A headteacher is “confident” back to school Covid-19 testing plans will keep children safe and allow teaching to get back to normal.

Wiltshire Council officials admit rapid testing in secondary schools will be a huge logistical challenge but a headteacher of a school in Amesbury believes the reopening next week will run smoothly.

On Monday March 8, all pupils in England will return to the classroom.

For children in secondary schools, the return will involve taking regular lateral flow tests to crack down on asymptomatic coronavirus cases.

Students in secondary schools and colleges will initially take three tests in school.

After that, they will be provided with two rapid tests to use each week at home.

Nigel Roper, headteacher at The Stonehenge School in Amesbury, said: “All of the staff who have been attending work and the key worker children that we’ve accommodated, which is around 10 per cent of the school population, have been routinely tested twice a week so we’re confident that we can upscale the testing provision that we have.”

Year 11 and 10 will be tested on Monday, Year 9 and 8 on Tuesday.

“By Wednesday we will be back to normal; working, teaching and learning as near to normal as possible,” Mr Roper said.

If results come back negative children will remain in school and begin lessons “immediately”.

If a child tests positive they will be asked to self-isolate. Previously, a positive case meant the entire bubble had to self-isolate.

However, with rapid tests, a risk assessment will take place to determine whether only that student and their close contacts can be sent home.

Mr Roper explained: “Once the other children in the bubble have been tested as negative, then it no longer becomes necessary for the whole bubble to self-isolate at home.

“I’m speaking generically because the risk assessment has to take into account all of the factors pertaining to the school and the child but [with rapid tests] the difference is, [a positive case] will not automatically result in the whole bubble isolating at home.

“Testing provides the reassurance that other children that may have come into contact are negative and that means fewer children should be isolating other than close contacts of the positive case.”

So far, no cases have been picked up through lateral flow tests at the school.

Asked whether he was worried that the return of all pupils could result in more infections, Mr Roper said: “It certainly sounds like the vaccination and lockdown restrictions have significantly reduced infection rates so I think testing will continue to support the downward moving in rates of infection so we’re not anxious about greater numbers of children coming back.

“On the contrary, we’re looking forward to getting back to normal.”

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