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Covid

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Original poster

School wants an LFT done everyday

66 replies

Lauren1983 · 19/01/2022 18:08

My DD's primary school are asking for children to be given a LFT everyday before school. Is this the norm in other schools?

They have never asked before so maybe something has tipped the scales. I've heard that half of her class is off but don't know if that is due to false positives or the children actually having covid.

Going to have fun getting the tests. My local pharmacy has had a notice on the door all week saying they are out. If all the kids test that is 1000 tests a week just at one school.

OP posts:

BuffaloHigh · 19/01/2022 18:19

Mine asked yesterday as we have 7 children off with it plus the teacher and one of the teaching assistants. They said it was triggered by more than 5 cases in a class over a 10 day period.

There doesn’t seem to be any problem ordering lateral flows online any more, although I saw some pharmacies here didn’t have any. But it’s easier to get them online anyway.

Wellbythebloodyhell · 19/01/2022 18:23

My ds primary asked for dc to test daily if there's a positive case in the household but that's it

Timeforabiscuit · 19/01/2022 18:25

Yes, normal for my area if its more than 5 cases over ten days in a class. Kids should be aged over 5 and at parents discretion. Should be just 7 days.

Fedupsotired · 19/01/2022 18:26

Yes same here

Indecisivelurcher · 19/01/2022 18:27

First time we've had this as well. There are 8 cases in Dd's class. She tested positive on Tuesday morning, we'd never have known otherwise. No symptoms.

Blupblup · 19/01/2022 18:28

Yes, we've done this when there was a high case number at school. And also doing it now as we have a household case of covid.

TulipsGarden · 19/01/2022 18:29

Why do you think they're likely to be false positives? They're pretty rare.

I ordered some tests online this morning, no problem.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 19/01/2022 18:29

Haven’t been asked and I wouldn’t feel happy doing one every day

Poppitt58 · 19/01/2022 18:33

It’s the advice given when you come into contact with a positive case. A lateral flow daily for 7 days. (Which then rolls on with each new case) It’s not compulsory, and schools have no way of enforcing it, however when you have large numbers of cases it doesn’t harm alerting families to current guidance.

IllManneredBitch · 19/01/2022 18:36

Same at our school but the school office have boxes of lateral flow tests they can provide. I don't think false positives are all that common.

JammyDodgersandPeas · 19/01/2022 18:36

We've had an email requesting the same for the next week after the Head spoke to Public Health. We have a LOT of cases across the whole school at the moment.

Fallagain · 19/01/2022 18:39

PHE advice it when there has been a high number of cases within a school. It means your child has definitely been a close contact.

BertieQueen · 19/01/2022 18:39

We have to twice a week. School sent home tests and have more if required.

AchillesLastStand · 19/01/2022 18:40

My DS’s primary school have also asked for tests every day for 7 days after a positive case in the class. I’m finding it really hard to get the tests done and it’s in his nose for a millisecond. So the test results are not at all accurate and for this reason I’m not testing every day.

OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea · 19/01/2022 18:44

Daily is tough. I have to do 10 days of daily tests if a close contact or living with someone work covid and my nasal passages are pretty sore by the end. I'm all for being prudent and having measures and there will be times when daily tests are advisable but I wouldn't be happy with no end date.

BeckyWithTheGoodHair010101 · 19/01/2022 18:46

Our local pharmacy says none available on a sign but does have them, you just need to have a code from the nhs website. I haven't had any issues getting them online either.
I don't think they can force you to comply with this though.

JanglyBeads · 19/01/2022 18:49

False positives are very very unlikely, particularly when case rates in the community are high anyway.

Doublechocolatetiffin · 19/01/2022 18:50

Our school is the same, it's the new rules. If you're a close contact of a covid case you have to do lft for 7 days. Previously you'd have been isolating. Ask the school for tests if needed, they should be able to help.

Abraxan · 19/01/2022 18:51

@Lauren1983

My DD's primary school are asking for children to be given a LFT everyday before school. Is this the norm in other schools?

They have never asked before so maybe something has tipped the scales. I've heard that half of her class is off but don't know if that is due to false positives or the children actually having covid.

Going to have fun getting the tests. My local pharmacy has had a notice on the door all week saying they are out. If all the kids test that is 1000 tests a week just at one school.

Did the letter come direct from school, or is it a PHE letter sent out by school?

Our school have sent out the same request this week.
We have over 20% of the children who have tested positive this week and last, numbers rising each day.

Our letter, which is a PHE letter but sent out by us, has been sent out to all parents at the end of last week, and a repeat one this week. The week before it was sent out to just two classes where numbers had reached a higher level. Cases have risen across the whole school now hence the whole school now getting them. This is on the advice of PHE - it's the only extra thing we've asked for despite high numbers.

We know that not all parents are testing at all, let alone daily.

You can get LFT via the government website. They may say out of stock at times, but they are relaxed a couple of times or so during the day, so keep trying. I've managed to get them for dd, who needed them as a close contact, quite easily in the end. No point in waiting for the pharmacies as ours are struggling to get stock.

Abraxan · 19/01/2022 18:53

False positives with LFTs are less common than false negatives.
And certainly wouldn't be happening all the time, across the school and for the same people constantly.

Almost all of,our cases have some symptom, though mild. Slightly high temperature, coughs, stomach upsets, cold symptoms, sore throats, aches, fatigue, general weariness/easily upset - all symptoms seen by our key stage 1 and reception children in the last week or two.

TheMoth · 19/01/2022 19:05

I tested last Wed for work, nothing. Felt like I was starting with a bit of a cold thurs- a vague phlegminess at the back of my throat and some lower back pain I thought I'd done running. Tested Thurs night to check: vivid red line before it even finished climbing the test. Definitely none of the big symptoms you're meant to test for. I know loads of secondary kids aren't testing, which is presumably where I've caught it from, seeing as I'm a hermit in winter. Dh and kids have escaped so far.

guardiansofthegalaxychocs · 19/01/2022 19:05

Schools are asking this whenever there is a case in their class. From chatting with parents I don’t think anyone is doing it with no symptoms.

jgw1 · 19/01/2022 19:08

@Lauren1983

My DD's primary school are asking for children to be given a LFT everyday before school. Is this the norm in other schools?

They have never asked before so maybe something has tipped the scales. I've heard that half of her class is off but don't know if that is due to false positives or the children actually having covid.

Going to have fun getting the tests. My local pharmacy has had a notice on the door all week saying they are out. If all the kids test that is 1000 tests a week just at one school.

No need to do it. Boris announced earlier today that the pandemic is over, which is odd, because he also did in the summer on "Freedom day".

Looneytune253 · 19/01/2022 19:09

You're supposed to test for 7 days if you're a close contact so if there's been one case in a primary class it's prob a good idea. If there's been more than one then it seems very sensible

shakinsti · 19/01/2022 19:19

We're testing DD daily as advised by school (they were advised by public health) due to cases in her class. 9 so far in the last few days!

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