Posted on Tuesday 1st December 2020
A school in the Moorlands is piloting Covid-19 testing on staff and pupils.
Painsley Catholic College in Cheadle will begin rolling out new quicker Covid testing to its Post 16 pupils (17- and 18-year olds).
Year 12 pupils will be tested tomorrow (Wednesday), with Year 13 pupils being tested the following Thursday (10 December).
The new rapid flow tests can provide results in around 20-30 minutes, helping to quickly identify members of the school community who have the virus but may have no symptoms.
It is hoped that this will help staff quickly deal with coronavirus cases in schools, and minimise the number of students who will have to self-isolate as a result of coming into contact with a positive case in school.
Dr Johnny McMahon, Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Wellbeing at Staffordshire County Council said:
“We’re busy rolling out these rapid tests to all parts of the community, including businesses and schools. With schools, we have been doing our best to minimise the disruption to pupils when there is a positive case. These rapid tests will help, as they will ensure anyone who may have the virus and is not displaying symptoms can be identified before they go into their classroom, hopefully reducing the risk of their fellow classmates coming into contact with the virus.
“Our schools have been working incredibly hard during this difficult time to ensure pupils do not miss out on their education. The more we can help them protect pupils and deal with Covid-19 incidents as quickly and efficiently as possible, with the least disruption to other pupils, the better.”
Steve Bell, CEO of The Painsley Catholic Academy, said:
“Painsley Catholic College is pleased to be the first school in Staffordshire to pilot the rapid tests. The tests could have a dramatic impact on reducing the virus as they will identify asymptomatic positive individuals who will then self-isolate. This has the possibility to radically reduce disruption to schools and children’s education. We are proud of the contribution of the Painsley community in the fight against the virus.”