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Schools warned of 'long, hard winter' ahead amid Covid testing chaos

Government policy Staff wellbeing Pupil wellbeing Attendance Coronavirus Health & Safety
Schools are facing up to a “long, hard winter” ahead as Covid-19 testing delays and rising infection rates have already seen a spike in the numbers of pupils being sent home.


Barely three weeks into term and the number of schools not fully open due to Covid-19 has jumped from one per cent on September 10 to four per cent on September 17.

Furthermore, a survey by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has found that four in five schools have children isolating because they cannot access a Covid-19 test.

The survey on September 17 involved 736 school leaders and found that 82 per cent of schools have children currently not attending because they cannot access a test, while 87 per cent have children stuck at home because they are waiting for test results.

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