We look forward to welcoming our students back to school next week. If you have not already completed our Covid-19 testing consent form, please find a link by clicking the blue button on the right panel of our website homepage.

In order to roll out regular testing when we return, it is natural that some students may have apprehensions about the process. Our testing team have put together this short video demonstration to guide you through. You can watch it by clicking the image below:

Here is a reminder about our return to school testing procedure:

From 8/3/21 we will be following Government guidance for the testing of secondary students returning to school. The aim of asymptomatic testing is to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19. Anyone who has had a positive test result in the last 90 days will be excluded from this programme.

The guidance states we should provide each student with 3 lateral flow tests on site, a minimum of 3 days apart followed by twice weekly home testing. We currently expect each student will have 1 test a week for the first 3 weeks back in school. Further information on home testing and test kits will be given once initial testing is complete. 

LFD tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The speed and convenience of the tests supports the detection of the virus in asymptomatic individuals, who would not otherwise have got tested. LFD tests are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The tests are highly specific, with low chances of false positives. 

You have already been asked to complete a consent form, while testing is not compulsory the Government is encouraging everyone to take part. Students not involved in the programme will still be welcomed back to school. 

Students will be expected to carry out swabbing themselves, trained staff will be on hand to offer support. Tests are processed immediately and results given after 30 minutes. In the event of a positive result, students will be isolated and parent/career contacted immediately, you will be asked to book a confirmatory PCR test.

We have been advised that students will be able to return to face-to-face education following their first negative test result, plans are being made to have a staggered return to school to accommodate this first round of testing, further details to follow.

This asymptomatic testing programme does not replace current guidance for those with symptoms or those identified as a close contact of a positive case. Anyone with symptoms, whether they are involved in this programme or not, should book a free NHS test and follow government self-isolation guidance until the results of their test are known. Testing also does not replace basic preventative measures such as regular handwashing, PPE and social distancing.