Face Coverings and COVID Tests When School Sites Reopen 8 March 2021

On 26 February 2021, the Government announced that when schools return on 8 March:

* face coverings will be worn in classrooms in secondary schools, higher education and further education for a limited period (until at least Easter holidays). This is mandatory except for any young person exempt from wearing a face covering. NOTE: THIS REQUIREMENT WAS STOPPED NATIONALLY ON 17 MAY, HOWEVER SCHOOLS MAY CHOOSE TO CONTINUE WITH FACE COVERINGS, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WITH HIGH COVID RATES

* secondary school pupils will be invited to have twice weekly COVID lateral flow tests (the COVID tests for people with no symptoms). This is voluntary and parents can choose whether to give their consent to this testing. 

* in primary schools, pupils will not have to wear face coverings or have the twice weekly tests. Staff and visitors will be asked to wear face coverings if 2 metres distance cannot be maintained. 

You can read more about it here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/all-households-with-children-of-school-aged-to-get-rapid-covid-19-tests-per-person-per-week

Here are fact sheets for parents on COVID lateral flow testing in schools:

COVID School Testing Factsheet (in English)

COVID School Testing Factsheet (in Somali)

COVID School Testing Factsheet (in Bengali)

COVID School Testing Factsheet (in Arabic)

 

If a Child has a Positive COVID Test at School or Home, What Should the Family Do?

Students in secondary schools and colleges are having lateral flow tests on-site. From mid March 2021, schools and colleges will stop doing these tests, and kits will be provided for students to do lateral flow tests at home instead. 

If a student has a positive lateral flow test at school or college, they and other members of their household must self-isolate. They DO NOT need to take a PCR test (e.g. the COVID test for people with symptoms) to confirm the result This is because these tests are done in a controlled environment by trained staff.

If a parent was to get a PCR test done on the student, and it was negative, the policy remains that the pupil or student, their close contacts, and other members of their household must still self-isolate.

If a pupil or student has a positive lateral flow test at home, they DO need to have a PCR test to confirm the result.  This is because the test done at home wasn't conducted in a controlled environment by trained staff. 

A PCR test can be booked online on this link or by calling 119. The student and their close contacts should self-isolate until they get the PCR test result. If the PCR test is negative, it overrides the test done at home and the child can return to school.

 

 

OLD INFORMATION - LEFT HERE FOR REFERENCE ONLY

On 26 August, the Government issued new guidance about use of face coverings in schools

The World Health Organisation published a statement on 21 August about children and face coverings. They now advise that “children aged 12 and over should wear a mask under the same conditions as adults, in particular when they cannot guarantee at least a 1-metre distance from others and there is widespread transmission in the area.”

Nationwide, the government is not recommending face coverings are necessary in education settings generally, but schools and colleges will have the discretion to require face coverings in communal areas where social distancing cannot be safely managed, if they believe that it is right in their particular circumstances.

You can find the guidance here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education

Do seek advice for parents from their childs school on what approach they are taking to use of face coverings, as it will vary from school to school.