Twice weekly testing once back at school?

[Barbie222]

From the Guardian: thousands of lateral tests would be made available to children for home use once schools return. They don't specify the age of the children, but I'm interested in young primary: would parents be prepared to test young primary children twice a week in order to send them to school?

For context I'm a primary teacher happily participating in the scheme for myself, but this plan to test primary children at home was proposed before and rejected as the kits weren't licensed for home use.

I'd like to see young primary children back as soon as safely possible so I'd be willing to test my own child twice weekly in theory, but would it actually help?

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/17/mass-tests-for-teachers-and-pupils-to-be-part-of-england-lockdown-easing-report-says

@AllAroundTheWrekin

And this is why the virus will spread.

People will opt out of safety precautions.

@AllAroundTheWrekin I’m not opting out. Please tell me how I can administer a nasal or nasal and throat swab to a 4 year old who is over half my height already and does not have adult understanding? The only way I’d be able to do it is by getting him on the floor, straddling his chest and pinning his arms with my legs and then using one arm to pin his head still.

It is not a casual opting out to refuse to physically restrain my four year old
Twice a week.

It's not for primary age children from what I've read. Certainly in Scotland its only the last few year groups in secondary school that will be asked to use them. We will get test kits for them to use at home

To be honest my thoughts are if it comes in it should be compulsory or else homeschool as all the people of vulnerable children have had to do and have been told to do many times on these forums...stay at home keep your kids at home and let the rest of us get on with our lives.
Its a short pain (yes some children won't like it) but its to protect other children....you know what isn't nice is watching your child having to have cannulas inserted sometimes into their scalp because they struggle to get a vein, watching them have blood drawn from an artery and have tubes pushed up their nose to their stomach as well as oxygen masks. This is the reality for some vulnerable children when they get a cold never, mind covid.
So a PCR test is very little to protect those children from having to go through all that.
If it doesn't suit there's always the option to homeschool.

Yes I would. I would test them every day if I have to. What with ONS testing and symptomatic testing with temperatures etc they have probably had about 10 each already, so they and I know what is involved!

My dd is in year 6. I'd have no issue with testing her once or twice a week with a lateral flow test. I don't think she'd particularly like it, but if I told her she needed to do it to go back to school, she'd probably agree to do it daily!

I would, Ds (10) has had 2 tests so far one for research and one for symptoms and has found them both fine with me doing them and would feel safer him having them

It would be much better if Primary children at least could be offered the saliva test being used in Southampton

I don't even do the tests properly on myself. It hurts if you do them too often.

I’ve just commented on another thread on the same topic, but I’ll comment here too.
Early years staff have been told they can not have lateral flow tests at home as it is too complicated to train us all how to us them. So the government think that in my professional capacity I am incapable of reading and following a leaflet administering a test on myself, but as a parent I am completely competent to Test my child.

The Early years sector is being treated appallingly through all of this. We can not wear PPE and can not social distance from the children we care for, but have been denied lateral flow tests to do at home and as with other professions working in close contact with the public are not priority for vaccination.

I wouldn’t agree to it. DD has huge problem with test/procedures due to her additional needs. Also I agree that it can’t be to replace tracing contacts and isolating.
We follow all rules to the letter and even more but this one is just not possible.

@Crazycatlady83

My DS has additional needs and no way would I test him twice weekly. We had to test him one before (negative) but it was horrific. This would cause him great distress

This! My (then) 5yo needed to be tested it was horrendous for us both theres not a cat in hells chance he will let me near him again with a nasal swab again just once never mind twice a week. A saliva test yes, a throat and nasal swab theres no chance.

I would do it (although think it very unlikely it’ll happen in primary) but it would be tricky as my 5 year old wouldn’t be happy about it.

I don't think its the fact of testing children some people are against, its the methods used to undertake the test especially for younger children who are more likely to resist and could potentially cause some harm

My 5 year old simply wouldn't comply. It was hard enough testing him once.

All the news reports suggest it is for secondary school children only.

It needs to be compulsory. And we sti need to be isolating close contacts.

We may be vaccinating adults but our vulnerable children are no way near. Schools reopening is causing me and DD who supposedly should be in a lot of concern for CEV DS.

Happy to do as a teacher and parent and I suspect it will help limit spread in schools if used properly and not as the first suggested ‘test instead of isolate’. I have a vulnerable child who is not happy to be in school and so think this will help him.

I do know, however, that people will lie about results and/or simply opt out.