This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Interim Senior Advisory Teacher EYFS & EYFS Moderation Manager, Sharon Rose on behalf of the DfE, for the attention of all Early Years settings.
The DfE Testing Team have confirmed that as of 21st February, settings are no longer advised to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing. It also outlines the circumstances in which a setting may need to resume regular testing..
The Government announced on 21 February that staff and students/children in all mainstream education settings (including PVI and maintained nurseries) are no longer advised to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing. You will no longer need to distribute test kits to your staff for regular testing. Updated guidance was published on 21 February which can be found in the Testing in Education Settings document sharing platform.
You may need to resume regular testing in the event of an outbreak within your setting but should only do so following advice and agreement with a Director of Public Health or local Health Protection Team. Further information regarding this is in the contingency framework. If you are experiencing an outbreak you should agree what measures you are taking with your Director of Public Health or local Health Protection Team before placing any orders. They will help your setting to decide who should test, how frequently and for how long. Settings should keep a record of discussions with local authority / health contacts, and be ready to provide information about the additional testing measures that have been agreed.
Staff in all settings can access test kits from their local pharmacy or by ordering on gov.uk if required.