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/

It's such a continuing trend of expecting schools to do everything without staff or funds to do it. Eg. hand over a hell of a lot of the responsibilities of SS/CAMHS etc to schools but don't actually put a social worker/counsellor in a school. Decimate the number of special school places and send to mainstream students with increasingly complex and severe (for want of a better word) needs and disabilities but don't put the professionals who can provide meaningful intervention for those disabilities/needs in a school.

Now we want testing and track and trace in school but without handing over any of the 22billion budget for it to schools or providing any medically trained staff.

From parents and politicians and everyone really you get the 'do it school' or 'get schools to do it' answer to every single one of society's ills eg. obesity, knife crime, CSE, radicalisation, financial literacy, feeding the poor etc etc etc whilst simultaneously slashing budgets.

I know this is an old story and people aren't interested but surely this crisis invites people to take a closer look at how much of parental and societal responsibility has been outsourced to schools to do for free without staff or space or the removal of any of their prior responsibilities.

And in our case still in the same crumbling buildings that were built before I myself attended secondary school but a few extra blocks tacked on because we were lucky enough to have a bit of land.

I can't understand why people are furious about the state of schools and their funding. Is it really that if something is free people attribute no value or worth to it?

@Judashascomeintosomemoney

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 🤷‍♀️.

I'm finding the other thread unbelievable too.

@halcyondays

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?

What about all the furloughed people I'm sure they'd like to do something in return for their free money!

One of my colleagues today asked me today about being a volunteer to do the swabs! No thanks too much responsibility and I'm sure others would feel the same too. Poor children in the hands of people not having much idea what to do.
( I know some people might be fine but it's a lottery with these 'volunteers' isn't it)
Not to mention safeguarding issues too..
( or where to do these tests that is suitable etc)
Absolute nightmare.

@BungleandGeorge

I find it odd that teachers aren’t allowed to physically comfort a child who has injured themselves, parents aren’t allowed to help out on school trips yet any random stranger with no medical training is allowed to do an invasive medical test.

This!

So, some random stranger who may or may not be DBS checked can do an invasive medical procedure on kids who may have SN such as Autism? Without Schools having time to arrange it properly. And if you refuse / if your child is unable to cope then you are fined for keeping them off / they wont get work sent home in an Exam year? FFS.... REALLY ANGRY about this now.

Yep and even if you don't direct it that way many parents have been directing all that anger at us. Staff have been shouted and sworn at when letting people know about isolation for example. It is one of the few times when I've been really genuinely happy to be on the little money in the classroom rather than the big bucks in my own office.

Ok Nick Gibb has pissed me off even more.

"Asked about how volunteers could be persuaded to go into “petri dish” schools on Sky News, Gibb said: “Well there’s PPE available, and also people are very community minded.”

Volunteers need to be persuaded into Petri dish schools with the offer of PPE?

Where's the PPE for teachers and TAs, Nick, who have been working in them for months?

And are you accepting that schools aren't safe and haven't been safe?

Yes socially distanced volunteers will need ppe. The rest of us can make do with some tape on the floor oh ffs you could not make this stuff up could you?

Our local school has made it clear that the virus wasn't caught by staff or children inside the school and must have been brought in from outside! It might have been ( who knows?) but did schools expect people not to go out anywhere at all ? People need to buy food.. go on the school run have siblings in other schools where it's rife etc.
It's an impossible situation. They said the same about my dads care home ( wasn't the staff bringing it in , it was everyone else bringing it in?) How do they really know ?

Surely a handful of volunteers in the school setting might bring it in too if this is what we are told is going on here? Even with ppe people can still catch this airbourne virus but that's ok because they need to keep the children in schools so they need to keep testing and testing them ? Using any means possible it seems.
The whole idea of this testing on school premises seems to contradict itself in regards to keeping it out of the school ..
or am I missing something?

I am increasingly convinced it is all a smoke screen. They will make it unworkable for schools, and so schools will opt out.

Then, later, when schools close, the government will say "we tried to provide testing"

The government think that people are so ' community minded' they will ( effectively) put their own life at risk to come in to use a swab on a child ( who might have the virus) and hope they don't bring it in with them too? Give them a shield or a mask to wear and keep their fingers crossed it'll be done properly and efficiently.
Having a laugh here I think.
The more I think about it the more bizarre it all is really!

@PrivateD00r

Oh, one more thing; I am currently doing a PHd part time and have had communication from the uni that no one can be onsite in January until 2 negative lateral test results are obtained, between 3 and 7 days apart...... has someone decided that 50% accuracy means that two tests = 100% accuracy?

yes probably

@SansaSnark

I am increasingly convinced it is all a smoke screen. They will make it unworkable for schools, and so schools will opt out.

Then, later, when schools close, the government will say "we tried to provide testing"

I think that is a likely scenario.

It seems that secondary schools will be spending all day testing the children and not doing much else with them!
I know I'm being facetious here but all this will take a huge chunk out of the day to do it well. If the volunteers don't come forwards , who will do it? Will staff be made to do it? Our school are not happy about any of this! It's just more stress for everyone.

They're not really planning this for special needs schools are they?!

@halcyondays

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?

Because school staff and volunteers already do extra jobs for free

In a good school lots of staff are not just teachers but act like social workers, psychologists, food banks, carers, uniform providers, alarm clocks even and so much more.
The government know schools aren't going to abandon their students and will go above and beyond in most cases to keep kids safe and provide what is needed.

So all the government have to do is toss a load of test kits at a school and some how the school community will get it done. At least in your average state secondary school.

Not saying that is right but it will happen if it has to in a good school.

Not saying that is right but it will happen if it has to in a good school.
But this is the exact problem. Schools will feel obliged to do it - but it's quite literally not our job. If I give up a free period to test some kids, the work I would have done then either doesn't get done, or shifts into the previous little personal time I have.
I am employed to teach English. I already go way beyond that like most teachers do, but this is an absolute liberty being taken here.

Just had an email from school about the staggered start along with a letter advertising the jobs / voluntary positions needed.

It says "These roles will be either voluntary or paid positions,
with a salary rate dependant on commitment and role."

Nick Gibb is saying that testing will be carried out by either volunteers or government-funded agency staff... No doubt that 'agency' is one of those on the government contract / friends of BoJo gravy train!!! (Serco, perhaps?)

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/18/teachers-covid-testing-english-schools-nick-gibb

@noelgiraffe

Ok Nick Gibb has pissed me off even more.

"Asked about how volunteers could be persuaded to go into “petri dish” schools on Sky News, Gibb said: “Well there’s PPE available, and also people are very community minded.”

Volunteers need to be persuaded into Petri dish schools with the offer of PPE?

Where's the PPE for teachers and TAs, Nick, who have been working in them for months?

And are you accepting that schools aren't safe and haven't been safe?

Does 'Very Community Minded' equate to 'Won't Mind Catching Covid Much'?

It says "These roles will be either voluntary or paid positions,
with a salary rate dependant on commitment and role."

Who the fuck is going to be dumb enough to volunteer, if all the others are getting paid for the job?

Does 'Very Community Minded' equate to 'Won't Mind Catching Covid Much'?
I think it also equates to ‘Patriotic Duty’, which possibly means Nick Gibb was posting on one of these threads veeery recently

@Judashascomeintosomemoney

Maybe it's just yet another tactic to distract everyone from Brexit - deal or no deal, we're headed for quite a bit of chaos on 1 January...

(Plus Tier 4 nationwide lockdown...)