More than 375,000 pupils in England are currently are out of school for Covid-related reasons, an increase of more than 130,000 in a week. Not being at school is very disruptive for children’s education and their social development, and also for their families. The government is therefore considering other options for managing children in whom there has been a Covid-19 case in their school bubble. This could include daily testing rather than exclusion from school. If the policy for children does change, it is likely to start in the new school term in September.
Will there be regular testing in schools even without any
positive cases?
The current policy of testing secondary school children
twice each week is likely to continue in the new school year in September. This
will be the case even in schools where there are no cases.
What will happen someone in my child’s class tests
positive?
Currently, everyone in the class and the wider school bubble
is excluded from school and has to isolate at home. The proposal is that
instead of isolating at home, children in the class would be tested daily in
school and only sent home if they had a positive test.
What will happen if my child tests positive?
If your child tests positive, they will have to isolate at
home for legal isolation period, which is currently 10 days. Other household
members would also have to isolate, unless the government changes the rules and
allows testing, rather than isolation for them.
Will the tests be voluntary? What if I don’t want my
child to be tested?
Testing of children is voluntary in the UK and only carried
out with the consent of parents.
Will there be any difference between primary and
secondary schools?
The government has not confirmed this but it is likely that the
policy on daily testing of contacts of cases would be the same in primary and
secondary schools in England.
What type of test will be used and how accurate is it?
Lateral flow tests will be used as these can give a result
within 30 minutes, whereas PCR tests have to be sent to a laboratory and it is
typically 1-2 days before the test
result is available. The lateral flow tests can pick up 50%-80% of cases of
Covid-19, depending on how well the test is carried out. They are more likely
to detect the children who are most infectious.
Will schoolchildren be asked to take the vaccine?
There are currently no plans to offer children in the UK the
Covid-19 vaccine. If this does happen, it is likely to be for older children,
those aged 12 years and over, and only if parents give their consent for
vaccination.
What else can be done to keep schools safe
It’s essential that staff working in schools are fully
vaccinated. Good ventilation and air filtration systems should also be a
priority, as is the case in some other countries, as they have been shown to substantially
reduce the risk of infection in schools.
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