Dear Year 7 Parent/Carer,
Students at HDHS moved to twice weekly, rapid COVID-19 testing at home in March 2021, following supervised tests on site. 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.
Tutors will be offering all Year 7 students home COVID-19 testing kits at the start of next week. Please advise your child whether you would like them to take a testing kit when this is offered. If so, the recommendation is that your child tests themselves twice a week 3-5 days apart, on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Your child should also continue testing twice a week, at home, throughout school holidays. Testing kits will be available at all times via tutors and Student Services, so your child can ask them for more kits whenever these are needed.
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 guidelines.
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 this at www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result or by calling 119 (free from mobiles and landlines). Lines are open every day, 7am to 11pm.
It is also important to share your child’s results with us as a school. To manage this process we are using a site called TestRegister.co.uk. If you gave consent to on-site testing and your child has not had Covid in the last 90 days, reminders will be sent to your email address twice each week, and will contain a link which, when clicked, will mean you are automatically logged in and can submit your child’s result – no login details or passwords are required.
If your child receives a positive result using these LFD home-testing kits you should book them a confirmatory PCR test, and they should self-isolate until the result of this is received.
We continue to encourage everyone to take part in regular Covid-19 testing.
Yours faithfully,
Kate Finch, Headteacher
