Initial Testing
- All schools and colleges with secondary-age pupils will be offered the opportunity to test all staff and students.
- The testing workforce will be made up of paid agency staff, volunteers or school workforce.
- Pupils will be be administered three Lateral Flow Device (LFD) rapid tests in the Academy
- Pupils will then be responsible for testing twice weekly at home
- The LFDs provided to schools and colleges are simple to use (young people can swab themselves, with a trained person supervising them). They produce a result in around 30 minutes.
- Anyone with a positive result will need to leave school/college, take a confirmatory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and follow the self-isolation guidelines (currently 10 days).
- This approach will allow those (pupils, students and staff) who are in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to return to school/college if they agree to be tested for 7 days following their last contact with a positive case.
- If at any point a member of staff, pupil or student or student tests positive, they will need to leave school or college, take a confirmatory PCR test and follow the isolation guidelines.
A video from Department for Education
Every secondary school and college will have access to rapid coronavirus testing from next month.
— Department for Education (@educationgovuk) December 15, 2020
This will help to keep staff and pupils safely in educational settings, which is best for young people’s learning and wellbeing. pic.twitter.com/j3GKYVnnzS
A video from Prof Tim Brooks from Public Health England
We asked @PHE_uk‘s clinical director about their coronavirus testing pilots in schools.
— Department for Education (@educationgovuk) December 15, 2020
From January every secondary school and college will have access to rapid testing to help keep staff and pupils as safe as possible while ensuring education settings can remain open. pic.twitter.com/RqiQRNtk0m
