£78 million in funding to support schools and colleges with mass asymptomatic testing costs

The updated publication of @EducationGovUK’s testing handbook for secondary schools and colleges on coordinating rapid testing has been published today (23 Dec) with key information on testing 

What DfE are doing:

We’re offering a round of testing to all secondary schools and colleges in England to test students from the first week of term. Initially testing will be provided for all secondary pupils and staff as they return from the holidays. After the initial mass testing, all school and college staff will be able to have routine testing once a week; pupils and staff will be able to do ‘serial testing’ if one of their contacts within school tests positive. If close contacts agree to be tested each day for 7 days, and they test negative each time, they will be allowed to remain in school or college that day.

This is a phased approach, starting with secondary age settings (staff, pupils and students in schools and colleges in Year 7 and older), with plans to extend to primary schools. Students in exam year groups, vulnerable children and children of key workers will all attend school or college in person from the start of term and these groups should get the first testing slots. All pupils in primary, special and alternative provision will also return in person from the start of term. Secondary schools and colleges will operate a staggered return, offering all non-exam year groups full-time remote education, as close as possible to that which pupils would get in class, during the first week of term.

Why DfE are doing it: 

Testing is important because staff, students and pupils without symptoms could still carry the virus and may spread it to many others. As many as one in three people with the virus have no symptoms. And since schools and colleges are a key part of our communities, we want to break the chains of transmission and help reduce the risk as far as possible. State-funded secondaries had an average of 24 pupils isolating per confirmed coronavirus case on 10 December – which is what we’re aiming to drastically cut down through daily testing of close contacts. This will help to deliver on our national priority of keeping education as safe as possible and open for all.

How DfE are helping schools prepare:

We recognise that we continue to ask a lot of schools and colleges in delivering rapid testing, but all teachers, staff, parents and pupils should be assured that we will be supporting them over the coming weeks.

We are allocating £78 million to support all secondary schools and colleges with testing costs. Funding will be provided to secondary schools and colleges based on their size. For example, a mainstream secondary in inner London, with 1000 pupils and staff will receive around £20k. A mainstream secondary outside London, with 2000 pupils and staff will receive around £28k.

We’ve published logistical guidance that walks secondary schools and colleges through key information they need for running testing and provides advice on setting up a safe testing site, running the testing site, staffing and resource requirements as well as processing and recording test results.

We know that every setting is different and so the guidance is flexible so that testing sites it can be adapted to accommodate other things happening in each individual school or college space.

The first deliveries of up to 1000 starter test kits, with tests and PPE, will arrive at every secondary school and college on 4 January so that they are ready to go as soon as possible, with further replenishment deliveries throughout the week.

Teachers will not be expected to administer tests. Our expectation is school and colleges will make their own decisions on how to deliver this through a mix of existing staff, agency staff and volunteers.

Regarding testing guidance and funding DfE have said:

• DfE recognise that we continue to ask a lot of schools and colleges in delivering rapid testing, but all teachers, staff, parents and pupils should be assured that we will be supporting them over the coming weeks.
• Testing is important because staff, students and pupils without symptoms could still carry the virus and may spread it to many others. And since schools and colleges are a key part of our communities, we want to break the chains of transmission and help reduce the risk as far as possible.
• DfE are also allocating £78 million in funding to support all secondary schools and colleges with testing costs incurred.
• Funding will be provided to secondary schools and colleges based on their size. For example, a mainstream secondary in inner London, with 1000 pupils and staff will receive approx. £20k. A mainstream secondary outside London, with 2000 pupils and staff will receive approx. £28k.
• They will be able to use the funding as works best for them to be able to deliver the testing. The funding will be available to cover relevant staffing costs, regardless of the number of volunteers schools use and PPE equipment will also be directly provided.  
• As promised, DfE have now published further logistical guidance so those secondary schools and colleges that want to, can be ready to start testing their students from the beginning of the new term.
• This walks secondary schools and colleges through key information they need for running testing in schools and colleges and provides advice on setting up a safe testing site, running the testing site, staffing and resource requirements as well as processing and recording test results.
• DfE know that every setting is different and so the guidance is flexible so that testing sites it can be adapted to accommodate other things happening in each individual school or college space.
• The first deliveries of up to 1000 starter test kits, with tests and PPE, will arrive at every secondary school and college on 04 January so that they are ready to go as soon as possible, with further replenishment deliveries throughout the week.

Regarding previous information on testing DfE have said:

• We are offering a round of testing to all secondary schools and colleges in England to test students from the first week of January.
• The testing will help to identify the one in three who have the virus but do not have symptoms, so could be spreading the disease unknowingly.
• This will help to deliver on our national priority of keeping education as safe as possible and open for all, as well as help fight the spread of the virus.
• It builds on the incredible work schools and colleges have done to be Covid-secure throughout the autumn term, and will help to reassure students, parents and teachers about returning to school and college.
• It also follows the government’s recent announcement that every secondary school and college in England will have access to rapid testing from January. All staff in secondary schools and colleges, as well as special schools and alternative provision, will be eligible for weekly rapid tests as part of an initial rollout, and students will be eligible for daily testing if they are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive.
• State-funded secondaries had an average of 24 pupils isolating per confirmed coronavirus case on 10 December – which is what we’re aiming to drastically cut down through daily testing of close contacts.
• Initially testing will be provided for all secondary pupils/students and staff as they return from the holidays.
• After the initial mass testing, all school / college staff will be able to have routine testing once a week; pupils/students and staff will be able to do ‘serial testing’ if one of their contacts within school tests positive. If close contacts agree to be tested each day for 7 days, and they test negative each time, they will be allowed to remain in school/college that day. We expect that the vast majority of children will self-swab.
• This is a phased approach, starting with secondary age settings (staff, pupils and students in schools and colleges in Year 7 and older), with plans to extend to primary schools thereafter.
• Students in exam year groups, vulnerable children and children of key workers will all attend school or college in person from the start of term and these groups should get the first testing slots.  All students in primary, special and alternative provision will also return to in-person tuition from the start of term.
• Secondary schools and colleges will operate a staggered return, offering all non-exam year groups full-time remote education, as close as possible to that which students would get in class, during the first week of term, with face-to-face education for all starting on 11 January.

Find out how to administer Mass asymptomatic testing in schools and colleges which will begin in January 2021:

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