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

[CheltenhamLady]

Just that?

Is it right or fair?

@Purpleheadgirl
As I understood all students will be invited to come to school twice during first week to have tests. It’s how it was explained before holidays. Year 11 and 13 are tested while at school.
Then contacts of the positive case are tested routinely 7 days in a row in the morning and if they are ok they are allowed into the classroom. Teaching staff are also tested routinely weekly. Schools should identity sites for testing and provide supervision. I’m not sure but I think travel for the first 2 tests should be organized by parents.

@Pamperedpet

I'm not consenting for my children unless the tests are in addition to isolation.

I hope we get this choice as parents.

I'm going to ask school. They've asked for our consent already, but I'm going to quiz them about the process of isolation.

I wouldn't mind doing it but worked in care before teaching. However after this year I wouldn't do it as an extra there is very little good will or energy left for that.
No staff member should have to do it if they don't want to.

@DecemberSun

I hope they refuse.

Not their job.

They can't - it comes under 'other reasonable duties' in the contract as pastoral care.

No it isn't right our local comp was searching volunteers on 18th dec when they got notice of this whole farce...they've basically had two weeks to plan of which should have been holidays as well

DP's been uncharacteristic forthright about this. When I said work are asking for volunteers to supervise swabbing, process the tests and suchlike, his response was 'Well, you're NOT doing THAT'.

In fairness, I am currently under orders from the hospital to isolate for two weeks because I've just had a hefty dose of medication for autoimmune disease, so for the next fortnight, I'm effectively CEV rather than just the normal CV, but he never tells me what to do.

As it is, I think there are urgent things I need to work on that I can do effectively from home, so they'd probably say 'no, thank you' anyway, but the strength of his reaction was a little surprising - perhaps he is being more realistic than I am, as the idea didn't horrify me (but I have been dealing with all of the sick kids all term, so maybe I've become a little desensitised towards risk).

I don’t want to do it but since Sept we have had been required to be in school for 8 am to supervise pupils who are dropped off early (pupils allowed on premises from 8 bit now have to go to their zones so need supervision to ensure they stay in their zones). Have been told this is when I’ll be supervising pupils swabbing.

I just feel lost. I’ve always put my job before my family bit this year seems to have been worse - DC dropped off at 7.15 so I can get to school for 8, not collected to 6 so I can do after school duties and now I’m putting other children’s health before my own children’s.

I thought your school had run out of directed time, motherrunner?

They can't - it comes under 'other reasonable duties' in the contract as pastoral care

No it doesn't. No-one but no-one can make a teacher/TA perform medical interventions.

@TheEchtMeaningofChristmas

They can't - it comes under 'other reasonable duties' in the contract as pastoral care

No it doesn't. No-one but no-one can make a teacher/TA perform medical interventions.

Presume they can tell you to supervise it though?

@TheEchtMeaningofChristmas

They can't - it comes under 'other reasonable duties' in the contract as pastoral care

No it doesn't. No-one but no-one can make a teacher/TA perform medical interventions.

I've already checked this out. I can refuse. I will refuse. My union will back me.

The email that has come from my headmistress today is that students are expected to self-administer the tests under supervision of trained staff (SLT) and trained parent volunteers.

If students cannot self-administer, parents can do it donning PPE provided by school.

They don’t have to be tested at all.

AFAIK, teaching and support staff have not been approached regarding testing.

At the DS school they are supposedly doing it themselves
Really don’t know how my Y7 will do it

@noblegiraffe

I thought your school had run out of directed time, motherrunner?

I thought so too according to our calendar. Apparently now we having events such as option evenings/tutor reviews/spring production rehearsals etc cancelled in order for us to be able to continue our extra duties until half term.

At the standard testing centres it says that under 12s shouldn’t be self-swabbing.

Nope.

@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.

Indi needs to survive where as states dont have that motivator

Such a snooty comment.

I also hate the term 'indie' as if it's some way superior...

Think carefully about why an independent school might be able to achieve this much more easily than a state school.

I'm a TA and, if asked, I will be refusing.

I teach in an independent school. I won’t be volunteering to test children and neither will the colleagues to whom I have spoken (although the school is unlikely to ask us). Nothing to do with being free thinking and so on. It’s a question of right and wrong. If the schools don’t survive, so be it. Our health is more important.

This testing has also become mandatory for schools. Before Christmas the announcement inferred that schools could opt in or out but today the message is that schools are 'required' to get the testing up and running. I've looked to see if there is a petition started but can't find anything. I'm all for a voluntary screening on return but not to replace isolation of close contacts. I also do not believe any member of staff should be forced to take part. Testing should take place offsite in the same way that the general public are tested.

It's not a snooty comment. It's a SEN school so hardly there to serve the elite.

They cope better as they have less students per staff and more money. It's not rocket science surely?

I dont pay the fees as its SEN. But it does go to show how the gap between the rich and poor works. Why is that shocking?

Indi means independent surely? Private, independent whatever. I am sure you do know that really?

It's a world away from how my state dd in year 1 is being handled. You dont have to like it, for it to be true

My main problem with this is that it replaces isolation for close contacts. I don’t think that’s either acceptable or advisable.

It's not right, it's not fair, it's not acceptable and frankly it's utterly bizarre.

It's WEIRD. We're supposed to be this big economy, so amazing, can make it on our own without Europe and yet we can't do something like test schoolchildren during a pandemic except via volunteers and already overstretched (and in this instance, unqualified) teaching staff?

I don't think any other country has done anything in such a weird, half arsed way. It's not surprising our death rates are higher than anywhere else.

It's like the Dad's Army of the pandemic. Everyone should just say no. Serco got some ridiculous sum like 22 billion of our taxpayers money, they've got the money, they should do the job.

Teachers already have full time jobs. I have no idea where anyone thinks they have the time to do testing as well.