From next week, Ryburn will be taking part in a Calderdale pilot offering weekly rapid coronavirus tests to all our school staff.
The lateral flow tests, which involve a nose swab, give a result in 30 minutes. It is a voluntary programme which aims to identify students and staff who may be asymptomatic and works in addition to the existing test and trace system.
In the first phase, before Christmas, we will be offering the test to all staff who work in the school. After Christmas, we will be writing to parents of students in Year 13 who may wish to take part in this pilot on a voluntary basis.
Following a review of the pilot, the school will work with Calderdale Public Health to consider extending the offer of testing to students in other year groups. It is also being rolled out to other schools in Calderdale.
The wellbeing of our staff and students is essential. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with Calderdale Public Health and done whatever we can help protect our community, and we are pleased to support this trial.
Whilst we realise that the lateral flow tests are not as reliable as laboratory tests, they are a useful way of picking up asymptomatic cases that may be unwittingly spread in school, improving safety for our students and offering an extra layer of reassurance to staff and parents. It is really important that these are not used in place of the regular test - any students or staff showing symptoms need to book a test in the usual way, and inform us of any positive test result.