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/

ng123

I think it's a great idea actually. I'm not sure why there is such backlash here:
1.Minimal training is required for a swab test - it is not invasive FFS!
2.This is likely to have a very positive impact on reducing transmission rates.
3.Volunteering has always been part of school life.
4.The risk of transmission to the tester can be minimised quite effectively.
Tes I will volunteer if my childrens schools set up a scheme and I can fit it around work. If you don't want to or can't fit it in fine. I don't see what you object to.

‘Volunteering has always been part of school life’
‘If I can fit it in around work’!

Let me know what it’s like right at the back of the queue won’t you?

@ItRubsTheLotionOnItsSkin

For any school staff here, what do you think would be the best ways for parents to show their support to their schools flagging up the issues?

Obviously I can write to my MP and make sure everyone I speak to is aware of the full facts behind the headlines (although I'm not on social media apart from MN).

Obviously I can raise awareness of the actual "strategy" as much as I can, but how else could we best help the school in actual practical ways?

Thank you for asking. I don't actually know, beyond what you suggest; perhaps others can suggest ideas, but thank you!

The "test instead of isolating" was mentioned as a general idea by Boris a few weeks back, don't know if anything has come of it. But if you are a possible contact of Linda the colleague you are unlikely to be spending hours in close proximity to hundreds of other people, unmasked and undistanced. Unless you work in a school.

I work in schools but not classroom anymore, I'm a qualified teacher.

I'd volunteer for this, wouldn't have a problem with it if it helped young people stay in school! If a call goes out I'll answer.

Whilst I disagree and feel like it is a massively dramatic perhaps we could utilise military medical staff

Ah yes, the thousands of military medical staff just sitting twiddling their thumbs....

There is also another point about DC with SN/special schools - as well as the actual practical challenges of carrying out a test on DC, (in my experience) a lot of DC live further from their schools than "mainstream" schools. What about the school journeys in this case? A lot are school transport or taxis - how would drivers and escorts feel about this?

The very definition of close contact, sit next to Jonny in a taxi, including physical contact of seat restraints etc. Wait at school presumably while the test is done and possibly escort Jonny home if he is positive.

The governments assumptions that all DC will be presumably driven to school by their parents (perhaps sitting next to their CEV sister, or their frontline NHS working mum of course) smacks of their total fucking inability to see beyond the end of their fucking noses.

I really struggled with the test and couldn’t have the “up the nose” part because of it. So I wouldn’t want to do it to a child, especially one who is not my own!

"We understand you may not be thrilled at the prospect of Kevin's Mum testing young Finlay, however its either that or lovely Kevin himself doing it. Or no testing. Your choice."

I laughed, but I feel like we're now we're at the point that it's a possibility that this will be next weeks announcement. Even worse people would probably be praising the Government for their proactive thinking and putting kids first.

open the mouth wide and gently rub the swab’s fabric tip over both tonsils at the back of the throat for 10 seconds

Hmm.. DD has no tonsils.

I predict mass gagging in the school hall.
Non-invasive? I disagree.

Ignoring the logistical nightmare of testing a whole school regularly and continuing the same level of education, I could potentially support mass testing if it went along side the current isolating of close contacts. For it to replace that is absolutely bonkers, and surely counter productive?

As well as the educational benefits, I thought one of the insistence of keeping schools open was to benefit the economy so parents could work. But in the main, secondary and college students may well be able to study for short periods at home without parental supervision.Now the isolation period is 10 days the most they will miss (per isolation) will be 7 days. Still obviously not ideal but surely better than herding hundreds of potential cases back into classrooms with very little covid mitigation measures.

Teachers know how disruptive year group ‘injection days’ are already.
How often is this whole school testing going to take place?

The most positive message I can come up wth is

"We are complying with the government's directive to use a test with a huge false positive rate rather that isolating even a limited number of the very closest contact. We shall continue to have to refer for fines thse who do not attend even when there is an outbreak in their class. Pupils may be tested during the school day, not necessarily before joining their class groups"

I would want to add "We apologise to families where a parent is going through cancer treatment or are clinical exceptionally vulnerable for some other reason. But we thought you don't have enough to worry about, and added this to the mix"

OK here is a question (assuming I didn't have a brain to see the pitfalls myself)

I want to volunteer for this! I want to do my bit to implement this testing of DC who may be positive as they are close contacts of positive cases. Shall I come to the hall on Monday?

Oh by the way though, I am clinically extremely vulnerable, my lungs are fucked and the government previously told me to stay in my house for months and not go beyond my front door as it was so dangerous. Just thought I'd mention that. Do you all think it's a good idea I come and do this testing? Or is it maybe fucking stupid a bit risky?

@Takethereigns

I had a covid test and it felt like they were swabbing my brain. I cant imagine trying to do that to a child. What age is this half baked scheme going to be aimed at? 4 years+?

Will there be actual medical trained staff on site incase something goes wrong or just to make sure they are swabbing correctly. No point in doing all these tests if they are being done incorrectly.

I notice that the schools are being asked to pay for people to do it. I’m also assuming that no additional funds will be being made available from the government to pay for this.

Sounds lovely. I have worked with kids that would have punch me in the face for doing to them. The virus would be the last of my worries [confused

Also, I'll get the bus there, sitting next to Jack (who yesterday sat next to Jonny who got a positive result after school). I'll just nip into the shop on the way to the bus stop to get a bottle of water and stand behind Alice who played football with Kevin yesterday. Alice is trying to buy an energy drink as she feels tired and like she is coming down with a cold but she isn't coughing.

as she feels tired and like she is coming down with a cold but she isn't coughing.

Nah she's coughing, but it's ok because it's not a continuous cough, and her parents are smarter than the scientists as they know it's not covid. 😉

How often is this whole school testing going to take place?

Daily, but it’s not “whole school testing”. It’s testing close contacts instead of isolating them.

Will there be actual medical trained staff on site incase something goes wrong or just to make sure they are swabbing correctly. No point in doing all these tests if they are being done incorrectly

Yes, of course, we'd never use a system based on self administration, unwitnessed at home or barely supervised in a centre, of throat and nasal swabs, would we?

@Carrotcakeforbreakfast

I would imagine that they'll manage it logistically by doing a year group a day. It takes 30 seconds. Follow the register. The volunteer goes and calls the student one by one.

In the NHS trust I work certain departments have certain days. Okay so we do them ourselves but it is so we don't overwhelm occ health with the results if we were all to do it on a Monday.

I'm not sure why there is so much hysteria over this. It is not an invasive test at all. Lateral flow even less so as theyll probably just do nose swabs only. It is a good idea.
We have picked up loads and loads of asymptomatic at work and therefore I would imagine limited the spread somewhat.
As I say I would volunteer and I hope others would too.

It will make the schools safter

For those crying out about having trained medical staff do it. Whilst I disagree and feel like it is a massively dramatic perhaps we could utilise military medical staff.

Our secondary has around 1600 student and a few hundred staff. We would need to do more than a year group a day plus staff. I think testing going forwards is a good idea but it may be impossible for some schools.

I don't think everyone is saying please supply medical staff. Sounds like most us parents want to let the teenagers do the test themselves under supervision. That or parent does the test at home.

Given how much money has been chucked at friends of ministers and the PM (including Dominic Cumming's £50K pay rise!) since the pandemic began, it is awful that they're expecting Jo(e) Public to volunteer to help with mass testing in schools.

I remember when Gav announced that schools would be giving kids their mock results instead of the algorithm result that it was blindingly obvious that the policy hadn’t been passed by anyone who worked in a school. And indeed it was scrapped a couple of days later after it became clear it was dogshit.

This is another of those policies that would have been laughed out of the office by anyone with an actual clue.

I guess another question to wider society to consider is:

I'm a teacher, I'm told I've been in close contact with a student whose tested positive (student was sat at the front of my class which is less than 2 m away and coughed a few times in my lesson). I'm told to have these daily tests instead of isolating so that I can still teach in school. Tests pick up about half of cases. Are you happy for me to go to the supermarket after work? Go and collect my takeaway? Meet up with me for a walk in the park? Or do you think I should be isolating?

@PeppermintSoda

Are they going to make schools post positive stuff the government has told them to post or can schools keep quiet and post nothing? If the first that's appalling. The people who voted this sinister bunch in should be ashamed of themselves.

If the first we are living in North Korea or Russia!

@HipTightOnions

How often is this whole school testing going to take place?

Daily, but it’s not “whole school testing”. It’s testing close contacts instead of isolating them.

As i understand it, lateral flow testing is suitable for wide screening, like whole school testing, but not suitable for providing a definite negative, so couldn't confirm that contacts were negative?

I think it would be especially useful on the first week going back, to pick up cases from the xmas mixing and limit spread at an early stage.