English schools to do onsite covid tests again after Xmas

[noblegiraffe]

After the bodge job of the vaccine program, once again schools have been dropped in it. They have been asked at the last minute to do covid testing onsite after Christmas, with orders for tests needing to be in by Tuesday.

So expect more disruption to schooling. And why? Most of the kids have had covid, caught in school and the 'firebreak' of the holidays mean they are less likely to be infected in Jan than in December.

If they gave a shit about school infection rates, why is this their response?

From the article "“It seems to have forgotten that school leaders are educators rather than an ad hoc branch of the NHS. Their focus is on providing the teaching and learning required by their students, which is particularly important in the context of the disruption caused by the pandemic. The last thing they need is another huge responsibility which does not even fall within the remit of education.”

Ms McCulloch added: “It is hardly the greatest timing either that this has been communicated in an email late on a Friday afternoon, and that they have been told that they will need to order sufficient test kits for this task by Tuesday, which seems an incredibly short timeframe.”

inews.co.uk/news/education/schools-england-covid-19-testing-stations-return-class-christmas-1322134

For those of you complaining about the lack of CO2 monitors: they are not fit for purpose. I got half a dozen out on my desk in a row. There is no tracking facility, so you only read them when you happen to look at them (or if you have set an alarm and they sound), there is a 15% difference across the set of monitors I looked at, and I believe they have a daily drift - mine start around 400ppm, and finish the day around 800ppm, with generally just me in a large classroom sized space with drafty (closed) windows.
The supplied batteries last less than one working day, so you are basically restricted to the computer USB socket, or buying 3-pin/USB adapters and using the classroom sockets.
Another "cash for my mates" imo.

Mote proof that the govt has literally zero idea how schools operate.

There is no slack in the budget, there is no slack in staffing. Our actual work, be that of the science technicians, site staff, admin staff, pastoral staff, teaching staff, SLT, everyone in schools, is getting further and further behind with the chaos that Covid is causing every single day and week and has done for 20 months. And we're supposed to be providing extra teaching for catch up and extra assessments in case exams are cancelled againand extra pastoral amd mental health support and and and...

Something is going to give at some point. Certainly there are more staff ill (at every school I know of) than at any point in my career.

We’ve always tested 2x weekly in school. Don’t think it’s made much difference as by the time they’ve tested positive it’s been spread round anyway. Kids all know it’s ‘testing day’ today and they don’t bat an eye lid

Oh and we do it in tutor time and it works well.

@InTheLabyrinth

For those of you complaining about the lack of CO2 monitors: they are not fit for purpose. I got half a dozen out on my desk in a row. There is no tracking facility, so you only read them when you happen to look at them (or if you have set an alarm and they sound), there is a 15% difference across the set of monitors I looked at, and I believe they have a daily drift - mine start around 400ppm, and finish the day around 800ppm, with generally just me in a large classroom sized space with drafty (closed) windows. The supplied batteries last less than one working day, so you are basically restricted to the computer USB socket, or buying 3-pin/USB adapters and using the classroom sockets. Another "cash for my mates" imo.

I agree! Half of ours are still sitting in the box. Total waste of time.

Seems sensible to me. They recognise that kids returning to school after holidays is causing a surge in infection. This has the potential to be greater after Christmas due to all the mixing and travelling during the period. Supervised testing at that critical time will catch as many cases as possible. Massively inconvenient and disruptive to announce this at the last minute but hopefully the effort will prevent the need for harsher measures down the line.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59441647

NB the BBC appear not to know that the first round of on site testing was in March.

Also this article implies that it was omicron that caused this sudden move. At least that would explain the short notice?

@containsnuts

Seems sensible to me. They recognise that kids returning to school after holidays is causing a surge in infection. This has the potential to be greater after Christmas due to all the mixing and travelling during the period. Supervised testing at that critical time will catch as many cases as possible. Massively inconvenient and disruptive to announce this at the last minute but hopefully the effort will prevent the need for harsher measures down the line.

Our school asks that the children test at home before returning to school after any school holiday. This means they catch cases before they go back to school and mix with each other

Teachers moan a lot don’t they. My sisters a high school teacher, she’s trained to do onsite testing. She was proud at helping out. She also loves her job, home at 3, loads of holiday, good pay. She never understands the wingers (she was a nurse before so she understands what a stressful job is).

Its not really within a teachers remit to do covid testing in children. Takes them away from teaching which is their actual job

@Fet2021duejuly2022

Teachers moan a lot don’t they. My sisters a high school teacher, she’s trained to do onsite testing. She was proud at helping out. She also loves her job, home at 3, loads of holiday, good pay. She never understands the wingers (she was a nurse before so she understands what a stressful job is).

Sounds like she's slacking at her job if she's home at 3 too!

Your sister must be exceptional then @Fet2021duejuly2022, in getting home at 3 (does her school finish at 2.30??) daily. Does she not have any marking or after school meetings?

Bollocks does she fet.
Teachers deal with all the crap.

@containsnuts

Seems sensible to me. They recognise that kids returning to school after holidays is causing a surge in infection. This has the potential to be greater after Christmas due to all the mixing and travelling during the period. Supervised testing at that critical time will catch as many cases as possible. Massively inconvenient and disruptive to announce this at the last minute but hopefully the effort will prevent the need for harsher measures down the line.

It’s all too little too late.

As ever, this government act like it’s a surprise that kids go back to school in September. They weren’t ready for vaccines, they didn’t have simple measures like masks or even bubbles. So covid has ripped through our local schools yet again and teachers are getting ill.

I swear people forget that those people under 40 were offered jabs much later, so they won’t get their boosters until just before or after Christmas. So covid is hitting them harder now.

Honestly, again, schools and young people are at the bottom of the pile.

Its fucking pathetic, so all term we can test at home yet after a half term we somehow lose the ability to do it and can only be done in school.

My DC was delayed another week starting school so they could LFT everyone yet miss a day off school for something else and it's criminal.

She gets in early and does marking. Goes home at 3 most days. She does say teaching can be a bit stressful (like any job) but not the level that is often made out by her peers. It’s not as stressful as when she was a nurse that’s for sure.

@Fet2021duejuly2022

She gets in early and does marking. Goes home at 3 most days. She does say teaching can be a bit stressful (like any job) but not the level that is often made out by her peers. It’s not as stressful as when she was a nurse that’s for sure.

I’ve been teaching 22 years and the only teachers I know who have left on the bell (and I’ve never taught at a school that finishes at 3) are the slackers and their classes get a poor deal. The also arrogantly think they’re great teachers.

Home at 3 @Fet2021duejuly2022 ?! Her school must finish very early as most schools have the staff directed time until at least 20 mins after the end of the teaching day.... and she doesn’t ever have any meetings to attend? I smell 💩

She’s not a slacker, just very efficient. She’s helped bring her school out of special measures so she must be doing something right.

My kids school doesn't finish until 3.45pm
I dont know any secondary school that finishes at 3pm

@Fet2021duejuly2022

Teachers moan a lot don’t they. My sisters a high school teacher, she’s trained to do onsite testing. She was proud at helping out. She also loves her job, home at 3, loads of holiday, good pay. She never understands the wingers (she was a nurse before so she understands what a stressful job is).

🤣🤣🤣

@Fet2021duejuly2022

She’s not a slacker, just very efficient. She’s helped bring her school out of special measures so she must be doing something right.

What by leaving school at 3?

Ok

Perhaps she’s not telling me truth 🤣