Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason maintained nursery schools are receiving covid-19 home testing kits a week later than primary schools and school-based early years provision.
The Department is rolling out its asymptomatic testing programme to primary schools with deliveries of test kits starting from 18 January 2021. The asymptomatic testing programme will offer all primary school, schools based nursery and maintained nursery school staff home Lateral Flow Device test kits for twice weekly testing. This will help to break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 in nurseries and schools by identifying asymptomatic positive cases. Those who test positive will then self-isolate, helping to reduce transmission of the virus.
Due to delivery logistics, maintained nursery schools will start to receive home testing kits from week commencing 1 February 2021 .