12^th December 2020

Dear Parents and Carers and Staff

Please see below a letter form the NHS regarding additional testing for pupils in our area.  Please note that Elms School will remain closed until 4^th January 2021.  I have received the additional advice, shown below, from KCC regarding the tests for asymptomatic people:

Because this initiative is to test asymptomatic individuals, when booking a test they will need to:

• When asked “does the person who needs a test have coronavirus symptoms? – click no
• When asked “is the person who needs a test part of a trial or government pilot project? - click yes
• When asked “tell us which pilot or trial it is” – click “the person is taking part in community testing”

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Here is the NHS letter:

NHS Test and Trace: Covid-19 testing for staff students and family members

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We are working to keep our schools and colleges as safe as possible. From today, we are surging additional mobile testing units into your area to complement the existing MTUs, regional test sites, and local test sites. The NHS Test and Trace team will be testing staff, students and their family members who want to participate.

Along with the other measures we are taking, these tests will help reduce the risk of people without symptoms transmitting the virus. The test is voluntary, but I would encourage all staff, students and family members to get tested.

All you need to do to be tested is to arrive at the mobile testing unit and register, alternatively you can book a test by visiting https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

To reach this stage, the test has been tested at Public Health England’s research laboratories and is totally safe. Testing is free and provided by NHS Test and Trace.

What if someone tests positive?

If the results of the test is positive, everyone will need to self-isolate.  For the person who has a confirmed case of Covid-19, self-isolation will be needed for 10 days, and household members for 14 days.  Please inform us as soon as you receive this test result.

We will continue to support students with their education remotely. We recognise this may be disruptive for your family, but it is really important to isolate to prevent the spread of the virus. There is more advice on self-isolation at http://bit.ly/Govukselfisolate