Key worker parents will be affected most by pausing of daily covid tests in school, says Northampton teacher

Caroline Chisholm School in Wootton has said the Government's decision to pause daily Covid tests is the 'right thing to do' but that it will affect key worker parents the most.

The daily testing of secondary school pupils and staff in England has been temporarily paused, due to concerns over the new variant.

The government accepted the recommendation from both Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace that daily testing in schools and colleges should be paused, due to the balance between the risks and benefits becoming “unclear” after the emergence of the new variant.

Prior to this, students and staff in secondary schools and colleges who were in close contact with someone who had tested positive for the virus would be tested for seven days and allowed to remain in school if the test was negative.

Vice principal at Caroline Chisholm, Gary Wakefield, said: "It is the right thing to do. It's moving at such a pace. It's the scientific evidence now, with the new variant there is that risk it could spread.

"For us in school, we won't be greatly affected because we have few numbers in, but it's more of an impact on key worker parents as they might have to stay at home with their children while they self-isolate or their children might have to stay at home alone.