The plans have been revealed in advice sent out to schools, the day before the end of Covid safety measures in England.
Schools will no longer be able to access Coronavirus testing kits, or even hand out existing lateral flow tests from tomorrow, following the Government’s further relaxation of Covid rules.
Teaching unions have expressed their disbelief at information which they said was sent out to schools and colleges today by the Department for Education (DfE) on the Government’s ‘living with Covid’ plans, just a day before they are due to come into force in 1 April.
They described the plans as ‘a shambles’ and said that they would lead to confusion – for example, adults who test positive are being advised to ‘try to stay at home’ for five days, but children for three days. However, free testing is being withdrawn from tomorrow.
They also cited rising cases in schools and said that the end of testing would likely lead to more cases and make it difficult to manage disruption.
When we asked for sight of the guidance, Nursery World was told by the DfE that it was not issuing guidance, but that guidance would be published by the UK Health Security Agency tomorrow.
The National Education Union said it has been urging the Government to continue with free testing, while the Association of School and College Leaders said that scrapping free tests in education settings would remove ‘one of the few remaining mitigations’ against transmission of Covid.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said, ‘It is frustrating and disappointing that the Department for Education has only now communicated its “living with Covid” plans to schools and colleges 24 hours before this significant change takes place.
‘The advice itself confirms the scrapping of free Covid tests for almost all education settings, thus dispensing with one of the few remaining mitigations against transmission of the virus. This comes at a time when there are very high levels of staff and pupil absence in many schools and colleges caused by Covid.
‘Abandoning free testing in this context, and with public exams looming, makes absolutely no sense at all.
‘The guidance then goes on to advise that children who test positive after 1 April should isolate for three days. Not only is this confusing because free testing will have been withdrawn, but there is no explanation about the basis for this change to the isolation period.
‘The most likely outcome of all of this is that there will be more cases and more transmission in schools and colleges with more disruption including among students taking exams. It is a shambles.’
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said, ‘Measures are being relaxed at a time when Covid cases are surging in schools and colleges. This makes no sense. We have repeatedly urged the Government to continue with free testing across society, including in all education settings, but these calls have been ignored.
‘Not only will schools no longer be able to access supplies of test kits but they are even being advised to not even hand out existing stock to staff or pupils from 1 April. With exams looming this is very poor timing. Schools needs clarity but instead the DfE is saying that adults “with symptoms of a respiratory infection and with a high temperature” should “try to stay at home”, until they no longer have a high temperature, with no reference to other symptoms, including a cough.
‘Children who are “unwell and have a high temperature” should stay at home until they no longer have a high temperature. Adults who do test positive are being advised to “try to stay at home” for five days and children for three days. This confusing guidance is a recipe for even more chaos and will make managing cases and preventing disruption even harder than it already is.’
