Parent Carer Letter - 19.07.2021 - Mass Asymptomatic Testing September 2021

20 July 2021

19^th July 2021

Mass Asymptomatic Testing September 2021

Dear Parent/Carer,

The government have requested that all secondary school students should receive two on-site lateral flow device tests on their return in the autumn term. This communication details how we intend to carry out this testing in the autumn term.

Further details on asymptomatic testing were given in my letter dated January 2^nd 2021 which is still available via this web link-

https://www.bishopchalloner.org.uk/news/2021-01-02-parent-carer-letter-02-01-2021-covid-19-mass-asymptomatic-testing-for-staff-and-students

September start date and testing schedule

For those students that have consented to asymptomatic testing the tests will take place according to the schedule below.

Year Group	September Start Date	Test 1 Date	Test 2 Date
7	Monday 6^th September	Monday 6^th September	Thursday 9^th September
8	Wednesday 8^th September	Friday 3^rd September	Tuesday 7^th September
9	Wednesday 8^th September	Friday 3^rd September	Tuesday 7^th September
10	Wednesday 8^th September	Friday 3^rd September	Tuesday 7^th September
11	Monday 6^th September	Thursday 2^nd September	Monday 6^th September
12	Tuesday 7^th September (induction)	Thursday 2^nd September	Monday 6^th September
13	Monday 6^th September	Thursday 2^nd September	Monday 6^th September

Testing will take place at the following times for each form group on Thursday 2^nd and Friday 3^rd September, Y12 students should attend at the time set out for the form that they were in in Y11.

Year Group	Testing Dates	Test Time	Form Group
8	Friday 3^rd September Tuesday 7^th September	9am-10am	BER, BOS, CEC
		10am-11am	LUK, SEB, TER
9	Friday 3^rd September Tuesday 7^th September	11am-12pm	BER, BOS, CEC
		12pm-1pm	LUK, SEB, TER
10	Friday 3^rd September Tuesday 7^th September	1pm-2pm	BER. BOS, CEC
		2pm-3pm	LUK, SEB, TER
11	Thursday 2^nd September	9am-10am	BER, BOS, CEC
		10am-11am	LUK, SEB, TER
12	Thursday 2^nd September	11am-12pm	BER, BOS, CEC
		12pm-1pm	LUK, SEB, TER
13	Thursday 2^nd September	1pm-2pm	BER, BOS, CEC
		2pm-3pm	LUK, SEB, TER

Information for Year 7

Year 7 parents/carers will need to provide consent in order for their son/daughter to be tested, further details on consent are below. Where consent is not provided, students will be expected to attend school as per the start date outlined above and will not be subject to any subsequent testing.
Students will complete the first of their tests on their first school day and they should attend in full school uniform.
The school will contact Parents/Carers in the event of a positive test and advise on next steps.
Test 2 will take place during the school day as outlined in the table above; this will require us to withdraw students from lessons to complete their second test.

Information for Years 8 - 13

Students must attend at the designated time above for their form group. All year groups are as they will be in September. Y12 should attend at the time stated for their Y11 form group.
Students will enter the school through the main reception and will be directed to the auditorium to complete their first test. Students may be required to queue for a short while before completing their test.
As soon as the first test is completed, students will return home straight away. The school will contact Parents/Carers in the event of a positive test.
Subject to a negative test, students will be able to return to face-to-face education as per their planned start date.
Where Parents/Carers/Students have not provided consent for asymptomatic testing they will return to face-to-face education as per the start date outlined above and will not be subject to any subsequent testing.
Students do not need to attend their first test in school uniform.
If students are unavailable on their first test date they may complete their first test at a later point; the school will coordinate this through catch-up sessions.
Test 2 will take place during the school day as outlined in the table above; this will require us to withdraw students from lessons to complete their second test.

Consent

The consent form can be accessed via the link below.

If you have previously given consent for lateral flow testing you do not need to complete this form again.

Year 7 parents/carers will need to provide consent in order for their son/daughter to be tested.

We would strongly encourage Parents/Carers to indicate whether they are giving consent to asymptomatic testing.

Ongoing lateral flow testing

Over the summer, student should continue to test regularly if they are attending settings that remain open, such as summer schools and out of school activities based in school settings.

For students not attending such settings, regular testing will pause over the summer. However, testing will still be widely available over the summer and kits can be collected either from your local pharmacy or ordered online.

Upon return in the autumn, students should then continue to test twice weekly at home until the end of September, when this will be reviewed. Home testing kits will be provided by the school.

Contact Tracing from Monday 19^th July

Information regarding contact tracing for children and young people and some information received from the Department for Education on contact tracing and self-isolation can be found HERE.

Bishop Challoner testing centre

At the end of this communication we have included some images of the Testing Centre we have in place on the school site. It is a highly professional setup and allows for a high degree of privacy whilst tests are being conducted. Trained staff will be on hand to advise students on how to self-administer their tests. I hope that the inclusion of this information will help to ease any anxiety our students may have ahead of engaging in testing.

Yours sincerely,

Dr J Coughlan
Principal

Images of the Bishop Challoner Testing Centre