Is it right that Teachers/support staff are expected to carry out testing?

[CheltenhamLady]

Just that?

Is it right or fair?

Nose and throat, according to the info sent to schools.

Schools in England will have no NHS support.

No but we are getting a zoom with a soldier who’s never been in a school so that’s better right?

Of course it's not fair.

I live in an area where walk in LF test centres have been set up over the last 2-3 weeks. Rather than utilising these to test secondary pupils, school staff now have to set up ones on site to conduct mass testing for 1-2 weeks and then smaller scale testing.

It would be far more sensible to use the existing ones to test pupils before they return.

Universities did manage to set up testing centres - they have far more support staff than schools and the students are adults and far more able to carry out the tests on themselves. It was also a logistical nightmare for them, but they are bigger organisations with more resources at their disposal.

I suspect secondaries in my area won't return to face to face teaching (apart from exam years) in January - so having to set up and then test all pupils in the 2nd week of January- where there are already community test facilities available - is utterly pointless.

@tinytemper66 that sounds fine to have proper NHS support, not just inexperienced volunteer parents. And even if only a few children make a fuss at school that is not illustrative of the worry/anxiety they might face from having to be responsible for doing something invasive/uncomfortable to themselves without a parent or professional present to help.

Our school have asked for volunteers. Surely anyone doing that wont be able to keep a 2m distance!

Yes. When my DS had a recent Covid test in a test centre, the person stood 2 metres away and instructed my DS what to do. My DS didn’t push it far enough up his nose as it felt uncomfortable so was told to do it again. He gagged when told to push it further into his mouth. He was fine doing this as the staff were very competent and I was sitting next to him, but I can’t imagine all 11/12/13 year olds being ok doing this with an inexperienced volunteer without their parent present to offer reassurance.

@Schoolchoicesucks

Of course it's not fair.

I live in an area where walk in LF test centres have been set up over the last 2-3 weeks. Rather than utilising these to test secondary pupils, school staff now have to set up ones on site to conduct mass testing for 1-2 weeks and then smaller scale testing.

It would be far more sensible to use the existing ones to test pupils before they return.

Universities did manage to set up testing centres - they have far more support staff than schools and the students are adults and far more able to carry out the tests on themselves. It was also a logistical nightmare for them, but they are bigger organisations with more resources at their disposal.

I suspect secondaries in my area won't return to face to face teaching (apart from exam years) in January - so having to set up and then test all pupils in the 2nd week of January- where there are already community test facilities available - is utterly pointless.

Our head has already emailed parents to ask if students can be taken to the local walk in test centres a couple of days before school starts (whenever that happens).

Then we are to email the results to school. Any kids not done at test centre will get done at school.

Given these tests are a one off and not an ongoing arrangement, what is the point of it all? I get the will perhaps pick up on positive cases picked up over the holidays (or not given the are barely 50% reliable) but why are they going to all this trouble ?

Also, our Head Teacher has confirmed they can use a specific code on the register of we decide not to send our son inningil the 18th. This is for a special senior school which was exempt from the delay in starting back like the mainstream secondary schools. I dont know if the same applied to primary schools.

@LegoAndLolDolls Parents are volunteering at my sons school but its indi so they are better at free thinking solutions rather than formula following. Much like every other aspect of this pandemic.

What do you mean? Why are parents volunteering an indication that your 'indi' school is better at 'free thinking '?

It's more likely because the government are not providing any funding to independent schools to help with this. My son is at an Independent school and my daughter is at a state school, they have both asked for parent volunteers.

So that's an untrained member of the public supervising a child to swab themselves. How will that work? If the volunteer maintains the 2m distance then they presumably cant really see if the swab is being put in the right place? Apparently it's very important not to touch the inside of the mouth and only the tonsils. If the volunteer gets closer surely they themselves are at risk?

Contrary to the information in the letter sent by my sons school which says the test if over 99% accurate. It is not, it's more like 55% when carried out by someone untrained. Never mind a situation where a volunteer is stood 2m away from a child doing the test themselves. .

Summary, this unreliable test is being used instead of self isolating for close contacts = more positive cases will end up in schools just when we have a variant that is more easily spread.