Testing at The Bolsover School
This week, in line with Government guidance, we started using ‘lateral flow tests’ to test our staff and those students who are in school.
Along with the other protective measures we have taken, these voluntary tests will help staff and students to remain in school safely. Government statistics suggest that up to one third of people who have coronavirus experience no symptoms. By testing we hope to help stop the virus spreading and help to keep our students, staff and wider community as safe as possible.
Those who have taken the test have been supervised and guided through the process by our trained staff. The results take around half an hour and then have been shared directly to the participants given mobile phone number. We know these tests work - in validation studies conducted by Oxford University and Public Health England, they were shown to be as accurate in identifying a case as a PCR test (99.68% specificity). The tests have lower sensitivity but they are better at picking up cases when a person has higher viral load, hence the need to test frequently.
Here is more information regarding testing at The Bolsover School:
Letter to parents regarding testing
How to do your test - COVID-19 instruction leaflet for schools