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Original poster

Govt plan to one-off test all secondary kids on return to school, too late to Christmas safer

225 replies

noelgiraffe · 17/12/2020 15:15

The DfE have just woken up and realised that schools might be in even deeper shit come January than they are even now, due to Boris's Insane Christmas Covid Bonanza.

So they are going to offer a round of tests to all secondary and college students and staff on return to school in January to try to mitigate the effects.

It will be optional and consent will be required. This will be two lateral flow tests 3 days apart and is separate to the daily testing for close contacts.

This is good news, but it's a shame they didn't think of this before Christmas and allow secondary kids and staff to be able to visit elderly relatives more safely and minimise the Covid Bonanza in the first place. Reactive rather than proactive as ever.

www.gov.uk/government/news/staggered-rollout-of-coronavirus-testing-for-secondary-schools-and-colleges

OP posts:
hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 20:45

Yes a clinical waste bin obviously, still not rocket science. Presumably they will be providing these....

Original poster
noelgiraffe · 17/12/2020 20:47

@hopefulhalf

and why are they talking about social distancing in the testing station as the DCs don't socially distance the rest of the time they are at school ?
Because they’re hoping to get some volunteers to staff it and no one would volunteer to work with close contacts of positive cases otherwise?
OP posts:
FiggyPuddingFiend · 17/12/2020 20:47

@hopefulhalf

and why are they talking about social distancing in the testing station as the DCs don't socially distance the rest of the time they are at school ?
I think because if they test positive they want to limit the effect on others. This is supposed to be done before they enter the classroom...
notevenat20 · 17/12/2020 20:51

I wish they would copy what Cambridge university did. Everyone got a weekly pooled test which is cheap. If a pool tested positive then the individuals in the pool got a PCR test. It seems to have been miraculously effective.

3asAbird · 17/12/2020 20:52

When will gavin be made accountable cie statement made in Parliament and questioned as his absence was noted today by another mp.
Also I love in hope education select committee may think this is step too far.
Can they force schools its not in their contract.
Will this finally lead to striking as fully support the teachers education and working conditions never been so dire.

ineedaholidaynow · 17/12/2020 20:58

@hopefulhalf I bet schools will have to provide the clinical waste bins out of their non-existent budget. I can see poor HTs over the Christmas holiday working out what they will need to buy to sort this out

hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 20:59

You swab, you mix, then you disgard the swab and do the pregnancy test thing. You can chuck the swab out once you've done the mixing bit. (yes, yes in a clincal waste bin).

Original poster
noelgiraffe · 17/12/2020 21:01

@hopefulhalf

You swab, you mix, then you disgard the swab and do the pregnancy test thing. You can chuck the swab out once you've done the mixing bit. (yes, yes in a clincal waste bin).
You don't have a clue what is being asked and your comments are facile.
OP posts:
cantkeepawayforever · 17/12/2020 21:02

But hopeful, that is NOT what the provided guidance says. See the previously-linked guidance for details. Whether you think that is the RIGHT guidance isn't the point - that is the guidance schools have been given to follow. A school creating a casual 'all swab when elbow to elbow in the tutor room and throw the waste in the bin before streaming out to the next class, supervised by the form tutor who has about a million other things to do - and no PPE', as you suggest, is not an option.

hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 21:04

So they travel into school on public transport to have a 1 minute swab then hang around (where?) for 30minutes to be told they have tested positive ? FFS why not send 2 home with them when they are told to isolate ? Then if negative in the morning can come to school ?

hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 21:05

Who said no PPE ?

hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 21:06

I know how to do a lateral flow test.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 17/12/2020 21:06

Getting a tutor group of year 9 to swab and then bin - "not rocket science". More like herding cats. It takes special skills. Kevin's mum might not be able to do it.

FiggyPuddingFiend · 17/12/2020 21:08

I'm really not convinced that most KS3 students would be able to accurately follow the instructions for a lateral flow test without individual supervision. I teach science, I'm used to getting students to follow a method and mix reagents - I know from reading the instructions what would go wrong: spilling the buffer, contaminating the swab (by putting it down on the table etc), adding too many/not enough drops of buffer, squirting the solution accidentally over the desk/child next to them - and this is all with a nice compliant group who do their best to follow the instructions. With some groups you'd have students do things wrong deliberately.

cantkeepawayforever · 17/12/2020 21:08

@hopefulhalf

Who said no PPE ?
School teachers have no PPE.

So if you want it done in tutor groups in tutor time, the member of staff in the classroom at the time will have no PPE.

IloveJKRowling · 17/12/2020 21:09

Are they going to make any extra funding available to procure and install the non-porous floors?

I'm guessing that I know the answer......

hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 21:10

But presumably these "volunteers" would ?
Seriously they can't send out a bunch of C-19 tests and expect them to be done in a "testing station" without PPE surely ?

starrynight19 · 17/12/2020 21:12

Are they going to make any extra funding available to procure and install the non-porous floors?

I would guess no as on the parliament video link above she categorically states no funding will be given to schools for extra staff or resources to administer the tests. Funny she says they started off with extra support for the pilot schools and gradually reduced it. She couldn’t say whether a school hadn’t had any support as is expected from January , but seemed happy that they would have a handout.

hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 21:13

I did say yr 9 up to be fair, I'm not sure many 11 year olds could do it.

FiggyPuddingFiend · 17/12/2020 21:13

@hopefulhalf

But presumably these "volunteers" would ? Seriously they can't send out a bunch of C-19 tests and expect them to be done in a "testing station" without PPE surely ?
We don't wear PPE unless we need to be within 2 m of a child who has symptoms. So if guess in a testing scenario if a volunteer was doing the swabs they'd have PPE (surgical mask and gloves), but otherwise probably not.
starrynight19 · 17/12/2020 21:13

Seriously they can't send out a bunch of C-19 tests and expect them to be done in a "testing station" without PPE surely ?

Am guessing this would come under ‘extra resources’ for which the head of the dfe said no today.

Witchend · 17/12/2020 21:14

FFS why not send 2 home with them when they are told to isolate ? Then if negative in the morning can come to school?

I think you'd be up against the children who forget/don't want to do it (so say it's negative), the parents who don't want their dc off school (so say it's negative etc.

Seriously they can't send out a bunch of C-19 tests and expect them to be done in a "testing station" without PPE surely?
We-ell they've expected teachers to stand in a room all day with 30 children without PPE. What's the difference?

IloveJKRowling · 17/12/2020 21:14

So they're expecting them to paint a wall without any paint, basically?

Schools already are on their knees financially. Where are they going to magic the money to do this from?

They just can't.

ineedaholidaynow · 17/12/2020 21:17

Maybe schools will have to say to parents if they consent to the tests they need to make a financial contribution

hopefulhalf · 17/12/2020 21:17

But the guidence does say if they don't want to then they can isolate. There would however I suspect be a significant overlap between those who don't and those who don't isolate, but that really isn't the schools problem.