Opting out of LFT

[Card1gan]

Has anyone opted out of taking the LFTs? I don't mind taking them from a personal point of view (directed to do so on Sunday and Wednesday evenings) but am concerned that they're not particularly accurate. I don't want my own DC who are in years 13 and 11 to miss school while I wait for a PCR test result if I get a false positive. I also teach over 100 pupils in year 11 and don't want them to miss lessons without reason either. I would obviously follow all the guidelines if I had symptoms etc.

We're 'allowed' to opt out but don't know if anyone else has done or how it will look.

We’re also allowed to opt out and no one knows who does or doesn’t do them, unless it’s discussed personally, between people. I can’t see why it should matter whether you do them of don’t do them. I wouldn’t judge anyone. I have been doing them but I’m not sure for how much longer I’ll bother. I think it’s all a bit of a novelty really.

I’m not doing them and I don’t care what colleagues think

I'm not doing them. It's not obligatory and I don't have to explain why, even if they ask. My reason is mine alone to know.

Thanks for your answers and for giving me the confidence to opt out, I have informed my head.

I haven't opted out, because I never opted in!

@MrsHamlet

I haven't opted out, because I never opted in!

That’s me too

We were all given a form to fill in re testing. The secretary asked for mine and I just said I wasn't doing it. I've heard a few teachers saying they're doing it, but no idea who is/isn't doing it.

We didn't have to opt out. Just collect the tests from the office if we want to do them.

I did have to give consent for my secondary aged dd to have the tests at school. I just didn't give it!

I’m responsible for issuing and logging the tests - we have 100% take up from our staff.

@LadyDanburysCane

I’m responsible for issuing and logging the tests - we have 100% take up from our staff.

So? Do you know about opting out?

@CarrieBlue of course I do but OPs question was “ Has anyone opted out of taking the LFTs?” so I was answering that no one in my school has done so.

The op asked had anyone opted out and what it would look like. You don’t know if everyone is participating in your school.

I know a few staff who are simply uploading the test code as negative without actually doing the test.

So I doubt that every school has a truly active take up

@CarrieBlue

The op asked had anyone opted out and what it would look like. You don’t know if everyone is participating in your school.

My point is that I DO! It is my JOB. I had to ask staff if they were willing to participate. I hand out the test packs and get the signatures. The staff notify me of their results which I then record. I KNOW that 100% of our staff have said they will participate, have collected and signed for test packs AND are notifying me of their results twice a week.

@LadyDanburysCane I'm sorry but you really don't 🤷‍♀️

You issue them and log what staff tell you. That's it! Unless you are actually there with them when they are taking their test, you have no idea of what they are telling you is true!!

I've been handed my packs every two weeks or so, and had to email my 'results' by 7am every Sunday and Wednesday. I sometimes forget to do it on time...my bad! And sometimes (Sunday's especially!) I simply cannot be arsed getting up at 6.15am to do a fucking test that early on my day off!! So, I've 'scheduled' my email to send at 7am with a negative result. Obviously I would come clean later in the day when I actually did it, if the result was positive...I'm not a twat!

But seriously...I do know staff who are just no longer doing them and just saying they are negative 🤷‍♀️ So, you only know what you've been told...bit naive to think otherwise really!

@LadyDanburysCane I think my sentence was confusing - you don’t know [what not participating looks like] if everyone is participating in your school. Apologies for not being clearer, you obviously are very knowledgeable about participation. Not so much about what the op actually wanted to know.

I hope you got it sorted OP. That's the reason I'm waiting till September to start working schools because I don't want to be forced to swab and be shamed for not participating.

[quote CarrieBlue]@LadyDanburysCane I think my sentence was confusing - you don’t know [what not participating looks like] if everyone is participating in your school. Apologies for not being clearer, you obviously are very knowledgeable about participation. Not so much about what the op actually wanted to know.[/quote]
Oh okay... I understand.

I don’t know how SLT or governors would react if anyone didn’t want to do it but I doubt it would go down well...

@YouAreYourBestThing your school is being ridiculous! Our staff are told to test on a Sunday and Wednesday. Results have to be emailed to me by 6pm. Having to do it so early is just not acceptable.

I don’t know how SLT or governors would react if anyone didn’t want to do it but I doubt it would go down well...
It's not mandatory so "going down well" really doesn't matter.

@MrsHamlet

I don’t know how SLT or governors would react if anyone didn’t want to do it but I doubt it would go down well... It's not mandatory so "going down well" really doesn't matter.

Exactly what I was about to type @MrsHamlet

Jinx Carrie
Frankly, the governors haven't been of any practical use at all, so they can - as my wise Geordie friend would say - bollocks.

I've opted not to do them. This past year has taught me a thing or two and one of the biggest developments is that I'm no longer interested in righteous virtue signalling, which has been seen on a scale I've never encountered before, or giving a hoot what people think of me.
There's 3 of us in our school who don't test to my knowledge. We haven't had any issues arise from it. Every few weeks staff sign out packs of LFT devices and have been asked to email each result in, so obviously office staff and SLT will know who is and isn't taking part but as I said, no repercussions for our decision either way.