I don't understand the opposition to mass testing in school

[Blanketyblankblankety]

I thought that's what teachers on here wanted. Won't it mean school will be much safer as you'll be able to identify asymptomatic DC plus not have to rely on parents not to send DC in even with symptoms. Why is there so much negativity?

@PamDenick

If you are giving over your inset days to this training, what will happen to the Safeguarding/moderation/first aid training that you had in place for those days?

There’s a global pandemic.

We do our safeguarding updates in September.

I think moderation is a thing of the past for most subjects.

We are not running first aid this term.

I think the only timely thing on the agenda is exam invigilator but I have already done this 5 minute update.

Other than that it is fluff (pray that HM is not following this thread) and personal planning.

What??? That's awful!

Yes, there are two parts of this:

Every child should be tested before returning to school (though as Y11 and 13 are supposed to return on the 4th, I presume this means that the expectation is that every school is set up in advance of this?)

AND

From then on, those children who would have been sent home as close contacts of a confirmed Covid case instead continue coming into school, but test daily for 7 days while continuing in school with no SD and no PPE in the classrooms as normal.

What money and resources (apart from brain power, team spirit and a will)?

You don’t think that willing and able parent volunteers are a resource that a lot of schools won’t have access to?

@cantkeepawayforever

There is no reason that students cannot go off timetable for a lesson or two, and this includes the teacher.

So once the initial testing is done - so every pupil, in every school, during 1 week - you are suggesting that for the contacts who are otherwise isolating (say the 500 children from our neighbouring secondary who were sent home a couple of weeks ago), they spend the first 2 lessons of every day being tested?

Out of a 5 lesson day? While the teacher SHOULD be doing a full online lesson for those at home?

Surely full-time online learning according to the normal timetable would be better, rather than missing 2 lessons every day to stay in school?

The whole test, including admin, takes less than 4 minutes.

Who will volunteer though?
I doubt many will be up for it myself.

Every child should be tested before returning to school (though as Y11 and 13 are supposed to return on the 4th, I presume this means that the expectation is that every school is set up in advance of this?)

Yet in reality no school will be set up for this on the 4th. So when these crucial year groups return it will be to the same shit show as before Xmas and with all the Xmas mixing they will infect one another and be lucky to make it through the first week before they are all off isolating again.

The whole test, including admin, takes less than 4 minutes.

the guidance says 11-13 per station, per hour, and specifies how the stations must be set up. in particular, it must be in a room with a non-porous floor, so likely to be limited to 1 or 2 rooms in any school, and the need for SD before, during and after testing would limit throughput for reasons of space.

So 550 students who would be isolating = 45-50 person hours.

Obviously every student has to wait for their results before getting any further into school.

@noelgiraffe

What money and resources (apart from brain power, team spirit and a will)?

You don’t think that willing and able parent volunteers are a resource that a lot of schools won’t have access to?

Are you tying yourself up in your own argument?

No I never wanted tests. I think school children have put up with enough. I think the tests are invasive and disruptive and I certainly wouldn't want them weekly.

@DipSwimSwoosh

No I never wanted tests. I think school children have put up with enough. I think the tests are invasive and disruptive and I certainly wouldn't want them weekly.

What do the students want?

My sons secondary have sent out a provisional timetable for the first week back including a training session from 8am on the Monday which is for volunteers and staff. The next session is the staff and volunteers to test themselves. The idea being staff might test themselves regularly. Then they have guessed at 2 hour slots per year group. So the first year group (year 11) is allocated Monday afternoon. Its with a call for volunteers as the teachers will teach after they have tested themself but i am guessing admin will be left testing too.

Its crazy.

@cantkeepawayforever

The whole test, including admin, takes less than 4 minutes.

the guidance says 11-13 per station, per hour, and specifies how the stations must be set up. in particular, it must be in a room with a non-porous floor, so likely to be limited to 1 or 2 rooms in any school, and the need for SD before, during and after testing would limit throughput for reasons of space.

So 550 students who would be isolating = 45-50 person hours.

Obviously every student has to wait for their results before getting any further into school.

Why do they need to wait before getting the results?

As asymptomatic people they should be able to get on with their day.

Has anyone asked the students? I think they want an education without endless hoops and barriers.

I want testing, don't get me wrong. I want mass testing booths within suitable marquees to be bought by the Government, erected by Government-employed staff and used every day outside every school to house specially trained contractors who then release negative students into school.

I ALSO want close contacts to isolate properly, for 10 days.

We've been piloting the testing at our school. The students do the test themselves under supervision. You need staff to register each individual's barcode; process each test (takes about 5 mins); clean and disinfect in between each test; wait 30 minutes for the test to develop then another member of staff records the result by scanning it on the NHS app which automatically sends an email with the result.

The student has to remain in the testing hall for about 35 mins, because of social distancing you have to test students in batches. It takes 9 members of staff around 3 hours to test 100 students.

@CraftyGin where is the 4-5 min ? , this post is from someone who has actually done it.

@starrynight19

We've been piloting the testing at our school. The students do the test themselves under supervision. You need staff to register each individual's barcode; process each test (takes about 5 mins); clean and disinfect in between each test; wait 30 minutes for the test to develop then another member of staff records the result by scanning it on the NHS app which automatically sends an email with the result.

The student has to remain in the testing hall for about 35 mins, because of social distancing you have to test students in batches. It takes 9 members of staff around 3 hours to test 100 students.

@CraftyGin where is the 4-5 min ? , this post is from someone who has actually done it.

My DDs have done it at university. DD said 4 minutes first time and two minutes second time.

I just don't trust the government to be able to pull this off in the time frame they've allowed.

Also, I don't think it's fair if they expect schools, which have no expertise in this area, to pull it off for them in the time frame they've allowed.

It's just moonshit again.

OP - in principle the idea is good but the logistics impossible and the announcement political

Who do you think will process tests?

Do you realise the capacity labs are working to now?

Every positive test requires follow-up - how will that be managed “at scale” when system already floundering?

Have ANY schools received guidance on how it will work yet?

Don’t buy into politics - listen to those on ground.

This is an absolute shitshow of a plan

Are you tying yourself up in your own argument?

No? You said that your school was staffing it with parent volunteers. Other schools will not be able to.

As asymptomatic people they should be able to get on with their day.

No. They are asymptomatic close contacts of known cases (after the initial start of term testing).

You are conflating the two sets of testing the government has announced:

• One-off testing of every student before they return to school.
• Daily testing of close contacts who would otherwise be isolating, every day for 7 days (the time to be re-set every time there is a positive case).

In the first case, despite the less than 50% efficacy of the test, you COULD argue that students could continue into school once tested the second time. Though it would, of course, create total carnage as every positive case then has to be chased through the school to be told and sent for PCR testing, followed by every one who is a close contact of theirs (including in the testing area) having to test every day for 7 days...

On second thoughts, given that scenario, waiting the 35 minutes might be a better option....

Just to clarify - they've given a time limit of 3 weeks to get this done for millions of kids, and for two of those three weeks, everyone is on holiday.

Typical bullshit.

Why do they need to wait before getting the results?

Because they are close contacts or siblings of people who have just tested positive.

This it to REPLACE self-isolation.

@Canyoncall

OP - in principle the idea is good but the logistics impossible and the announcement political

Who do you think will process tests?

Do you realise the capacity labs are working to now?

Every positive test requires follow-up - how will that be managed “at scale” when system already floundering?

Have ANY schools received guidance on how it will work yet?

Don’t buy into politics - listen to those on ground.

This is an absolute shitshow of a plan

The processing is done in situ. The sample is mixed with reagent (by the patient) and the processor puts a few drops on the lateral flow cartridge (like a pregnancy test). There is no lab.

Also, Crafty have you abandoned your plan to do it in PSHE lessons?

The more I hear about these last minute plans/changes the more I think the government are hoping that either parents refuse to send their kids in or that teachers strike so schools will close but it ‘won’t be the government’s fault’.

I am not anti-government in anyway but schools were already being asked to do the impossible - social distancing in full classrooms, tutor bubbles, cleaning desks and seats resulting in no breaks or giving a proper education and now schools are being asked to do something else on top. It just seems so unreal to me.