exactly. And yet government minister Nick Gibb says not. So he either doesn’t know the law on safeguarding or they will override it.

or he's just being dishonest and not telling the truth...

Something has just occurred to me. Our school weren’t going back until Monday 11th anyway as we’re moving in to a new building and that time was for physical moving across of desks chairs materials etc and setting up classrooms ready for students (These extra days have been shaved off other holidays and it has been planned for about a year). So I guess this means our school can’t start the planning and setting up procedure for testing until week beginning 11th. Ergo, most students will be online learning til week beginning 18th. Jesus.

Hope Nick Gibb informs OFSTED that he is overriding safeguarding regs otherwise we will all fail our next inspection.

Imagine DfE having to step up to the plate and support all us RI secondary schools.

At least he got something right

Asked if teachers would have any role in testing, Gibb told Sky News: “No – teachers are already fully occupied. They already have their hands full.”

Ha. Well I'll make an educated guess right now and say that it simply won't happen, apart from in a few places in a piecemeal manner, providing some photo opportunities. It will come to a grinding halt anyway in the third week of January when infections rise so far that the vast majority of schools are forced to close.

Given it's optional, ie. it's not going to be comprehensive anyway, why not just post these tests to all households with secondary age kids? They could post year 11 and 13's first to be done on the 1st January and results back by 4th when they start and they could then send out the rest to be done over the w/c 4/1 so they'd be tested before returning on the 11th.

Or they could invite all who could to visit test centres and those who could not send postal tests to (like anyone else in the population).

Why do they want this IN schools, recruited for and managed and administrated by schools? I'm repeatedly told test centres are really quiet and I had no problem accessing postal tests for ds and I this week and they've invested billions in the existing test, track and trace so why why why do they need to create a whole new system for secondary school kids rather than use all of that existing infrastructure and investment?

It makes zero sense for safety or community spread because it means millions of kids back on public transport, mingling in school for testing etc and it is wasteful not to use the systems billions have been invested into.

It literally makes no sense.

And if they did the tests at home before coming in the contact tracing would be so much more simple and require far less people to isolate because it would literally just be those they'd spent time with in their family over the last few days. If they did them in school it adds on everyone they travelled in with, everyone they were in contact with at school, etc.

It's literally the worst way you could do this if you actually wanted to minimise infection spread and minimise the amount of students and staff who will have to self isolate.

why not just post these tests to all households with secondary age kids?

This would avoid all the admin around consent forms as well.

Who will be inspecting and quality controlling these makeshift labs and 100,000 volunteers?

@noelgiraffe

why not just post these tests to all households with secondary age kids?

This would avoid all the admin around consent forms as well.

To date no one has remotely addressed the economic problem at the heart of the covid crisis and how those in more economically unstable or less affluent areas and jobs are more likely to get covid - and less likely to isolate.

I keep raising it, and it keeps getting dismissed as a side show.

You can post tests to all these households but you will get the same issue as in Liverpool - with an under representation from lower economic backgrounds as participation is lower.

And requiring it to be done at home rather than school is likely to compound that dynamic unfortunately.

From the beginning the focus hasn't been on why less affluent groups are more at risk and no real energy put into supporting them economically and legally (so their job isn't at risk) in isolating.

That barrier is greater in the north generally. This failure has lead to the same pattern now replicating first in the wider midlands area (Leicester you are the national trendsetter for all the wrong reasons) and then into the south east and London.

You also don't avoid the admin - you have to crossreference between different agencies as to which kids are at which schools and whether they've had a test or not. Rather than keeping everything within the school where its most relevant to track and trace.

Sorry, but if this is going to be done - the best place is schools. I disagree fundamentally with the proposals of how and where the burden of responsibility for organising this lies though and don't think it should be with the school.

It is also says in that advert "you may not be in a medically vulnerable category or live with someone who is..." (paraphrasing).

You can teach /be a TA/dinner lady if you are though .

But if you need parental consent then you will have the same issue in schools as you would posting them. The parents that don’t want to have to isolate if their child tests positive simply won’t consent to have them tested.

So where exactly do you think the gov are going to get staff to do it if they don't ask for volunteers?

The gov can't possibly magic up people to do this.. suggesting it's their incompetence just makes no sense.

So, it is optional then?

Personally, I don’t want my child tested and I am happy for them to self-isolate and follow online learning as long as required if necessary. My child doesn’t go to school if they are ill.

My child is under 10 and I don’t want some random sticking a swab in their nose and mouth. To be honest, I wouldn’t be happy if the matron did it either, as it was extremely unpleasant and painful for quite a few days afterwards when I had it done to me as an adult.

@noelgiraffe

But if you need parental consent then you will have the same issue in schools as you would posting them. The parents that don’t want to have to isolate if their child tests positive simply won’t consent to have them tested.

That was exactly my point. The only reason to do it in schools would be for the reasons RedTooth outlined but given they require consent and transport back and forth and a parent willing to arrange their collection if they test positive etc the exact same issue still stands as if they just posted them.

@justgeton

So where exactly do you think the gov are going to get staff to do it if they don't ask for volunteers?

The gov can't possibly magic up people to do this.. suggesting it's their incompetence just makes no sense.

So all the testing stations are all manned by volunteers are they?

What are you going to do? Clone a few?

@justgeton

So where exactly do you think the gov are going to get staff to do it if they don't ask for volunteers?

The gov can't possibly magic up people to do this.. suggesting it's their incompetence just makes no sense.

Is Dido Harding working for free?

It’s bizarre that Serco have been given 22 billion pounds to do this but somehow when it comes to children and schools they are crazy to even imagine that people might be hired (using a tiny fraction of the 22 billion) to test them.

Why are people so insistent that it has to be done for free because it’s in a school?

As for people, we are told often that many people have lost their jobs and it’s terrible. Well here’s an opportunity to create some, isn’t it?

Things like this are going to require unknown numbers of children to be tested at a moment’s notice
I’m imagining strategically placed portakabins, chock full of volunteers ready to burst in to classrooms, Spanish Inquisition style, at the very whispered mention of the words ‘new continuous cough, Kevin?’

So where exactly do you think the gov are going to get staff to do it if they don't ask for volunteers?

The Job Centre, plenty of people signing on.

I really don't see why money we don't have should be spent when parents can do it, older children their own and a few others mop up what's left.

Why are people so insistent that it has to be done for free because it’s in a school?
They’re already advertising these as jobs in some locations (where’s the money coming from?) so maybe some jobs will be created but in other areas, yeah, do it for free, why not . Also, if it’s a paid position, there’s no way it doesn’t require a DBS check. I think I’m done with the other thread where most people seem to be of the opinion that safeguarding children isn’t necessary 🤷‍♀️.

If the Government can’t find anyone willing to do it as a paid job, how do they imagine schools will find anyone prepared to do it for free?