Do you have questions about the return to school or regular COVID-19 testing? Ask GP Dr Amir Khan and principal Gerard Garvey

[GraceEMumsnet]

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With schools now open to all children, we know that many parents are feeling relieved to have their children back to school. However, you might still be feeling a bit unsure about the transition, what new and existing protective measures are being implemented (including regular rapid testing), or how teachers are helping children catch up following time away from the classroom. So, this week GP Dr Amir Khan and principal Gerard Garvey will be here on Mumsnet answering any questions you have about children's return to school.

Find out more about the experts below:

Dr Amir Khan is an NHS Doctor, GP, and best-selling author. Dr Amir is a frequent face on ‘Good Morning Britain’ and ‘Lorraine’ and will be able to offer his expert medical advice on any questions that you have as all children return to schools.

Gerard Garvey is the principal at Newcastle Sixth Form College. Gerard has first-hand experience of ensuring that schools are ready to welcome students back with additional COVID-19 measures so parents and pupils can feel at ease about face-to-face learning.

Here’s what Dr Amir Khan says: “It’s great to be seeing all children heading back to schools. Being in the classroom is so important, and children and young people continue to be at relatively low risk from COVID-19. It’s great to see new and existing measures in place at schools, to help protect both students and staff. New measures such as increased use of face coverings for all educational staff as well as secondary and college pupils and regular rapid COVID-19 testing are now available for secondary school and college pupils, education staff, and families and bubbles of all children.

Rapid lateral flow tests are essential in the fight against Covid-19. If you, your family or bubble test positive at home, then you should all self-isolate and the person who has tested positive should also take a confirmatory PCR test and follow latest government guidance. All these measures are there to ensure your child is safe at school because ultimately, it really is the best place for children to be, not just for their education but for their mental wellbeing and development too.”

Here’s what Gerard Garvey, says: “It’s been challenging for a lot of children, teachers and parents, particularly over the last few months, so it’s great our doors are open to all children once more, to see their smiling faces! The new and existing measures in place, will take the risk of Covid-19 down even further than it has been before. All students are our priority, and we want to reassure parents that we are keeping your children as safe as possible at school. Please ask us any questions you may have.”

From more information on testing for education staff, parents and support bubbles of nursery, school and college students, and what to do if you receive a positive result, to the rules on face coverings and what protective measures schools have put in place to welcome children back, Dr Amir and Gerard Garvey will be answering your questions throughout the week.

Please note that Dr Amir will not be able to respond to questions asking for specific or personal medical advice. If you are worried about a personal health issue, please contact your GP.

As a thanks for their time, all who leave a question on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list) supplied by Mumsnet. The prize draw will be carried out on 23rd March.

Thanks,

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

I am a TA in primary, KS2.
I am in a cramped classroom with 31 children.
There is no social distancing.
It is a Victorian school. We have no windows which open.
I have a lot of physical contact with the children. I have to perform first aid, comfort them etc.
I spend long parts of the day sat right next to them for interventions eg hearing them read, extra input for maths/spelling etc.
No matter how often we sanitise hands, children being children, they often put their fingers up their noses or in their mouths straight after!
I serve the lunches and collect up the plates after.
I feel very at risk of COVID. It will be May before I get the vaccine. There is a third wave starting.
Government statistics on teacher rates of infection are flawed - they looked at a 9 month period from March to December, 6 months of which schools were closed to most children and they took a random sample from those in schools in December when all those with COVID or isolating due to close contact would not have been in school.
It's a nonsense to say schools are safe - as can be seen by the rates increasing since school returned in September last year and the fall in infections stopping since they went back 2 weeks ago.
Children are usually asymptomatic so we wouldn't know if they were positive but they will be putting me at risk. It's likely I would be symptomatic so would need a test and would then be blamed for popping the bubble.
I feel so let down by the government.
Is there anything I can actually do to protect myself apart from resigning?

As a mum of 5 kids under 13 my kids are pestering the life out of me as they see friends in the park from our window, and play in school with some of them but outside school there's no social distancing measures and it's kids from different schools mixing, I have lung problems and petrified my kids will be fine but I won't if I get sick. Should I keep them in after school or is keeping their friends and mental health normal more important?

ALSO are young kids less likely to catch it or is it that not many young kids under 11 yrs old were being tested like high school kids before home testing was available to them so it looked like they werent catching it easily ?

I'd really like an answer to @HedgeSparrows question.

Sadly, they won't reply. They just lie and lie and lie, like the lie upthread about social distancing in schools. We have the largest class sizes in Europe, there is no social distancing in state schools. They keep repeating the lie though, I suppose maybe people without school age children or people who have kids in private schools will believe it.

The title of the thread is misleading because it implies questions will be answered. We haven’t seen many answers so far, and certainly not to difficult questions or in much detail. 2/10, poor effort.

Why are NHS staff instructed not to self test when they have a week of annual leave, but school staff and students are being told to continue?

Can we see some anonymised photos of the social distancing measures at Newcastle college please?

Two good questions @Loshad . In my school staff have now been told to test twice weekly through the holidays, and kits are arriving tomorrow to be given out.

Re my post above. Is it because the esteemed experts think that Mums in particular are only going to ask easy questions because they’re not very well informed, and resort to the biscuit question when they can’t get their fluffy little brains round the facts?
Getting up now to go to work and teach my non socially distanced adults in a Covid unsafe environment. They’ll be centimetres away from one another when on computers. But we’ll pretend to be in a bubble and at least it’s not cold, so we won’t all freeze when I open the windows, as far as they’ll open, at least.

It's pretty clear that lying about social distancing in schools is actively harming people. Those GPs and medics doing it should hang their heads in shame. What happened to 'first do no harm'?

If we had schools open with safeguards in place as recommended by WHO, Indie Sage, Unicef, the number of deaths frontline medics have faced would have been fewer, there would be fewer parents now struggling with long covid. There would be fewer cases of PIMS in kids too.

EVERYONE knows that having 30+ students in a tiny room with no social distancing and barely opening windows for hours at a time is not a good idea in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic (add in still no masks for KS2 and their teachers). Yet it's happening right now all across the country. Every. single. day.

And yet the lies continue.

@GraceEMumsnet Please can we have an update on whether Dr Khan is going to be responding to any of the questions posed? I appreciate that there could be a genuine reason why he hasn't been able to answer any, but it would be nice to have some sort of update after we've taken the time to post all these questions.

[quote chocolateisavegetable]@GraceEMumsnet Please can we have an update on whether Dr Khan is going to be responding to any of the questions posed? I appreciate that there could be a genuine reason why he hasn't been able to answer any, but it would be nice to have some sort of update after we've taken the time to post all these questions.[/quote]
Hi @chocolateisavegetable, Dr Khan will be online this evening to answer the questions

That's great news @GraceEMumsnet . Thank you for the update

@Chickenqueen

Hello, schools being back might mean an increase in common colds ect, should I keep kids off if they have a blocked nose for example, as I know of people who experienced this as a symptom of covid?

Dear chickenqueen, thank you for your question. The symptoms of coronavirus do overlap with many other upper respiratory viruses and it can be difficult to tell the difference from symptoms alone. If your child has a high temperature, new continuous cough or a change in their smell or taste then please do get a covid PCR (lab) test. The lateral flow tests are for people without symptoms. A blocked nose in the absence of any of the other symptoms does not warrant a test. However, if you are unsure the best thing to do is to either speak with your GP or book a test to be sure.

@KaleidoscopeEars

How many different makes of LFD test kit are currently in circulation? I have been given ‘Biotime’ ones. Are they the Innova ones? Are there some tests which are more reliable than others? I have read that some only pick up 60% of positives.

Dear KaleidoscopeEars, thank you for your question. All the lateral flow tests that have been approved by the government have gone through strict criteria prior to roll out. If you have been sent one particular brand, that is because that one has been deemed reliable. Lateral flow tests used by the UK government are accurate, reliable and successfully identify those with COVID-19 who could pass on the virus without realising – they go through a rigorous evaluation by the country’s leading scientists. The latest analysis shows lateral flow tests when done correctly, are at least 99.9% specific, meaning the likelihood of a false positive is extremely low – less than 1 in every 1,000. Although schools are not considered high risk environments, combined with the in-school measures of hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing, regular testing can reduce risk of transmission of the virus.

@quizqueen

When I receive my test to do at home, I noticed it was made in China. I'm afraid I would find it very untrustworthy. Surely, if this country can made our own vaccine, we can also produce our own testing equipment and, if not, why not?

Dear quizqueen, thank you for your question. The lateral flow test you have received may well have been made in China, this is not a cause for concern. All approved tests have gone through rigourous trials and only the ones that have proved reliable are being used. The UK was involved with the one of the approved covid-19 vaccines, the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine and do produce small amounts of it here in this country. But the vast majority of this vaccine is imported from other countries and the Pfizer vaccine is manufactured in Belgium. Often large scale projects are multi-national endeavours and so the lateral flow test you have been sent can be trusted.

@skippink

How long will testing go on for? What are the benefits for doing the tests?

Dear Skippink, thank you for your question. Testing is a really important part of opening up our country and economy. The government and their scientists are continually reviewing the data in terms of UK hospital admissions, covid related deaths and rates of infections before they put into place any new measures. They will want to see a significant and sustained decrease in all of these things before testing can be stopped in schools. The main benefit to testing is to identify people who have the virus and can pass it on to others, we really want to stop the spread. 1 in 3 people, children in particular do not have any symptoms but can still have coronavirus, so testing will help pick these people up and get them and their close contacts isolated for a short period of time. Regular testing will help to find cases that would otherwise have gone undetected. Testing, alongside staying at home, following the rules of Hands, Face, Space, getting a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms, and self-isolating if that test is positive all remain critical behaviours to keep reducing the rate of infection and protect one another. This means less people infected and the virus can be contained. I know it can feel like a chore or a nuisance but there is real evidence behind it and it is worth engaging in.

@Hajra5611

People seem to be getting the cold and flu symptoms confused with coronavirus - especially as schools have re opened. This is becoming an issue when lockdown eases each time the children get blamed; what measure can parent take to ensure their childrens bodies are happy healthy and have some immunity for the clashing of - its the virus when in fact its flu season

My children take a dose of multi vitamins including vit c and elderberry syrup with a tsp of honey - they have luckily had no common cold or the back to school bug anything else you reccomend? As I really don't want the Schools to close and their routine to be shut down again - as its important for their Mental health as well as mine.

Thank you for any advice you may give

Dear Hajra5611, thank you for your question. There are a number of healthy and natural ways to help keep your child’s immune system in tip top shape. A balanced diet is key, eating oily fish like salmon, tuna or mackeral twice a week will help boost their omega3 fatty acids which is good for their immune system. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables packed full of vitamins and minerals will also help. Sleep is a key factor also, with sleep deprivation being linked to increase susceptibility to common infections, children aged 3-12years should be aiming for 12 hours sleep a day. Exercise and keeping to a healthy weight will also help overall health which in turn will aid a healthy immune system and is something the family can do together. There is no quick fix or secret, it is all about a general healthy lifestyle.

@lindauk5

How has lockdown affected the other bugs out there other than covid. Our daughter has been back a school a week and my husband has already developed a cold.

Dear Lindauk5, thank you for your question. We have certainly seen a reduction in other upper respiratory viral infections during lockdowns as people have not been mixing and giving these bugs an opportunity to spread. Hong Kong saw a rise in upper respiratory infections, mainly the common cold, when schools re-opened and it is likely that will be the case here in the UK. This was caused primarily by rhinovirus which causes common cold symptoms and can be spread through airborne and surface contact, it does not cause serious illness. The symptoms of the common cold do overlap somewhat with mild covid-19 so it is always advisable to get a test if you are unsure.

@elizaco

Do you expect children to be offered the vaccine at any point in the future?

Dear elizaco, thank you for your question. Currently studies are being carried out to test the safety of the covid-19 vaccine on volunteer children. It is likely that these will prove safe and effective and that in the future children will also be offered the vaccines. The more of the population that is vaccinated the safer our communities will be.

@racheltravel17

I’m worried about my child suffering from anxiety, and not sure how to manage this correctly - she’s worried about going to school, worried about leaving me at home, worried that she might catch the virus, or that we’ll catch the virus - the list goes on - how do I deal with this positively?

Dear Racheltravel17, thank you for your question. Anxiety in children is common and understandable after all they have been through. Talk to your child about how they are feeling, let them know it is okay to be anxious and worried but steps have been put into place to keep them safe at school such as social distancing, hand washing and mask wearing as well as regular testing. If they are worried about you, explain levels of covid-19 are coming down in the community and you also take precautions to keep yourself safe, if you have had the vaccine tell them how this will protect you from getting seriously sick from covid-19. Do activities that help take their mind of things as a family, something positive like going outdoors together. Keep to regular routines now that school has begun again, this will help. Ask schools to keep checking in on your child and answer any questions about what has been put into place to keep them safe.

@deelreal

I’ve heard a lot about getting false positives and having to isolate for 10 days. Do u feel like the kids should be tested again just in case?

Dear Deelreal, thank you for your question. The chances of having false positives with the lateral flow tests is extremely slim. A new analysis shows lateral flow tests are at least 99.9% specific, meaning the likelihood of a false positive is extremely low – less than 1 in every 1,000. Tests taken at test sites, such as on school and college grounds, do not need a PCR confirmation because they are done in a supervised environment. The fact that these are being done twice a week is often enough and should catch the vast majority of infectious cases. We continue to keep both positivity rates and estimated specificity of tests under regular review.

I was told that teachers/staff were being trained in supervising LFT before the children went back to school and only these trained people would be able to guide the children. Now, we are being told as parents to continue this indefinitely with just a leaflet to guide us. How can we be sure we are doing it correctly?

Also, is it imperative that both parents LFT as well or is just one okay? I fear we are killing the planet with the waste we are generating as a family of 4...

@SnowyMouse

Somone in my house is shielding, should I send the kids to school?

Dear Snowymouse, thank you for your question. There will be lots of people who are clinically extremely vulnerable and shielding but also have children who are of school age. A range of measures have been put into place at schools to keep children and their families safer, including social distancing, mask wearing and lateral flow tests. Many people who are shielding will have had at least one dose of the vaccine as well which will protect them against severe symptoms of covid-19. I would recommend sending your child(ren) to school, as it will not only help their education but supports their mental and social wellbeing.

@orchidsonabudget

Am I as a parent also Meant to be testing?

Dear orchidsonabudget, that’s right, the pupils’ parents are also encouraged to get regular tests. Regular rapid testing for people who have no symptoms is available for secondary school and college pupils, education staff, families – including parents - and bubbles of all children, alongside existing protective measures to reduce transmission and control the spread of the virus.

Thank you all for your questions. It can be a worrying time for both parents and children returning to school after a period of lockdown. Parents are understandably concerned about missed education and the safety of their children, but I want to assure you that great lengths have been taken to keep your child safe at school. Lateral flow testing and social distancing have been shown to work, and the more people who engage with them the more effective they will be. School is so important for childrens education and wellbeing, so many memories are made and milestones achieved whilst at school so it is vital we not only get children back to school, but keep them there. Wishing you all the best, Dr Amir Khan