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 haven’t refused consent, but my daughter is super worried about having the tests and she’s adamant she’s not doing them.

She has Tourette’s and her tics are quite severe and pretty much constant so she’s worried about putting the swab up her nose or in her mouth. School are trying to work out how we can do it without her doing it to herself.

No one will be forced and even if you consent and on the day your child refuses or doesn’t like it they won’t be made to do it.

Obviously anyone with a disability or autism or another health or well-being concern will not need to do this if they don’t want to.

LFT within 90 days of Covid illness isn’t part of the standard operating procedure so if a dc had Covid - point school to that guidance as the test will almost certainly be positive so not useful to anyone.

Any positive test done at home will need confirmationPCR test.

Schools cannot exclude a pupil who had refused not consented to a test.

There loads of guidance on this for schools and parents now and the next 2 weeks will hopefully help all get used to the idea.

Testing a population in school for this virus where 2/3 of people don’t show symptoms is what we can all do to help control the spread and keep all our kids in school.

Population testing is not dehumanising and of course anyone who is concerned should be treated with empathy and support .

I do feel sorry for schools trying to do the right thing to keep staff and pupils safe where governments decide to open them.

The “it’s against their ‘uman rights” folk just insist on making it difficult. Hopefully there are enough people happy to have their kids tested, in order to offer protection to those who can’t, and to make up for those who won’t.

If not, I expect the next whinge will be about how their poor little dears are having to isolate again because of an outbreak in their school.

Children will be allowed to come back to school whether they have the tests or not, they are not mandatory. Even if consent has been given, if they change their mind when the swab comes anywhere near their nose they won't have to have the test. It won't be forced on them. Children will only be sent home if they have a positive result or they are a contact with someone who has a positive result.

I suppose they may also be sent home if they muck about when the testing is being done eg trying to stick the swab in someone else or another orifice, but that would come under the behaviour policy!

I'm confused. It sounds from this thread as though LFTs are administered differently to the test for people with symptoms but my son has had the latter and I've had several of the former l, and they were the same format, i.e. throat and nostril swabs. Are there different types of LFTs? (Sorry, I feel clueless!)

Life isn't safe.

Wow, pretty amazed there are still adults out there who cannot understand, having lived through the pandemic, that children can have genuine fear and anxiety about anything.
Oh wait, anxiety and fear existed before the pandemic and has INCREASED. Well, I never. I’m so glad none of you have ever experienced genuine fear of anything in your entire lives.

Are we really in a situation where we cannot relate to CHILDREN who suffer from severe anxiety? Really??

I’m not saying I don’t understand why it’s important.
My son hasn’t even been for a walk for weeks, he’s so genuinely terrified of this god damn virus. He’d happily continue homeschooling if that was an option.

I’m not forcing a child who is crying himself to sleep every night since the announcement to perform tests where I am not even allowed to be present to try to reassure him. Absolutely my right.

Continuing homeschooling should absolutely be an option currently, but that’s not the question asked here. We’d be delighted if it was.
And no, I’m not taking him out of school environment. He is very socially awkward and incredibly anxious in general. He NEEDS to be exposed to it.

All I’m saying is that people have genuine reasons for not consenting. We are not all assholes.

The lateral flow tests only require you to swab the nose, not the throat. I am doing them twice weekly for work and they are very easy.

I'm doing two lateral flow tests a week and our instructions say nothing about nose only - where are people getting this from? It's 4 rubs on each tonsil and 10 swabs around one nostril.

Ds 15 is very nervous and would be more inclined if it was nose only - can anyone clarify why instructions would be different for lateral flow tests?

@Laquila the tests currently being rolled out are throat and nasal swabs. They are looking at in the future different ones such as sputum samples.

The ones originally sent to schools involve throat and nose. I think if you have issues with swabbing the throat you can swab both nostrils instead (think this is usually advised for very small children).

I know when it was first mentioned that schools were going to have mass testing a number of people thought that it would just be the nose swabs, but the ones provided to schools are the throat and nose ones. I don't know whether this will be different going forward.

@Multicover

So do these kids who are dehumanised by sticking something ip their noses never ever pick them then?

What a load of wankery bollocks.

No, only sub-humans pick their noses.

DD gets severe nose bleeds, it doesn't take much to start them, and once she's had one it seems to trigger loads more for a week or two, so I'm concerned that the tests are going to cause a bleed. Anyone had any experience of this?

I might see if she can just do the throat swab as better than nothing?

@Feenie

The lateral flow tests only require you to swab the nose, not the throat. I am doing them twice weekly for work and they are very easy.

I'm doing two lateral flow tests a week and our instructions say nothing about nose only - where are people getting this from? It's 4 rubs on each tonsil and 10 swabs around one nostril.

Ds 15 is very nervous and would be more inclined if it was nose only - can anyone clarify why instructions would be different for lateral flow tests?

I did online training today so I can self test at home, we’re using innova lateral flow tests, you can do either nose and tonsils, just tonsils or just your nose. If you go for just nose or just tonsils you need to remember to do the area for a bit longer so the total exposure time is the same.

I have a nose piercing and my other nostril is blocked due to an injury, so I’ll just be doing tonsils so I don’t have to remove my nose ring twice a week.

Loads of teachers won’t have been vaccinated by the school return as they are under 50.

The more students who aren’t tested and so who could be asymptomatic, the greater the risk of those teachers getting it. They might not be high risk but adults in their 40s can have the disease pretty unpleasantly and are often those getting long Covid.

I understand some cannot take the test or it will only be possible to do it at home rather than in school, but those who just don’t want to, it really does feel a bit like the care home workers who won’t be vaccinated. Clearly, no-one will be denied schooling due to this, but it is so disappointing to know family members who are teachers in their late 40s, will be at greater risk than necessary due to some people just choosing not to age their children tested.

No, I'm not planning to refuse.

I do twice weekly LFTs for work (nose only- we have been told this) and have done one on my 11 y/o to see how it was for him. He said it was a bit uncomfortable but worth it if he could be in school. My 14 y/o will be fine if they can get him to do one at his AP, which is unpredictable and mostly depends on his mood that day. My 6 y/o... I don't know if they're being asked? I wouldn't refuse permission from the off if they are, but would be prepared to revoke that permission if it caused him a lot of distress.

@unmarkedbythat Primary school children aren't currently being asked to test (In England anyway, not sure what Scotland etc are doing)

Some absolutely pathetic posts here.

Have those of you who have refused on behalf of your secondary aged children even asked their opinion?

Give them a test ffs. As for invasive- it's a swab not a camera up the arse.

@Mrgrinch

Some absolutely pathetic posts here.

Have those of you who have refused on behalf of your secondary aged children even asked their opinion?

Give them a test ffs. As for invasive- it's a swab not a camera up the arse.

My secondary school children were asked to consent themselves.

And no, no 'ffs', if they don't want the test then they don't have it. I don't give a fuck if it's 'just' a swab.

There's no justification on the planet for bullying, coercing or shaming anyone into have something done to their body that they don't want, none.

I am not sure I would like something poked up my nose or throat. I believe in the latest document it said no child would be refused school if they do not consent to a test in here assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963491/COVID-19_Response_-_Spring_2021.pdf and only secondary pupils are being asked to have tests.

It's both tonsils and one nostril for the in school ones currently. Smaller children can do both nostrils instead.

And not just under 50s who won't be vaccinated by return to school. It's under 65s, including loads of the clinically vulnerable staff and patents. They only started on people with conditions putting them in bracket 6 last week and there are 7 million of them.

I hadn’t thought of the nose bleed angle ds gets terrible nose bleeds and once they start those buggers take ages to stop more so if it’s hot.

One summer night we where sat outside with ice poles on his nose at 2am because every time he went inside it started again due to the heat.

I was told to follow this NHS video guide- just nose!

@cuddlymunchkin

Refuse the test and homeschool instead.

Going to school = consent to testing, the testing is to keep all children safe.

Going to school is not a consent to testing. Testing is voluntary not mandatory. Schools have to seek consent from parents in order to test their children. If parents choose not to consent for any reason, their children will still be able to attend school.

If DC are 16 then their consent will be required not parents

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@unmarkedbythat Primary school children aren't currently being asked to test (In England anyway, not sure what Scotland etc are doing)[/quote]
Thanks @ineedaholidaynow :)