St Anne's Catholic School St Anne's Catholic School

Saliva Testing

SALIVA TESTING IS EXPECTED ON RETURNING IN SEPTEMBER 2021

Update: Start of the year: September 2021

All pupils in years 8-13 are expected to drop off a saliva sample to school on the morning of Thursday, 2nd September between 7:30am and 11am. This can be dropped off by a member of the family if that's easier. All members of staff will be able to drop one off in the same morning.

Pupils in year 7 will be trained how to complete saliva tests on the afternoon of Friday 3rd September and receive their kits then. They will be expected to drop their first sample off as the come in to school at the start of the day on Monday, 6th September.

Mop up: Pupils in years 8-13 who forget to, or are unable to, drop off a sample on Thursday, 2nd September can do so on Monday, 6th September alongside year 7.

Onsite testing: Students who do not drop off any saliva tests will, with parent consent, be asked to complete onsite LFD tests in the first week.

There will then be the expectation that students complete a saliva test once a week or two home LFD tests a week during September. The requirements for pupils to test will then be reviewed nationally by the government at the end of September.

Introduction

We are pleased that St Anne’s Catholic School and Sixth Form College is part of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight COVID-19 Testing Programme. The saliva test is more sensitive than the swab tests, and it is more comfortable to be tested.

The saliva test is very simple and involves collecting a sample of saliva in a plastic pot. The test used is the one featured in a BBC News piece. Free tests are offered to all pupils and all staff at the school. Information about the programme can be found here: https://hiowsalivatest.nhs.uk

Students receive a testing pack which contains pots and a leaflet that shows how to collect a sample at home. These are then dropped off in school on specific days. Parents receive notification of the results via text message and email.

Drop Off Days

Year Group	First Drop Off of the year	Regular drop off day
7	Monday, 6th September	Mondays, starting on Monday, 13th September
8	Thursday, 2nd September	Mondays, starting on Monday, 13th September
9	Thursday, 2nd September	Mondays, starting on Monday, 13th September
10	Thursday, 2nd September	Thursdays, starting on Thursday, 9th September
11	Thursday, 2nd September	Thursdays, starting on Thursday, 9th September
Sixth Form	Thursday, 2nd September	Thursdays, starting on Thursday, 9th September
Staff	Thursday, 2nd September	Either Mondays or Thursdays once a week

Why is this important?

Knowing who has COVID-19 is vital to stopping its spread. Alongside all the other measures we are taking to control the virus, this testing will help us to keep our communities safer and keep our schools open. We are also paving the way for this test to be used to help in the recovery from COVID-19 across the country. Testing is not compulsory, but we strongly encourage you take part.

How will the testing work?

We have delivered a weekly series of engagement activities in school, provided by the University of Southampton, so they can learn about how the test works and how regular testing can help keep them and their community safer.

The testing kits contain enough sample pots and labels for eight weeks of testing so please store them safely. It is important that your child takes the test when they wake up - before they have anything to eat or drink and before they brush their teeth.

Once the sample has been labelled and bagged, your child will need to bring it to school with them and put it into one of the big plastic bins in the vestibule as they go into the school building. The tests will be collected and taken to the test centre on the same day. Test results will be returned in the next 24-48 hours and you will receive a text message telling you the result of your child’s test.

If your child tests positive, they will need to self-isolate. The programme team will contact you and ensure you get the help and advice you need. Please note that this test is for testing children who do not have symptoms of COVID-19. If your child does have COVID-19 symptoms they should not attend school and you should order a test through 111.nhs.uk/ or by calling 119.

If you child is absent from school or forgets to bring in their test, they should bring a new test sample in for the next scheduled testing day. The school will have some spare packs to hand out to anyone who loses their sample pots but we would encourage you to keep them somewhere safe as spares are limited.

See The video at the bottom of the page for more information on how to take the test.

Important information about your data

To enable the partnership running the COVID-19 Testing Programme between University Hospital Southampton, local government, and the University of Southampton to deploy the test kits to the school and to manage the collection of samples from schools, our school will be sharing contact details of pupils and their parents or guardians, as well as staff, with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

As you know from our school’s Privacy Notice, which can be found on our website under policies, we are very serious about protecting the personal data of all members of our school community, and we will maintain this approach in relation to this data sharing. We will only be sharing limited contact details. The NHS will share confidentially with nominated senior leadership within the school positive test results to enable immediate initiation of contact tracing to minimise the risk of the virus spreading.

The Privacy Notice for this COVID-19 Testing Programme is below. Please do take the time to read this. If you have any questions or would like to exercise your right to object to this data sharing, please call the contact centre on the number below.

You should find answers to any questions on the testing programme on https://hiowsalivatest.nhs.uk where there is also a web chat service. Alternatively, you can call the contact centre on 0808 196 2282 (lines are open Monday to Sunday 8.30am to 5.00pm).

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Privacy Notice for Saliva Testing