Covid testing to start in Derbyshire secondary schools next month

Derbyshire secondary schools are to start carrying out mass Covid-19 testing in January.
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To give schools time to introduce mass testing, pupils not in exam years will be starting a week later than their fellow students and will be remote learning from home, returning on January 11.

Mass testing sites in schools is expected to be manned by a combination of school staff, volunteers such as parents or retired nurses, and temporary new appointees to run the facilities.

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Schools will not have to offer testing and students and staff will not have to be tested.

Mass Covid testing will begin in Derbyshire schools in JanuaryMass Covid testing will begin in Derbyshire schools in January
Mass Covid testing will begin in Derbyshire schools in January

Students in exam year groups, vulnerable children and children of key workers will all attend school or college in person from the start of term, as will all students in primary, special and alternative provision schools and colleges.

All secondary school staff will be eligible for weekly tests.

Students identified as close contacts of someone who has tested positive will be eligible for daily testing for seven days.

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From January, those in the same bubble as someone who has tested positive do not need to self-isolate if they agree to be tested once a day.

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Staff will be eligible for daily testing if they are identified as close contacts.

The announcement, by the Department for Education (DfE) has sparked concern among schools about how they will either free-up or find sufficient space within their premises for the new test centres – along with the staff to run them at pace, accurately and efficiently.

They have also raised the question of the lack of time and finance to plan for such a roll-out.

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Parents, too, are concerned at the plans which will mean they will be expected to supervise a week of home-learning after the festive season.

Ian McNeilly, chief executive of the de Ferrers Trust, which includes The Pingle Academy and Granville Academy in Swadlincote and Woodville, said on Twitter: “I’m absolutely disgusted and sick to the stomach of the rampant incompetence of The Department for Education.

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"They really do have no idea of how schools operate in normal times, never mind now.”“The way they have treated dedicated staff who’ve bust a gut for kids all year is a total disgrace.”

A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said: “We have received some limited details but the guidance is still currently being developed so it is very early days.

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“We have been informed by the Department for Education that testing will not be mandatory, schools can choose not to do it if they wish, and pupils will not have to take part.

"If schools do take part they can choose when they start.

“We are currently awaiting more clarity and will be sharing this with schools once we have it.”

An NHS test and trace document with guidelines for schools suggests three testing bays could be set up at a school, with an aim to process 11-13 tests per bay, per hour with an aim to process 100 tests in three hours.

This would take nine employees to run.

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Testing sites at each school will require stringent Covid compliance with a minimum of two metre clearance around it and a one way system for those being tested.

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The testing sites must be well-lit and have a good airflow, with clear divisions between testing (swabbing) and processing.

School staff have been told there is ‘no expectation’ to work on preparations over Christmas and to use inset days for training.

Lateral flow tests will be distributed to schools for the mass testing – which provide results within 30 minutes.

Positive results will then be followed up with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, due to accuracy issues with some lateral flow tests.

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Lateral flow tests have been found to be less accurate – with the chance of false positives and false negatives – when administered by people who are not healthcare professionals.

PCR tests are expected to be received within 24 hours.

Test kits will begin arriving at secondary schools and colleges for the first phase of rollout to staff from the first week of January.

The Department for Education said: “Schools and colleges will be provided with the necessary equipment and materials to deliver the testing and will be reimbursed for reasonable administrative costs such as staff time.”

It also says: “Testing will be optional but strongly encouraged, particularly in areas of higher prevalence of the virus. Consent will be required from the student or parent as appropriate.”

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Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said: “Testing in schools is crucial for us to break the chains of transmission and keep students, staff and their loved ones safe.

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“That’s why we’re supporting schools and colleges in England to offer testing at the start of January.

“Rapid testing is a reliable and effective way to identify people without symptoms that we otherwise wouldn’t know about.

“By doing this we can help schools and colleges open safely after the Christmas break and ensure there is minimal disruption to our children’s education.”

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The DfE also added: “The round of testing will also help to tackle the one in three who have the virus but do not have symptoms, so could be spreading the disease unknowingly, and minimise disruption during the spring term by helping identify positive cases when pupils return to face-to-face education following the Christmas break.”

Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said: “The new programme of daily testing for close contacts of those with confirmed cases of the virus will also mean we can keep more pupils in school, the best place for their development and wellbeing.

“Over the rest of the academic year and in the run up to exams, it will remain a national priority to keep education open for all, while keeping schools as safe as possible.”