To Covid test at secondary school or not

[HandlebarLadyTash]

Secondary school has just emailed confirming weekly testing I'm not sure if it should be done or if we should just go with it. Child doesn't seem to mind either way

A. Yes, helps the school stay in control of covid cases and is the responsible thing to do when part of a close knit community

B. No, one less child for the overworked staff to test, the school test is not deemed a positive COVID diagnosis (a positive test at school means child has to undertake an 'official test' )

I'm sure there are loads of reasons that cover Yes/No so am seeking other peoples reasoning to help

I have a question related to this if anyone can help?
DH and I tested positive in November. It is likely that the DC were asymptomatic I guess? (I am now convinced DS had it as ten days before DH had symptoms he had 48hrs of diarrhoea, which I now believe could be a symptom, didn't know it at the time).
Anyway, I've read that you can test positive for up to 90 days post covid, so if DC were to be tested they could likely show as having it now, even if they haven't. Does that sound correct?

Not sure i agree with them instead of isolating although wouldn't object to do couple at home ourselves during isolation to see
If weekly just to check asymptomatic would be fine as still may pick up some that would go otherwise un noticed
My ds at college has to collect one and bring home to do , so why can't older secondary pupils do the same ?

We had email from ds head just before they broke up to say they will not doing tests first week or so back as sprung on them too late and they need to work out the logistics first , which is fair enough i think , been very impressed with how his school have handled everything and ds college.

Im a teacher and my children will not be tested like this.

The testing is easy my 12 year old can do alone in minutes

You rub it along your tonsils - not right down the back of the throat! Then use same swap to run inside of nose upto 1-2cam so again not right up to the brain!

It’s a couple of mins that’s all and it’s not painful

In Liverpool it worked a lot

In Liverpool it worked a lot

Nope.

Well our date went from 750 to 94/100,000 within a month

Rate

“The report contains further bad news for the government too: there is, it says, “no clear evidence that the introduction of mass testing in Liverpool impacted on Covid-19 cases or hospital admissions”.

Although cases there were driven down in November and December, that may have been a result of being the first region to go into tier three restrictions followed by the national lockdown, it indicates.

Assessing the conclusion, Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, said it did not seem as though the pilot had "much if any impact".”

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/liverpool-mass-testing-results-lateral-flow-tests-b1778679.html

I can only speak anecdotally

So many people I knew had positive test with no symptoms and whilst financially it may not be perfect, picking up even 50% of asymptomatics is better than nothing surely?

Agree they shouldn’t be used for contacts of cases as not reliable enough but weekly testing of asymptomatics - even if a poor test is a good thing

Main issue I feel is that kids with symptoms will be sent in to school on basis that it’s easier for them to get a test than parents isolating them and taking them for a pcr

My first thought was yes option A, I'd opt them in but having thought about it I would probably go with option B. My concern would be the accuracy of results, specifically false positives and the knock on effect to the whole family. So shoot me down but I'd be getting tested upon the onset on symptoms and that's it. The disruption is too great that I wouldn't be going above and beyond. If the tests were accurate then of course I'd consent.

We've been emailed by DD's school to say that they are testing staff and year 11&13 on Thursday and Sunday next week (assuming the tests arrive).

Plenty of parents have volunteered to help and there are lots of sports staff (who won't be teaching very often) to supervise/crowd control.