Home Testing
Home testing kits for students
Testing is important because you could be carrying the virus and may spread it to others. Testing all staff and pupils of secondary age without symptoms will support the education sector to continue to operate.
Students will initially be provided with 6 rapid lateral flow tests – 2 boxes of 3 tests. This is to enable students to self-test at home twice weekly. These will be distributed to students in school on Friday 19 March 2021. A further set of tests will be given out in the last week of term so that students can continue to self-test during the Easter holidays and in the summer term.
Should you not wish for your child to be given the tests and you would rather collect yourself, please email covid@tkc.thpt.org.uk so that we can put your child’s test kit in the front office for you to collect.
What happens if I do not want my child to test at home?
Please email covid@tkc.thpt.org.uk and we will remove your child from our distribution list. Testing is voluntary, and you will not be prevented from attending school if you do not take part. The success of this public health measure depends on as many people participating as possible.
When should the tests be taken?
It is recommended that your child tests in the morning before attending school, or the evening before. Testing is twice per week, 3 to 4 days apart. See suggested schedules below:
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Example 1 |
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Test 1 |
Test 2 |
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Monday morning |
Thursday morning |
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Example 2 |
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Test 1 |
Test 2 |
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Sunday evening |
Wednesday evening |
What happens if my child tests positive?
If your child receives a positive LFD result, they should self-isolate immediately and take a PCR test, following the current public health guidance: www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.
How does the test work?
Can children swab themselves?
Students aged 11 should have the test administered by an adult.
Students aged 12-17 should be supervised by an adult but can swab themselves.
Guidance videos are available on YouTube.
Participation and data protection
Once you have understood the testing process and have read the privacy notice, if you choose for your child to participate you are committing for your child to test and report your results via the NHS Test & Trace digital platform and to Thomas Knyvett College.
Before your child takes the test, you must read the privacy notice attached to understand what will happen with their data.
How do I report my child’s test results?
You are required to report the results of your child’s tests online, every time they take a test, even if the result was negative or void. Education settings are not able to view the results that their students have uploaded to the online service. You should therefore also communicate results separately with us, so that we can respond accordingly.
Report the results via NHS Test and Trace: https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result.
Report the results to TKC using this online form.
How effective are these tests?
LFD tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The speed and convenience of the tests supports the detection of the virus in asymptomatic individuals, who would not otherwise have got tested. LFD tests are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The tests are highly specific, with low chances of false positives. They are also very sensitive and able to identify the majority of the most infectious yet asymptomatic individuals.
It is important to remember that these tests are an additional layer of health protection measure in addition to hand washing, face covering and social distancing.
Can my child have a home testing kit if they haven’t tested at school?
The updated DfE guidance states that:
The accuracy of the test is linked to the quality of swabbing. If a student (or their parent/s) did not consent to engage in the initial wave of on-site testing but then decides to participate in testing afterwards, schools may want to invite them to visit their in-school test site to be shown how to use the test, to practise self-swabbing and to collect their at-home testing kits.
If your child did not test in school, but you would now like them to test at home, please email covid@tkc.thpt.org.uk to arrange a time for your child to come to our in-school test site to be shown how to use the test.
Clinical and non-clinical issues
If there is a clinical incident, please report to https://coronavirusyellowcard.mhra.gov.uk. Examples of clinical issues are a swab breaking in the mouth, bleeding, or an allergic reaction on using the kit.
This is not for seeking immediate medical care. Medical care should be sought through the usual route of contacting 111 or 999.
If there is a non-clinical issue, such as missing or damaged items from a test kit, please inform us at covid@tkc.thpt.org.uk as well as reporting the issue to 119.
Please click to view Privacy Notice TKC Student Home Testing
Testing at Home - The Process
