Ok let's just assume seniors outside of year 11 and 13 return on Monday 18th jan.
Also by some miracle DFE issue tests in time and schools have enough parent/ community volunteers.
I assume they can't test all year groups within 1 day Monday 1st day back.
Say for example 20% parents / kids decline mass testing for various reasons.
Its voluntary and requires consent.
Some teachers/pupils or support staff may off self isolating or already have covid.
The mass testing goes ahead 70% as 20% said no and 10% were off.
What happens if high numbers of staff and pupils test postives.
Say example 20%.
The postive pupils already been in school so created many close contacts within schools or even travelling to school on the bus.
Parents are called to pick up their postives children and told they must stay home 7-10days.
Postive teachers are sent home.
If they feeling unwell or hospitalised they won't be able to work from home lesson planning or provide remote lessons.
So then a lot school have severe staff shortages and dangerously low staff levels to not only provide lessons in face and online to those self isolating but dangerously low levels if supervision and increase in size of school bubbles because they short staffed.
Locally staff shortages have led to schools closures .
Do them all return on 18th get past that risky time period when they met and nixed with other families at xmas ie if they were going to get covid they would have got it by now.
Finally once everyone's tested school then have compile a list close contacts and test them daily in order to avoid them going home to self isolate.
How many parents support the no self isolating but daily testing.
So 1 child negative Monday 18th but by Friday they then postive after mixing with staff and pupils all week.
How will this make schools safer.
The reason we self isolate is because of the incubation covid 19 has it can take up to 10 days.
Thats what science says.
Thats what track and trace, public health England say to any adult who works or mixes in a non educational setting to do.
Surely this will make schools less covid secure.
I fear this mean lots schools on and off for months which is much more stressful for employers and as they unplanned for and ad hoc.
Then there's mental health that old chestnut 🌰.
Surely anxiety around uncertainty, lack consistency, anxiety of risk to themselves or passing virus onto families is detrimentally to both staff and pupils mental health.
Many year 11 are so stressed about gcses.
Parents are stressed.
Finally the levels of accuracy on the lateral flow tests casts doubt on if really does make schools much safer if other sector like care home refused to use them.
Testing by itself doesn't make schools safer.
Breaking down chains of transmission and ensuring school community doesn't catch covid is better than catching it when they infected.
Teachers and education staff are not priorities for vaccinations.
Kids are not going to be immunities.
Its been said that school infectious are broadly same as levels of infection within the community.
So if the local area has high rates of infection then it inevitable schools will be affected.
University's and schools pupils are not a self isolated community/ bubble of their own.
We have to assume most 2021 be tough we can't eliminate covid 19 its gone beyond that here.
So whats our exit strategy when seniors return on the 18th.
Will testing magically make schools safer and reduce staff and pupil absence?
I'm skeptical it will.
Schools being given very few tools or solution to make schools safer.
If dfe close some schools in some areas that admittance that schools are not safe.
Which is the unions point.
Right now we kicked seniors schools issue into 2 week long grass as ficus is on primary who are not being offered testing.
I can't help feel this all or nothing top down orders from DFE has failed us all.
Their lack of ability to listen, look at the stats and work with schools and unions has led to this point.
Why are we not discussing
Cancelling exams
Rota systems
Repeating years
Vaccinate all education staff is such a priority.
Proper onsite mobile testing separate to school and random volunteers so like in London staff and pupils can get tested before they enter schools premises without overloading more work onto head teachers and senior leadership.