COVID-19 Student Home Testing
Your child has been provided with Lateral Flow tests to complete at home. Students will need to complete 2 tests per week, ideally one on a Monday morning and one on a Thursday morning and the NHS informed of the result in accordance with the instructions provided in the home test kit. For further information regarding home testing please see below.
Guide on how to test at home
Frequently asked questions about home testing LFD Tests
What should I do if my child/other family member has symptoms; e.g. a new or persistent cough, a temperature or a change to sense of taste or smell?
Do not take the lateral flow home test. Your household should isolate and the person with symptoms needs to take a PCR test by phoning 119. You should not use the lateral flow home test.
Why are we testing people without symptoms of COVID-19?
Up to one in three people who have coronavirus (COVID-19) do not display any symptoms.
Can children and young people swab themselves?
Secondary pupils aged 11 should have the test administered by an adult. Pupils and students aged 12-17 should be supervised by an adult but can swab themselves.
How often do staff and students need to test?
Staff and students will test at home on a regular basis (twice per week, 3 to 4 days apart) usually before they come into the education setting. St Paul’s is asking you to ideally do this on a Monday morning (or a Sunday night if this is impossible) and a Thursday morning (or Weds night if this is impossible).
How effective are these tests?
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.
They are also very sensitive and able to identify the majority of the most infectious yet asymptomatic individuals. It is important to remember that these tests are an additional layer of health protection measure in addition to hand washing, face covering and social distancing.
Where do I get my test kits?
Test kits will be given out regularly via your child’s tutor.
Can other people in the family use the test?
The test kits issued by the school are for pupils only. If other people in the household wish to test then please visit https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Are all staff included in the testing programme, or only teaching staff?
All staff at St Paul’s are testing twice weekly, including contractors who are in contact with other staff or children.
What do I do if the home test result is positive?
If a Lateral Flow Home Test (LFD) shows a positive result then the whole household must isolate. You should contact 119 and book a confirmatory PCR confirmatory test. If the result is negative, then the household will be able to come back out of isolation. If the PCR test is also positive then the household must continue to isolate under the guidance set out by Public Health England.
Either way please let us know as quickly as possible so that we can consider implications for close contacts in school.
What do I do if I am a close contact of someone who has tested positive using a Lateral Flow Home Test (LFD)?
When the school is notified of a positive LFD test we will work with the family and public health England to trace close contacts of the child. Close contacts will need to isolate until the confirmatory PCR result is in. If this is negative then close contacts will be informed that they can end their isolation period. If it is positive then close contacts will be informed of the date until which they will need to isolate.
Do I need to notify the school each time I test?
You only need to notify the school if your test is positive, or void. Please contact the school reception by phoning the main reception number 01932 783811.
Do I have to report my result to NHS?
Yes – please report your test result using the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result
If you cannot find this link you can access it by typing “report Covid test result NHS” into any search engine.
Whom do I contact if I have difficulties with the test?
Please contact ldavies@st-pauls.surrey.sch.uk
When does my child need to test?
On a Monday morning before school (or a Sunday night if this is not possible) and on a Thursday morning before school (or a Wednesday night if this is not possible). They should continue to test twice weekly on these days.
Does my child need to continue testing in the holidays and will sufficient test kits be issued?
Yes you need to continue testing during the holidays. Sufficient testing kits will be allocated – one kit will be sent home in week commencing 15th March and a further kit in the last week before the Easter holidays. Following this kits will come home on a 3 weekly basis.
What if my child has received the vaccination, do they need to continue to test?
The vaccination will be effective in reducing the effects of the virus should someone become infected. It does not mean they cannot catch the virus. Even after the vaccination, people can still catch the virus and transmit it to others. Please continue to test twice weekly.
What if my child has tested positive in the last 90 days?
Do not complete the test, inform your child’s head of year, and resume testing once 90 days have passed since the positive test.
How will personal information and test results be shared?
When students take a Lateral Flow test, they need to report the result. This is so that their test result can be traced, which means that they need to share some information about the student.
They need to tell the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC):
● their name
● their test result
● the reference number on the test Kit
They will also need to tell the school or college their test result if they are positive, or the result is void.
Under UK law, a child’s school or college can collect and store test result data because it is in the ‘public interest’.
Schools and colleges will only share information with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) if the test kits used are found to be faulty. If this happens, DHSC will use our information to contact people who used the faulty tests, so that they can be tested again.
When a person reports test results online, they are sharing information with DHSC, who may then share the information with a GP, local government, NHS, and Public Health England. This is so that they can offer health services and guidance if someone needs to self-isolate. They might also use data anonymously (a person’s name or contact information) to research COVID-19, and improve our understanding of the virus.
For more information on how personal data is used for testing please see the detailed privacy notice.