New COVID Guidance for Special Schools
Dear Parents/Carers,
Please see the details below regarding key changes in advice for Special schools.
Definition of close contact in school or other structured or supervised setting
A school close contact is defined as:
Someone who attends the same school and has stayed in your household overnight
An intimate contact
School trips away overnight
Someone providing personal care in school.
For further information, refer to the FAQs on the PHA website:
Close contact self-isolation and testing guidance
The guidance for individuals who are close contacts of a case of COVID-19 changed in August 2021 (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-self-isolating-and-close-contacts).
Following concerns raised by the Education sector that, due to ongoing household contact, some children or staff may go on to have a positive test following a negative initial PCR, updated guidance was agreed by the Department of Health and implemented on 1st November 2021 as follows:
- Daily Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests will be recommended for fully vaccinated staff in special schools who are identified by PHA as household close contacts. The tests should be undertaken each day before going to school in the period following receipt of a negative initial PCR test result up until receipt of a negative Day 8 PCR.
- Daily LFD testing will be recommended for pupils of post-primary school age who are identified by PHA as household close contacts. The tests should be taken before going to school each day in the period following receipt of their initial negative PCR test result (which enables a return to school) up until receipt of a negative Day 8 PCR. The PHA is aware that some special school pupils are not able to tolerate throat and nose swabbing so this may not be able to be fully implemented for this pupil group. However a new LFD kit will be introduced in mid-late November which will need nasal swabbing only, and this may make it more acceptable to pupils and their parents.
- In the event of an outbreak/cluster in a post primary school setting, and following a risk assessment and advice from the Public Health Agency, pupils and staff in an identified group may be asked to take a one-off LFD test (in addition to their ongoing LAMP weekly asymptomatic testing) prior to returning to class. This will replace the existing recommendation to undertake a one-off PCR test in such circumstances.
All pupils and staff who have a positive LFD test should stay at home, self-isolate and book a PCR test.
Please see Coronavirus (COVID-19): self-isolating | nidirect for guidance on whether other people in their household also need to self-isolate if the Lateral Flow test result is positive.
Post-primary pupils and special school staff will be encouraged to get their own supply of tests for this purpose from local pharmacies, the Lateral Flow Device (LFD) direct postal service, or from local walk through test sites. More information on rapid LFD tests, including how to order kits is available at Rapid Tests | Department of Health (health-ni.gov.uk) and How to do a coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow test at home - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
