Stupid school

[Tabbydancer]

I don’t know whether to blame the school or the government
As I write my child has been crushed in a queue of 200 kids - the last 20 minutes indoors - waiting for a LFT to see if they are negative so they can return to school tomorrow
The sheer stupidity of testing for an infectious disease in a crush of a queue is mind boggling
The teachers won’t let him go (I told him to walk out of the queue) as he says it is a D of E directive. He is 13 and doesn’t have the confidence to turn around himself (he is texting me)

• * [thread title edited by MNHQ] **

Youngstreet do you know that they thought it was a good idea?

@bettycat81

My Son, who has had covid over Christmas, has been asked to test at home tonight before going in for a test at school tomorrow.

And?

1. tests are not compulsory
2. you shouldn't be testing so soon after having covid

Little Reggie had a positive PCR right?

The fact you are giving the request far too much head space is the issue. Just give the relevant information and say no Little Reggie will not be testing as per guidance after covid and will be in classes as normal.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

I might be missing something here... but why not get the kids to test themselves at registration if its so important that the results are checked by a staff member?

because with 1 in 15 with Covid in England right now that means an average of 2 kids per class with Covid! So, not wise asking them to come into form for 20-30mins before they know the results and all kids are keen to congregate with their mates as have probably not seen them over the hols.

Bad management. Ours been given testing slots year 11 back today year 8 day home school back tomorrow to stagger it. Head is very on the ball though

They're crowding two hundred kids in together to test for who might have covid.

What a stupid idea.

Do you have none at home he can do?

Schools fault. badly organised. Should be staggering over a few days.

That would anger me tbh.
The lack of thinking things through is scary.

Sounds strange handling re the school ours staggered for each year group (with half the year each given a time) no crush or long queue…tested and back in class they have done this a few times now so know how to manage it

@Drunkpanda

Youngstreet do you know that they thought it was a good idea?

Well they did it didn’t they? If they haven’t got the nouse to say hang on let’s divide the pupils into class groups then that’s pretty worrying imo.

what a bloody stupid way to do it.. are they trying to make everyone catch it?

like others, our school are testing over a couple of days, and each year group is being invited in over an hour and a half slot, with each class of 30 being given a 10 minute window, and there are 10 testing stations set up. My DD was in and out within 5 minutes.

Sounds very poorly organised, both my DC’s schools have tested a class at a time. Luckily dd1 mentioned she already tested at home so she was told she didn’t have to test again. When I dropped dd2 off this morning they had already started testing, I could see them in the hall as all the doors were open, it looked very calm and organised.

Not good

We just did LFT at home in the end for eldest

@Tabbydancer

I don’t know whether to blame the school or the government As I write my child has been crushed in a queue of 200 kids - the last 20 minutes indoors - waiting for a LFT to see if they are negative so they can return to school tomorrow The sheer stupidity of testing for an infectious disease in a crush of a queue is mind boggling The teachers won’t let him go (I told him to walk out of the queue) as he says it is a D of E directive. He is 13 and doesn’t have the confidence to turn around himself (he is texting me)

I would say definitely the school at fault - MOST other schools have been testing in batches (including ours, which have called in groups by surname - added advantage of getting siblings in at the same time, which I thought was pretty good!)

Ours are doing it in form lesson.
So once they’ve been on the school bus / public transport, been in the playground together, through the corridors and then into form.

Others locally are getting kids in over days to test and go home. Ball ache if your a parent, but makes more sense

2) you shouldn't be testing so soon after having covid

The "not within 90 days" thing has been removed.

DS1 was testing negative on an LFT on day 6 of his isolation anyway.

@SoupDragon

2) you shouldn't be testing so soon after having covid

The "not within 90 days" thing has been removed.

DS1 was testing negative on an LFT on day 6 of his isolation anyway.

DH is still testing positive 3 weeks later

Of course kids mix at school. But the whole point of the testing is to weed out the kids before they mix so they don’t spread it. Not engineer a super spreader event.

Nevertheless, the government has said children should test regardless of the 90 day rule.

Same thing happened with my DS yesterday, 160 6th form students given a half hour slot. He was waiting in the queue to test for over an hour! Compared to my DD today who goes to a different school but was given a 10 minute slot by surname and was in and out in 5 minutes

My dd had to go straight into school and sit at her desk where they were all to be tested whilst spaced out and in their separate classrooms. I'm not sure whether they were doing the tests themselves or the school nurses were doing them.

Why on earth any school would then have them all leaving en masse seems silly but then so much about this whole debacle is nonsensical and ridiculous that nothing surprises me any more. For instance primary children aren't being tested at all (as they shouldn't) so what's the bloody point of testing older kids?

It's everywhere - it can't be controlled. Most people don't even have symptoms or they're very mild, not to mention all the people who just aren't testing any more (I believe most people who test are either trying to protect someone CV or are people who work in the public sector and are happy to get the - paid - time off work).

Just do away with it all now - the sooner the better.

@SoupDragon

Nevertheless, the government has said children should test regardless of the 90 day rule.

And when did they make testing compulsory?

Schools should be teaching the principle of consent. Consent is not consent if it is under duress.

Raise it as an issue if testing is being presented and carried out as if it is complusory.

Go to the school yourself and retrieve him?

“Crushed in a queue” Hyperbole much?

Like most, our school is staggering the return days with a couple of years going in the day before return to do a LFT OR you can do one at home and send it in that same day. DS has done one at home and I've just recorded it at the school. We're a rural catchment area so, unless the kids catch the school bus, some villages only have a bus on Thursdays (or whatever)! Which means mum or dad have to take the day off to take the kid in for a five minute test. So the school have given permission for any child to do a home LFT. They've been doing them twice a week for months so they know what to do (like most other kids).