Headteachers are warning that not enough Covid testing onpupils is being done at home - and that the government needs to reinforcethat “the crisis is not over”.
The warning follows showing that just1.9 millionlateral flow(LFD) testswere carried out on secondary school and college students and staff either at home oron-sitein the week ending12 May, compared with5.7 millionin the week ending19 March.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said schools were trying to get the message across about the importance of testing, but he added: “Thepublic perception is probably that the risk of Covid is diminishing and that the vaccination programme is a soaring success.
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“It is important that the government reinforces in its public messaging that the crisis is not over and that lateral flow testing remains an important part of minimising the risk of transmission.
“We’re aware that lateral flow testing isn’t being done at home as much as it needs to be.”
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Current Department for Education guidance states that , which can be done at school if needed.
But Professor Christina Pagel, of the Independent SAGE group of scientists, said many of these tests were “notreally being done”.
She wrote onTwitter: “Twice-weekly lateral flow device tests (LFDs) -the government’s main mitigation in secondary schools now that they’ve removed masks - are not really being done. There should be about 8 million LFDs a week in secondary schools. But we are only seeing 2 million.”
Firstly, twice weekly lateral flow device tests (LFDs) - the government’s main mitigation in secondary schools now that they’ve removed masks - are not really being done.
There should be about 8 million LFDs a week in secondary schools. But we are only seeing 2 million.
- Prof. Christina Pagel (@chrischirp)
Meanwhile, among primary school staff and pupils, the number oflateral flow testsincreasedto a peak of “over 1 million in the week beginning 18 March 2021”, according to government statistics.
But the numberhassince fallen to827,025 in the latest week ending 12 May, compared with821,493 the week before.
There were 758 positive test resultsreturned in the latest week within primary schools and nurseries, an increase from 724 positive results in the previous week.
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
