E-newsletter 75

Rapid Asymptomatic Covid-19 Testing For Staff

Lateral Flow Testing begins in primary schools from Monday 25th January. Staff are expected to self administer the Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test twice weekly in a bid to further mitigate the risk of Covid-19 infection.

DfE guidance for this can be found here

By identifying those with Covid-19 but who are asymptomatic, the school has another layer of protection on top of it's existing system of controls. In terms of the practicalities of this new testing programme, there are certain things that you must be aware of.

What are the types of test?

Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test - this is to test asymptomatic adults in school twice a week. It provides almost instant results but is considered to be less reliable than the PCR test. 

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test - this test is accessed via a test site or ordered online. It is more reliable than the Lateral Flow Test but results take longer to return. 

What happens if an adult in school has a positive LFD test result?

The member of staff who tests positive plus those adults and pupils who are considered to have had close contact with them in the previous 48 hours will be required to self isolate as per the national guidance. The school will inform you if your child needs to self-isolate. 

The member of staff must then immediately book a PCR test to confirm the result.

If the member of staff's subsequent PCR test is positive, then the self-isolation period for the adult and their close contacts continues as per national guidance.

If the member of staff's subsequent PCR test is negative, the the self-isolation period for all will stop and the member of staff and their close contacts can resume school.   

The school will communicate these outcomes to relevant parties in a timely way.