Secondary school testing must be on site?

[Donatella]

I've just read this on the BBC, does anyone have any more details? Have the government really made this announcement via Twitter, on a bank holiday, the day before term will be starting in a lot of schools?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59854920

I have a child in secondary. She is due back tomorrow morning at 8.30. The school have asked all kids to test at home today and send them the results. If this article is correct (a big if) then does that mean the school have to delay the start of term/conjure up a plan to test all kids before they go back tomorrow and inform parents about this before 8.30am tomorrow? On a bank holiday??

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@Watapalava

As each kid doing them is supervised in our school by a member of staff dressed in PPE.

So a tutor wouldn’t be able to supervise 30 kids doing a test at the same time[/quote]

This is how it works here too.

Ds's school had this letter go out to us before the end of term prior to Christmas.

Staggered start tomorrow prioritising years 7 and 11, into school at a set time to be tested, arranged by forms. Then sit there waiting for the result, if negative continue to class if positive child to be collected immediately.

Take up so far is 75% with another reminder that legally children have to be in school for 8.30am tomorrow if they are testing at home and they have to register their LFT with the school (as usual)

The school has around 275-300 pupils per year group. Deal is if you are in any other year group than 11 or 7 then tomorrow you are in that 25% and on your own until your classes get filled. Year 8s are the last ones in on Wednesday.

Really? Our school has never stopped onsite testing. Kids just do them weekly with their form teacher. Why is PPE needed when these are asymptomatic testing?

Teacher supervises but like i say most kids just say they dont want to and kids can refuse even if parents agree so the numbers partaking are getting less.

Dd's school announced this at the end of term. Dd is testing at home as I am back in work tomorrow and can't take her. She's testing everyday as a close contact of me anyway.

Nope.
Kids are to test tomorrow at home, with arrangements to go into school if they can't do it at home.
Back into school day after

@Wowwellokthen

I wonder what they are doing about the huge percentage of kids who have had covid in the last 3 months? Are the guidelines still that you are not meant to be tested within 90 days?

DfE says they should be strongly encouraged to still take part in on-site testing.

I guess because of the increased risk of reinfection with omicron.

Forgot to add she should have gone back tomorrow but this is delayed until Thursday for testing.. no mention of online learning? Will she just lose 2 days of school?

Yes our school is doing this although
I’ve asked to do mine at home as I won’t be able to leave work to take them in - otherwise it’s an expensive 40min bus journey each way for them for the sake of a quick LFT!

Also I’m not keen on them mixing with all the children who haven’t yet had a test to know who may or may not have it. Seems a little strange not
to do a supervised test at home instead.

Schools have known about this since before the holidays.
My school is doing a staggered start, so years 11, 12 and 13 bring tested tomorrow and back in lessons Wednesday, Years 9 and 10 being tested Wednesday and in lessons from Thurs etc.
It's only for students that have previously consented.... So about 7% of the cohort at my school!

@Houseplantmad

"It's been said since before Christmas and it's bloody good news. No more faking it hopefully."

@PAFMO At the school I work at unfortunately a significant number of parents/students refuse permission to take part and get tested so those who do just go back into lessons untested which, in my opinion, defeats the purpose of the whole testing programme!

I have refused permission. My job involves doing covid testing all day. I am more than capable of supervising my dc doing a test.

He won't be going into the classroom untested just see no reason to put him with classmates who haven’t been tested that might get a positive test 20 minutes later.

@historygeek

That rose makes sense!

For some reason our schools starting with year 7s and exam classes last 🙄

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@historygeek

That rose makes sense!

For some reason our schools starting with year 7s and exam classes last 🙄[/quote]
Maybe thought it would reduce childcare issues if Y7s are in?
I must admit,I'm quite looking forward to only teaching KS4 and KS5 until Friday!

Thr staggered return and everyone coming in for 5 minutes to test tomorrow really only works for schools with small catchments (or towns/cities with great public transport throughout the day). We live in an area with a town surrounded by lots of little villages, the children who live in the villages need to be driven or use the school bus to get to /from school, its not practical to ask those kids to come in at a set time half way through the day for a LFT and then go home immediately- unless you presume parents can take time off work to drive them. Realistically getting them to all do tests in an extended form time seems the easiest way to ensure its done. (And they did ask if at all possible to also do a test at home this weekend.)

Independent schools I know locally are asking students to test the day before return and log their result. Any that don’t, will be asked to test when they arrive.

Clearly all testing is optional.

This seems to be allowed as they are independent schools. The advantage is lessons begin Lesson 1 and there is no need for staggered start or loss of education.

Appreciate that state schools have to stick to letter of law.

We have been given a choice of testing at home or on site, but what concerns me is that anyone who has had Covid in the last 90 days have been advised not to test. This was fine before omicron, but it means at least half the school won’t be testing before they go back

Noble

The DfE have updated guidance to align with NHS advice - no lft or pcr now

Our dc were given lfts before they broke up to use, but then dh and dd3 had covid so three of us had to do daily testing, couldn’t order any and so used dd1’s. I’ve managed to order more but hope to get them before school starts otherwise she won’t have tested. I wish they would do it in school but only because I know a parent knowingly sent their dc to school with Covid pre Christmas.

@Watapalava

Noble

The DfE have updated guidance to align with NHS advice - no lft or pcr now

Schools were emailed yesterday with DfE advice saying that LFTs are strongly encouraged even if within 90 days of infection.

Ours is on site.
But I doubt many are outside of the 90 days to do a test!

Noone will do that tho given the chance of a positive result. Mine both had covid in November and the advice is to test with new symptoms only given you cannot be sure and kids would be isolating unecessarily.

We have received an email to say school are offering on site testing for 3 year groups tomorrow - the rest are testing at home I assume. It isn't mandatory to go in for a test either. Kids are back on Wednesday.

Lft are encouraged even after covid infection. They stop being positive as soon as the persons viral load has reduced to a point they are not infectious. Hence you can stop isolating after seven days with negative lft.

Schools were emailed yesterday with DfE advice saying that LFTs are strongly encouraged even if within 90 days of infection

Yes, our school emailed yesterday about this, asking to book a test today for tomorrow if your DC has had covid in the last 90 days (DD has).

Luckily they are also offering the chance to test at home, as there are not enough slots at this late stage.

Haggis

NHS tells staff they cannot lft within 90 days so there must be some risk

Our secondary already planned this.

Some days of online learning to enable all year groups to be tested before returning.