Is anyone planning on refusing to allow their children to have the lateral flow tests.

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I'm really not looking to start a bunfight. Just tying to better understand the reasons if you are not planning on allowing your child to be tested.

I can understand SEN children struggling with LTFs but these tests are non invasive and the child carry’s out the swab themselves.
I have been doing LTF testes at DS’s school with staff and keyworker children.
The children just get on with it. They are tested twice a week and after the first session just accept it. It will be more interesting when the rest of the school return but we are just scaling up the test stations and will have more volunteers assisting.
I have to do two tests a week at work and it takes seconds.
Picking up asymptomatic cases is essential to help keep schools open and for our children’s lives to return to normal.
My experience of treating teenage patients at the moment is heartbreaking. They are all very quiet and visibly down, teenagers need to be back with their tribe.

I have no issues with my kids having a test. We've been completing them for the ONS survey with no drama. I wasn't going to comply with testing when they wanted to test instead of isolating because I thought that was risking more infection given the low reliability of the tests, but now they've ditched that mad idea I'm happy.

The tests are straightforward and might keep everyone a bit safer. Seems perfectly sensible.

For those who read the person who was adamant that my ds college wouldn't let him test from home straight off - they have agreed.

As I will be moving to home testing twice a week through my school they've agreed it.

So I would advise those who have children who are anxious or send and may struggle to work with their schools.

@Thepilotlightsgoneout

I think the only reason I wouldn’t is if DD found it excessively distressing but we won’t know that until the first one is done. I don’t have an ideological reason to refuse.

What @Thepilotlightsgoneout says.

If the testing is traumatic for children, then we need to make sure children don’t become damaged victims of this. I will give it a go though.

We've never had any positives in my school. We've been testing since January.

We've had 1 (possible false negative) but it was 48 hours after test the person for symptoms and had PCR

If you don’t want your child tested or to wear a mask then keep them at home and continue homeschooling. Being a dickhead about covid is not cool and does not impress the healthcare workers who have been living in PPE for the last 12 months and also test regularly.

I have to do a lateral flow test through work twice a week. It's a annoying but necessary.

I dont have an issue with DD being tested.

I'm concerned because my son has terrible nose bleeds. Hes on the spectrum (undiagnosed - high functioning, there never seemed any point) and highly anxious so that's why I'd refuse. Happy to do it at home with him just not at school

@Angrymum22

If you don’t want your child tested or to wear a mask then keep them at home and continue homeschooling. Being a dickhead about covid is not cool and does not impress the healthcare workers who have been living in PPE for the last 12 months and also test regularly.

What if Im happy for her to be tested but not to wear a mask all day? can I be a dickhead then or not?

We've had these tests at our school on a voluntary basis for the last six months. They are easy and quick to do and have picked up cases effectively meaning that the virus can be contained. It's amazing how quickly the school community has adapted to this. It's better than not knowing and spreading the virus unwittingly.

keyworker kinds have been testing for ages and don't find it distressing. It isn't particularly pleasant and I am sure that we would all prefer not to have to do it but it keeps everyone safe and is preferable to lockdown. Covid is here to stay so we may as well ensure we can get back to life as normal and this is part of that process.

If you don't want your child to have the test then that is totally your choice BUT they should then have to stay at home and continue home learning. Obviously if there is a genuine medical reason then that's different but if not then keep them off. Yes, it's your choice not to have it but why should your choice impact the safety of my child, and many others. We've stuck to the rules, home schooled on and off for the best part of a year now and I haven't seen any of my family (and my children haven't seen their grandparents for over a year-they don't live near us). I can no longer cope with the lockdowns, the closing of bubbles, the missing family. If you don't want to allow your child to have a quick, easy, painless test, when it could potentially save others, then for goodness sake keep them off school !

@Letsgetreal

Ill throw the hand-grenade in for the deluded here....

There is minimal evidence if any at all that asymptomatic carriers transmit Covid

There is minimal evidence if any at all that children, particularly the under 12s, transmit Covid

Enforced medical procedures, either by diktat or coercion (eg no test, no in-school teaching) are immoral, unethical and against the Nuremburg Code (to which the UK is a signatory)

The Government had stated that testing is not compulsory (for all the above reasons) and children will not be deprived of an in-school education if there is no consent.

Why would you want to test (unpleasantly) your children for something that, as the Government roadmap statement makes clear, is little more than a mild flu for the vast majority of people.

If we are going to plunge into the abyss lets start with TB, measles, polio, mumps, chicken pox etc and all the other more serious viruses/diseases that children may get, test for those and ban the positive ones from school.

Read better research not just social media and YouTube re masks. These test are not great but do pick up some cases. Some less in school is better than not testing at all.

We are talking only about secondary school here. Transmission in the over 12s can be as high. Secondary schools have shown to mirror the transmission in the community. If one has cases going weird the other will do. They fan each other. So I
take it you want to stay in lockdown and have the kids off school for months. That is nice but the rest of us don't!

I’ve told the school I don’t consent to the tests. My son has previously had MH issues and is getting himself so worked up over this.

I can’t see the point of having them if they are being forced to wear masks all day in school anyway.

And seeing as these tests are to be voluntary, my son will still be going to school.

It would be good if we could have those tests they spit in as in France, would be easier...

You may find in the end your child is the one to put pressure on you. If all their peers are having it done. They will stick out quite a lot. Secondary school kids don't tend to appreciate that much. Plus other kids could get quite verbally aggressive questioning why they would want too. Much like mumsnet some kids feel very aggressively about these things. Not nice but a reality of the situation you may encounter.

I doubt it, we've had several conversations about it without me pushing my own views on to him. If children bully other's over their choice I hope the school will have strategies put in place for this, if they don't then obviously I will raise any bullying issues with the school. Also, to clarify my son is saying no for his own medical reasons which are valid - he wore a mask all day at school before this lockdown and he was the only one in his class who chose to so he has thought about it all.

@Orangeblossom1977 my son would definately cope with that type, they should at very least have a supply for SEN kids. Wonder why they haven't thought of it or if they arent as accurate?

The test is simple and painless and may save lives. Of course I don't mind them taking the test.

Of course there are exceptions where a child has complex special needs and can't do it. BUT for everyone who can, it's so important we all do what we can to protect other people and reduce the spread of the virus. It's just a self-administered swap.

@Orangeblossom1977

It would be good if we could have those tests they spit in as in France, would be easier...

They are introducing saliva tests but they don't have enough lab capacity yet to cover all schools. In our area they are starting it after Easter.

I spoke to the parent of a child in my school today, who said she wouldn’t be giving permission for her son to have the tests. She said it wouldn’t be fair for him to miss school if he was asymptomatic. 🤷🏻‍♀️

People saying they won't allow it are just plain fucking stupid, as far as I'm concerned.

They know damn well most children with Covid are asymptomatic so the whole 'testing healthy children' angle is pure bullshit. All they're proving is that they don't give a fuck about other people. What a surprise!

I do hope the DofE support Heads in saying no-test, no-school. NOBODY is more special than anyone else. Test your kids you bell ends.

There is a spit test which is not intrusive - where the issue is sensory or anxiety inducing due to SEN this should be offered, then there really is no excuse for refusing testing

I'm a secondary school teacher, there are key worker students who just refuse to have the test, no health reasons, they just refuse, personally I and my colleagues feel they should not be allowed in school and should be home schooled or tested at home by parents and send the results in. When we go back in March I will be in a room with up to 30 students for an hour at a time, why should they be allowed to attend school when they don't do as requested and may be putting everyone else at risk. I realise with autistic students etc its difficult but I have a family, other students have families and we also have rights.

@FenceSplinters

I spoke to the parent of a child in my school today, who said she wouldn’t be giving permission for her son to have the tests. She said it wouldn’t be fair for him to miss school if he was asymptomatic. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And therein lies the problem and possibly the wider truth.

And it's selfish that because they are asymptomatic they don't care they may pass it to someone who become symptomatic and quite ill.

There's such a level of selfishness around this

I really can't understand some people. People don't like lockdown but also refuse to test/social distance/wear a mask. Like seriously how are we meant to get out of this mess.