Shropshire schools confused by surprise government testing announcement
Schools should have been given more warning from the government about plans to test pupils for Covid from next term, according to a Shropshire academy head.
The government requirement for schools to set up testing for secondary pupils in January was only announced on Thursday – a day before teaching staff broke up for the Christmas holidays.
The announcement has been greeted with dismay across the teaching profession, with calls for more detail on how the plans will work.
The situation comes as estimates show more than 1,000 pupils were off school in the county last week.
Department for Education figures released for the first time estimate up to 852 pupils in state secondary schools in Telford and Wrekin were absent on December 10, and 640 in the Shropshire Council area.
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Of these, 95 in Telford & Wrekin and 50 in Shropshire were absent with either a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19.
Dr Gill Eatough, CEO of the Learning Community Trust, which manages seven schools in the county and looks after around 4,000 pupils, said that while she welcomed the proposal, she was frustrated at the timing.
She said: "It is just the fact that we have been informed of this in the last 24 hours, therefore it is a huge surprise. We were not expecting to hear that with literally 24 hours before we finish for the Christmas holiday.
"I think it is a good idea, but there is an awful lot we need to understand before we can implement it.
"We do not know when the tests will be delivered, how they will work, who will administer them, and we will need to get consent from parents to carry them out."
Understand
She added: "We just need to understand what we are expected to do. At the moment I have no information other than this will be happening."
Dr Eatough said that none of the teachers at the Telford-based trust's schools would be required to carry out the tests.
She said: "We won't be asking out teachers to administer tests. That will not happen, so we need to look at how we find a workforce to administer the tests and how that will happen."
Dr Eatough said that she was entirely in favour of the idea – which will allow more pupils to remain in school – but that the timing and planning had left a lot to be desired.
She said: "We need to do something. We cannot carry on as we are – having to send children home. So if testing allows us to test children who have been in close contact then we will be able to operate more normally."
The government said it expects a 'staggered' return for year groups in January to enable the testing to take place.
Schools minister Nick Gibb has said the government will release “very detailed guidance” about what needs to be in place for testing next week, and acknowledged there will be “work to do” over the next fortnight.
Schools in the Marches Academy Trust, including the Marches in Oswestry and Shrewsbury Academy have both sent out letters to parents explaining that more information will be available from January 4 when the schools return.
A letter to parents from Alison Pearson, head at the Marches said: "Late last night we were advised by the DfE that students will return in January in a staggered manner.
"The aim is to allow for voluntary testing of students before many of them re-join school. The mechanism and timescale for testing has not yet been released and so we will be unable to share further details until after we return on the January 4, 2021.
"Be aware that information may come to families quickly in January, with a testing window for your child for the next school day.
"We apologise for this uncertainty which is beyond our control."
