Dear Parent/Guardian            March 2021      

The Welsh Government has recently announced that it will start a programme of asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in education and childcare settings across Wales.

Along with the primary protective measures we are taking, such as social distancing and good hand hygiene, testing will allow us to take further measures to help pupils and staff members to continue working in as safe an environment as possible. Up to one in three people who have COVID-19 have the virus without symptoms.

 

All staff are being asked to take part in twice weekly home testing using Lateral Flow Device tests.    If the test is positive, staff and their close contacts will immediately need to start self-isolating, and a second test will be arranged to confirm the results. If the confirmation test is negative, all those who have been asked to isolate will be able to return to school. If the confirmation test is positive, the self-isolation period will continue for a total of 10 days.

If a member of staff working with a pupil contact group records a positive LFT result, this may mean that pupils within the contact group will need to self-isolate. Given the routine nature of the testing, this may mean that you may be notified that your child should not attend school at very short notice.  

If your child is required to self-isolate in the above circumstances and the staff member then receives a negative confirmation test result, they and close contacts, including pupils within the contact group, will be able to return to school and we will let you know this as soon as possible.

Your school will endeavour to keep you informed as quickly as possible. Thank you for helping keep our pupils and staff safe.

 

Yours sincerely 

Melanie Godfrey

Director of Education and Lifelong Learning/ Cyfarwyddwr Addysg a Dysgu Gydol Oes