Take the test
With all pupils having returned to school on 8th March, regular testing of secondary aged pupils and staff without symptoms continues to be a priority for schools in order to keep the education sector as safe as possible. After the initial testing in school, staff and pupils will be expected to continue testing on a self-test basis from home. All participation in testing is voluntary.
We are asking our parents and carers to carry out the twice weekly testing from home in the morning, ideally before coming into school so results can be uploaded before they leave, 3 to 4 days apart. The results take 30 minutes with these rapid tests, so it’s important to leave enough time to check the results. Here is a link to a step-by-step guide to rapid self-testing at home which the government recommend watching before you start testing for the first time.
All of our parents and carers have received detailed information via email about the testing process and reporting the results, plus received a follow-up call from staff to ensure they understand the process.
The test itself is very straight forward, and easy to administer. It may feel a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t hurt. The process is as follows:
1) Blow your nose if you need to, and then wash and dry your hands. Remove the swab, being careful not to touch the soft part
2) Put about 6 drops of solution into the tube
3) Open your mouth wide, and use a mirror to look at the back of your throat. Use the swab to rub firmly on each side, 4 times
4) Remove the swab carefully, ensuring you don’t touch your teeth, tongue or gums
5) Gently place the swab 2-2.5cm inside one of your nostrils, roll the swab 4-5 times along the lining of the nostril before repeating on the other nostril
6) Gently remove the swab, making sure nothing touches the tip
7) Gently swirl the swab around in the solution that you placed into the tube, for about 10 seconds
8) Place a few drops of the solution from the tube on the ‘s’ of the test kit, and wait for 30 minutes before reading your result
9) A result of ‘c’ means it’s negative, a result of ‘c’ and ‘t’ means it’s positive, a result of ‘t’ means the test is invalid. If your result is positive, you should arrange for a proper test at your local testing facility.
Once complete, please report the results of your test here.
You are required to report the results of every test you take online or by phone using the above gov.uk service, even if the result was negative or void. Education settings are not able to view the results that you upload to this service, so it is vitally important that you also remember to communicate your results separately to your education setting, so that they can update their Covid-19 test register and act on any positive results as soon as possible.
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