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Original poster

When are your secondary DC going back? (England)

132 replies

MNnicknameforCVthreads · 23/02/2021 11:09

Due the mass testing required, we've already been told ours won't be back in on 8th. More details to follow from school.

I'm annoyed!

OP posts:
PatriciaHolm · 23/02/2021 11:11

I think that will be standard - they all have to be tested, and can't go back until they have had a negative test (and have to be tested 3 times over a period of about a fortnight). So most schools won't be able to cope with them all in from 8th, and will have to stagger the start.

Original poster
MNnicknameforCVthreads · 23/02/2021 11:14

@PatriciaHolm you are right, but I'm still annoyed. Does anyone think they will start the testing before 8th?

If not, are you telling me some secondary school DC won't go back until 29th? For precisely 4 days before Easter?

So much for scientists having 4 weeks of data in order to see the effects?!

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 23/02/2021 11:49

SLT are meeting today to plan what we're doing. Since the guidance is different from the guidance for January, it can't just roll over.
We have about 1500 students and 150 staff to test. Lots of the students come on public transport.

Pieceofpurplesky · 23/02/2021 14:55

It's impossible for schools to do this in one day and it will take time to set up. Boris just skimmed over the actual details to say what parents wanted to hear - the documentation actually says schools have two weeks to implement a return

ineedaholidaynow · 23/02/2021 14:57

The guidance says testing should start from the 8th

CherieBabySpliffUp · 23/02/2021 15:00

He didn't mention anything about "bubbles" either. I'm sure he's talked about them when the schools opened last time but I'm doubting myself.

FourTeaFallOut · 23/02/2021 15:03

They can go in from their first negative lateral flow result, op.

ineedaholidaynow · 23/02/2021 15:05

I think bubbles are still in the revised guidance

MarshaBradyo · 23/02/2021 15:06

We haven’t heard yet

bathsh3ba · 23/02/2021 15:10

Not heard anything yet, which surprises me a bit as we usually get messages immediately following any such announcement, even if a holding one.

MarshaBradyo · 23/02/2021 15:11

I just got an email as I typed that

We’ll hear plans at the end of the week, but it will be staggered over the week

RedskyBynight · 23/02/2021 15:36

DC's school is already set up (and has been testing staff and keyworker children) for testing. They can't do the whole school in one day though. Hopeful of the first week anyway.

BobsDouble · 23/02/2021 15:37

We’ve been told not to expect any answers to this question until the end of this week.

Bramshott · 23/02/2021 15:39

I think what they said yesterday is that they'd be in sometime between the 8th and the 12th? I'm guessing they'll probably add a new year group each day as they test them, so as DD2 is Y9 and therefore probably about the lowest priority I'm expecting Friday 12th.

sd249 · 23/02/2021 15:41

[quote MNnicknameforCVthreads]@PatriciaHolm you are right, but I'm still annoyed. Does anyone think they will start the testing before 8th?

If not, are you telling me some secondary school DC won't go back until 29th? For precisely 4 days before Easter?

So much for scientists having 4 weeks of data in order to see the effects?![/quote]
We aren't allowed to start testing before then. Guidance has said that we should start testing on the 8th.

Students can start after their first negative test. It will be staggered but only within the first week according to government. But in big schools it might be longer (we will have to do 4000+ tests over the first week)

Remember schools were told the same time as everyone else, with guidance up late last night. We didn't have a plan to come back as we didn't know how it would look until 3:30 yesterday (when testing was barely even mentioned).

Harumff · 23/02/2021 15:41

Schools need to plan to test all students as they come in so can’t possibly do it on one day - it shouldn’t be a huge deal though, we’re bringing ours back over Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday so not too much of an inconvenience really!

needadvice54321 · 23/02/2021 15:45

We've just had an email - assuming LFT come back as negative (there's a timetable to attend school to be tested at some point between 8-10th) then school reopens on the 11th Smile

Haven't heard anything from DS's college yet..

starrynight19 · 23/02/2021 15:47

We have been told it will take a week and a half before all children will return.

CovidPostingName · 23/02/2021 15:49

Some time before the 12th due to testing roll out. Unavoidable really.

PosyWella · 23/02/2021 15:51

We have heard and we've been sent forms to consent the lateral flow tests too.

Our school are staggering the return starting with year 13 on 8th, yr 11 in 9th, y10 on 10th... etc until the final year returns on 16th March.

Original poster
MNnicknameforCVthreads · 23/02/2021 15:54

@sd249 oh I'm not blaming schools. I'm not really even blaming to government, I'm just frustrated that we're in this stupid situation at all. I know IABU.

At least if the guidance says schools should aim for testing to be done within the first week, then that's better than two weeks.

My point still stands though about the scientists saying they need 4 weeks of data, when it was only ever going to be 2 weeks and 4 days (before the Easter holidays) and now, upon reading the small print, it's barely going to be 7-10 actual school days that a significant proportion of children will be in school for before they break up for Easter.

Oh well. Could be worse.

I just hope they scrap masks after the Easter holidays.

OP posts:
WombatChocolate · 23/02/2021 15:56

Why are you annoyed?
Schools only heard yesterday that they can return from 8th. The advice said all kids should be back by the end of the week, but clearly if you need to test students before they can attend classes, they can’t all be tested before 8.30am on Monday morning, given no-one can be tested before Monday.

The larger the school The more tricky it will be to test everyone. Some schools might manage it in a day and others might take several days. They will all be back within that week.

Some people seem to expect the impossible or to complain without actually thinking first about the practicalities.

YetAnotherWalk · 23/02/2021 15:58

We've been told they are working on an operational plan and will let us know on Friday. I think this is very fair and sensible given the sheer numbers and logistical operation this will involve.

Surely this must be better than just mixing millions of students on the 8th without any thought

NovemberR · 23/02/2021 15:59

I just hope they scrap masks after the Easter holidays

I don't. I have vulnerable friends who teach. They have no date for a vaccination and I'd rather they had some protection from the 150 teenagers a day that they will spend their day with.

WombatChocolate · 23/02/2021 16:00

And for those who are irritated that they haven’t heard yet.....schools heard the first news at 3.30 yesterday the same as everyone else. The actual advice and detail from DfE is only now starting to emerge. They have to plan the mass testing programme, so that will take a couple of days at least.

Lots of schools will have sent a holding email, saying more info is on its way. But I’d be surprised if any school has yet been able to lay out an exact timetable of return for each year group...but it won’t be long.

Do give a thought too, to staff who will be teaching full time online until next Friday, whilst also needing to get classrooms and resources geared up for the return a couple of days later. I doesn’t all magically happen as people seem to imagine.