The Thirty-seventh Republic - Mass testing rolls on - school staff remain expendable

[SantaAssociationRepresentitve]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff only – a sort of room of requirement. Baiters, haters, goaders, and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are NOT staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

You can play here if you are a member of one the following groups-

-ABBA - anti bashers and baiting association
-SWAB - school workers against bashers
-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
-STARS - schoolworkers together against ranting + slurs

Do not give the staffroom password just in case it attracts the wrong sort

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes, and the ability to sniff out where the booze is stashed - Thirsty Tuesdays, Fizz Fridays now in operation.

If you come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

Anyone who wasn't here for my calling everyone fuckers last time is going to find that a really rude post that came out of nowhere.

Sorry! I am the one who walks into the staff room with a Tourette'sesque letting off of steam only to realise slt are in their with interviewees and the fancy biscuits

Email from DD's school asking for volunteers to do the testing. I'm alternately angry at them for even taking part and sorry for them having to organise this clusterfuck during their break.

Whatever, I won't be giving permission for dd to be tested. She'll isolate if in contact with a positive case, as will I (although I'm not sure I'm brave enough to say that at my school if everyone else is going along with it!)

@DecemberStar
Followed by "We've given people as much notice as could"

But this is demonstratively untrue. The papers were making announcements for days before the Government did.

Had email for head. No reassuring words at all. No info on how many positive. case we have had. No info on consent or any comms sent to parents. nothing about volunteers
All year groups to have remote live teaching in first week back. Fan fucking tastic. We ahve no training day so no in school prep time.

Radio silence from our place, to either staff or parents. I'd guess a fair few of my fellow Y11 parents are desperately emailing/ringing asking what's happening about next week's mocks.....

And we all have to go in. Even though it is well known the wi fi won't cope.

@Piggyinblankets

Had email for head. No reassuring words at all. No info on how many positive. case we have had. No info on consent or any comms sent to parents. nothing about volunteers All year groups to have remote live teaching in first week back. Fan fucking tastic. We ahve no training day so no in school prep time.

Same here except at least we've changed Monday to an inset. Unfortunately my own kids have also now got an inset as well so I need to find childcare...

Compliment accepted, fucker.

I'm taking my kids with me because teachers' kids don't matter.

I'll take hag and fucker.
Just sent the teams guide out to those who messaged. If anyone else would like it, message me :)

I am seething today that a couple of apparently highly educated family members think I’m being ridiculous for not giving consent for my DC to have the LF tests instead of isolating.

Apparently front line NHS workers do it twice weekly, so if it’s good enough for them, our kids will be fine.

Not instead of SI they don’t

Do they use LF tests? The person I know that manages a group of care homes said they've stopped using them ages ago as they were so unreliable. Worrying if the NHS is still reliant on them when places like private schools have PCR tests up and running

Still radio silence here too. Our last communication to parents was on the 28th and had the old dates for staggered start. Inset Mon though so probably just going to leave everything until then.

My parents live on a road with a secondary school on it. The school has leafletted the houses asking for volunteers

Thank you MrsH!!!!xx

@hedgehogger1

Do they use LF tests? The person I know that manages a group of care homes said they've stopped using them ages ago as they were so unreliable. Worrying if the NHS is still reliant on them when places like private schools have PCR tests up and running

Yes-they just use spit ones though which seem different to the dodgy lot schools have. I’m sure Dominic Cummings has had something to do with the development of the LFT-or did I dream that?

I don’t care if they want to use them for mass testing-whatever, but to replace them with self isolation is just stupid.

Have just had a chat with my mum though who thought I’d be more pleased that the army will be coming in to do the school testing

FFS.

hedgehogger, the care homes are refusing to use the LF tests as a way of allowing visits and the unis are rebelling. Schools : put up and shut up'. I am sure the NPQH covers 'compliance' as a unit.

@SaltyAF

I'm taking my kids with me because teachers' kids don't matter.

Ooh can I take my kids in with me? The 4yo is a bit feral

Had message from one dd school , online learning for everyone from Tuesday. Taking inset Monday. They also thanked the parents and volunteers who have signed up for testing and asking for anymore. They will send consent once the staff have been trained and the testing equipment has arrived / been set up.

pud there was an NHS worker on another thread who said they did use them instead of SI so I can't get a straight answer on that one.

@Achristmaspudsskidu I can't talk to my parents about schools anymore. It just ends up in an argument.

Their position is "We all just have to get on with it".

Just had emails from both my school and DD’s Primary, both apologising for emailing on New Years Eve-absolute legends.

Anyway, all staff in school as normal next week. Already large uptake requests of KW and vul et. So will be placed in year group bubbles that we will be assigned to. Monday is INSET for testing training.
Nothing from DH’s private school yet.

To be fair my two teens WILL eat all the biscuits. And bread. And call me at breaktime to ask what there is to eat.

I'd also eat the chocolate biscuits, to be fair.

I know I am not allowed but I am desperate to go and see my mum. I just want a hug and to spend NYE with people who love me. I'm sad today. I know people have it loads worse but it's not okay. I'm not okay.

And now I'm going to put on my big girl pants and my brave face and get on with stuff.

Just googled and found NHS FAQs about LFT (November):

• Slightly different devices by the sound of it, as you have to add the reagent liquid yourself.

• They changed swabbing to nostril only as it was too tricky otherwise.

• First time you do it has to be observed by a trained person.

• Doesn't replace SI, although some pilots happening to see if it can shorten SI period (but maybe that was just the 14 to 10 days move for everyone, altho that doesn't involve LFTs but I think was considered)

But have also found another doc that does involve nostril swabbing, so not sure.