Update on testing  

It is essential that any pupil who has COVID-19 symptoms, or who share a household with someone who has symptoms, does not attend the school and  follows the self-isolation guidance and access a test at a testing site or at home using the online booking portal.  

The main symptoms of COVID-19 are: 

• a high temperature: this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) 
• a new, continuous cough: this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual) 
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste: this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal 
  
  Usual testing options 
  
  We recommend testing for those with a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell. 
  
  If an individual has other cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, they do not need to be tested or to self-isolate.   
  
  
  Booking a free coronavirus (COVID-19) test is done through the online booking portal. This will then give you a range of testing options available in your local area. These will usually be: 

• Test centre - Booking a test at a drive-in test centre is likely to be the fastest way to get a test. You should be aware of local test centres in order to advise staff, students and parents/carers.
• New ways to make accessing a test as quick and easy as possible are being added continually by NHS Test, Trace, Protect. Walk in local testing centres are shortly being opened in a number of locations. This network is continuing to expand to make it easier for people without cars to get a test.