Management Information Sheet
COVID-19 Health and Safety Update for Schools
Contingency planning and the importance of home testing
We echo the DfE recommendation that all education and childcare settings should have contingency plans outlining how they would operate if any of the measures described within the contingency framework were recommended in their area for any reason. We have updated our Management of cases guidance on the coronavirus health safety and wellbeing webpage with more details of what to consider when contingency planning.
Secondary schools, complex needs schools, and colleges should make sure their contingency plans cover the possibility that the reintroduction of Asymptomatic Testing Sites (ATS) is advised in their area. Any large scale re-introduction of ATS would only be undertaken after full consideration by the Director of Public Health, Public Health England, and the Department for Education, with consideration also given to what support could be provided to help with such a request. The Director of Public Health can request that ATS are utilised if needed to help manage a single outbreak, so it is still important to include this in your planning. Please consider in your contingency planning that once your existing ATS supplies of Innova LFD testing kit is depleted, you will need to transition to the new Orient Gene Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test kits as per the Transitioning to new LFD tests guidance. You should only use 1 brand of device at any one time for on-site testing, to minimise risk of confusion and processing errors. Please ensure the training and guidance in the schools and colleges document sharing platform is followed as the Orient Gene LFD test kits are used and processed in a different way. Home-testing kits are not changing.
At the time of writing COVID-19 case numbers show Norfolk is in a very good position nationally. Home testing is key to helping us continuing this positive trend, and avoiding the reinstatement of ATS LFD testing in schools and colleges.
Public Health England have resources that can help you to promote home testing in your community, and the DfE have also published a blog post with examples of best practice. We would encourage you all to actively promote twice weekly testing, as this will help our education communities to protect themselves, the wider community, and help us all get back to a more normal way of life. Encouraging those testing to report their test result each time, whether it's positive, negative or void will also help public health experts to understand the rates of COVID-19 infection across Norfolk and to respond quickly.
New COVID-19 home test kit ordering system
On Thursday 17th June the new ordering system for asymptomatic testing sites (ATS) and home self-test kits went live. The updated system replaces the current processes to obtain test kit supplies and allows both asymptomatic testing site (ATS) and home test kit supplies to be ordered based on testing needs and stock levels.
From now you will need to use the order COVID-19 tests for your organisation online form to reorder the following test kit supplies and maintain regular asymptomatic testing of the staff and students within your setting based on your demand:
- ATS test kits for on-site testing of staff and students who are unable to test at home (secondary schools and colleges)
- self-test kits for staff and students to test at home (all settings)
For all secondary schools and colleges, please note there is a planned final automatic delivery of additional self-test kits which will take place between Monday 7 June and Friday 25 June. This will ensure you have sufficient kits to continue testing during the transition to the new re-ordering process and means that you should not need to place an order for self-test kits as soon as the new system goes live.
For further information, updated guidance, and a pre-recorded webinar about the new ordering process please look at the primary schools document sharing platform and secondary schools and colleges document sharing platform. The document entitled "How To guide for Reordering kit" in the "Guidance Manuals/Documents" folder, and the "Reordering Test kits Webinar" located in the "Resources" (Primary) or "Training" (Secondary) folders are key resources to understand this change.
The existing recommended Home testing recording and reporting arrangements, and the new DfE COVID-19 testing data will also be helpful for education settings to judge uptake of testing for their communities (the new DfE COVID-19 testing data can accessed on the 'View Your Education Data' (VYED) portal'. You can access the user guide and FAQs for more information).
Ongoing Covid restrictions in school - Summer term activities
We recognise that the recent announcement to postpone the planned lifting of restrictions on the 21st June will have been disappointing for school leaders and we thank you for your continued patience and hard work in helping Norfolk and the country emerge from this pandemic. Some school leaders have asked for assistance drafting communications to help address the concerns of their school community around the delay in the planned lifting of restrictions. Please feel free to share and adapt our Ongoing COVID restrictions in school – Summer term activities communication template to help you with this.