Private schools will not have testing funded

[DrizzleandDamp]

Not sure where I sit on this one, state schools are obviously having the lateral flow tests funded by government.

Private schools have been told no funding, no help with extra staffing, ultimately a cost of around 12 extra members of staff who can’t teach (depending on size of school), and £20-30,000 a month on tests. That won’t encourage take up.

Not all private school parents are rich, some are just managing, some are on hardship bursaries and an awful lot right now are getting free schooling:help because their businesses have died from Covid or jobs lost and they can no longer afford fees. So the schools are at the moment subbing them, but it won’t last and they’ll be removed.

Around 6.5% of U.K. (c.600k+) pupils are in independents. Will the government provide those school places when parents have to pull them or private schools go under?

I’m just not sure it’s ethical when parents are paying into the NHS, and into schooling (twice) that they aren’t providing these tests.

Just wanted to have the debate!

I will get flamed I'm sure, but my DC attend private school on a massive discount because my DH teaches there. We are not high earners (I work in education as well) and could not afford to send the DC to private school otherwise. The school were charging £90 for private covid tests before Xmas. We would struggle hugely to pay for multiple covid tests (inc for DH as a teacher) at a few days notice. And it’s not like we could suddenly demand places at the local over subscribed secondary either. If the testing is essential for public health, the government should fund it for all teachers and pupils.

@DumplingsAndStew

Private businesses who have established mass testing for employees... who has been paying for that?

Didn’t HMRC decide that was a benefit in kind? So the employers are funding the tests, but the employees are liable for the tax.

Oh - not anymore. HMRC updated their advice on 20 December. But it was initially their position.

This is about health provision and not education. It’s ridiculous to say if you opt out of state education provision that you should pay for this.

I pay tax and NI so why shouldn’t he get the same as those children who are at state school for health care?

If the testing is essential for public health, the government should fund it for all teachers and pupils.

They will - if you can’t afford the costs associated with private school you can send your kids to state school.

@Lumene

+if you can’t afford the costs associated with private school you can send your kids to state school.

A Covid test is not a 'cost associated with private school'

Exactly what @CovidPostingName said

@Lumene this is hardly a foreseeable cost is it?

Not sure where your information is from OP?
But my dds and dsd private schools have clearly communicated to us today that government is funding lateral flow testing.
If parents want to use the test to release scheme for girls quarentining on return from overseas then that has to be paid for but the weekly lay flow test is being provided.

According to our consent form, if they are a close contact of a positive case, they will be tested at school every day for 7 days instead of isolating. At £50 per test (£350 per week) or £99 per test (£693 per week) that’s going to get prohibitively expensive pretty quickly at the private schools charging these amounts.

@thereinmadnesslies your son is entitled to a state secondary school place/alternative provision until one becomes available, whenever he needs one.

The government should fund all testing - as PP said, it's a health issue, not an education issue. If private school students/teachers fall ill, they'll all end up in NHS hospitals.

If you are concerned about public health issues that impact pandemic spread, lobby for proper payments for people who are supposed to be isolating but can’t afford to.

There are limited funds. Additional funding for private schools is nowhere near the top of the list of priorities during a pandemic.

Many businesses have had to close as they can’t afford the measures needed to operate during a pandemic. If it’s important to you to have your children’s tests funded by government money you are free to send them to a state funded school.

@Lumene this is hardly a foreseeable cost is it?

I agree it’s not but not sure what your point is?

I am sure many schools will find the funding to cover tests

But I do think all secondary pupils need to be tested.

All that will happen is there will be large amounts of school children off as someone in their bubble is symptomatic and they will get tested at a test centre

To try a limit the virus spreading we need to have mass testing in all secondary schools last thing needed is some opting our because of costs

A Covid test is not a 'cost associated with private school'

Well there’s no problem then is there?

I don’t have a really strong view on this. On the one hand, it is health, not school, and parents have paid their taxes.

On the other hand, relative to 20k (give or take) of school fees, it is a drop in the ocean. No extra staff cost will be entailed; it will be administered by a combination of SMT and staff on non contact time (plus ancillary staff).

Many private schools were already carrying out (and charging parents for) privately administered tests at the start of every term.

Some of the responses here are extraordinary. This is a health issue not an education issue.

Are people seriously suggesting that paying for private education means opting out of non-educational benefits? Utter bollocks.

If the govern requires school children to be tested for the benefit of the wider community then it should apply across the board. We’re not talking about museum trips or printer ink here.

@Lumene I have calculated for the costs associated with my children’s private education but this did not include having to find money for extra childcare when the £26k that I am already paying out to a school with wrap around hours is meant to be my childcare - I did not expect for them to be ordered to close as this had not previously happened in my lifetime, my parents lifetime or my grandparent’s lifetime. I am not rich. Like many other professional working women, I use my DC’s school so that I can continue to work. My clients are in the public sector and I help them to provide valuable services that you might just be receiving yourself. Furthermore, there are huge numbers of NHS staff that send their DCs to my DCs school. Many of those parents are women who would have otherwise stopped working. How do I know? They told me!

You think you are being clever by telling people to send their kids to state school but you come across as spiteful and bitter.

Independent schools are receiving the lateral flow tests for free but no additional funding for staff/setting up a testing centre. The kits are arriving on Monday same as state schools.

Please can the OP provide a link to substantiate this claim. I have not seen anything to suggest that Private schools will have to pay for the lateral flow tests.

They will have to find volunteers to help with the process as will all schools.

This is from the ISC (independent schools council).

Thanks @Crumpetycrump. That makes more sense.

Nah, unless exams are cancelled this year private school pupils will have an even greater advantage than in any previous year. If I sound bitter.....well yeah I am. Private schools apparently offered excellent online learning from March. Whilst the state sector didn't have to after the curriculum was suspended.

If you pay for private education, believe your school is not covid secure despite having half the number of pupils per class, or your child to be, suffering or asymptomatic of Covid go pay for a test or fill in the online form. Failing that keep them at home for a few months. Afterall they haven't missed much teaching have they?

Its a bloody non issue. Seriously. Schools need to be closed to all but vulnerable children and those of keyworkers, and the intended purpose of the lateral flow tests is highly questionable. Its being introduced to eliminate isolation after contact with positive cases.....so be careful what you wish for!

This isn't right the government papers say that independent schools will get the tests and training - they won't get funding to administer the tests/ set up adequate facilities.

can they also opt out of paying the portion of their taxes that go towards schools then so they aren't paying twice?

You don't pay twice. You pay for your child's private education and you pay taxes, some of which go towards education. Those taxes are paid into one central pot, and you pay the same irrespective of how many children you have, or even if you have none at all.

If you do think you pay directly for a state school place for your child, then I look forward to a rebate for all the years I've paid for my non existent child's place.