COVID-19 Home Testing

From the week commencing Monday 22nd March 2021, students at John Port will be moving to twice weekly, rapid COVID-19 testing at home. If your child participated in the testing programme at school, they will have received home testing kits. If your child did not participate in the testing programme, or has not received a home testing kit, please ask them to see their Head of Year. Enough testing kits have been provided to last until the end of the Easter break.

Please make sure your child tests themselves twice a week 3-5 days apart, in the morning before school if possible and, if not, the evening before. Your child should also continue testing twice a week, at home, throughout the Easter holidays. This does not replace testing for those with symptoms. If you have symptoms you must self-isolate immediately, book a PCR test and follow national guidance.

Up to 1 in 3 people who have COVID-19 have no symptoms and could be spreading it without knowing. Getting into a regular habit of testing twice a week will help stop the virus spreading, keeping your family and friends safer.

Reporting results

It is really important that results of tests are reported online straight away, even if your child’s result is negative or void. It’s easy to do at www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result. You can create an account which makes logging future results much easier. Results can also be reported via telephone by calling 119 (free from mobiles and landlines). Lines are open every day, 7am to 11pm.

It is important that if your child tests positive, you inform school immediately using the email address CoronaVirus@johnport.derbyshire.sch.uk.

Testing for parents, households and bubbles twice a week

The test kits from school are for your child only. Regular rapid testing is also available for parents, their households and support or childcare bubbles. The government is encouraging all families to participate in twice weekly testing to help stop the spread. Parents and other adults in the household can access tests by:

• Ordering tests online gov.uk/order-school-household-tests
• Getting an assisted test at work, if it is available
• Attending a test site to get tested (where you will be able to see how to take the test) or pick up tests to do at home.

This does not replace symptomatic testing. If you have symptoms, you should self-isolate immediately, book a PCR test and follow national guidance. To find out more on school household testing visit www.gov.uk/guidance/LFD testing – households of school pupils and staff.

We continue to encourage everyone to take part in regular Covid-19 testing. It has been confirmed that testing will continue into the Summer term. More test kits will be made available to students after the Easter break.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs K Squire

Principal