Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the provision of free covid-19 testing will continue in special education settings after 1 April 2022.
Regular testing in all education and childcare providers, including special schools and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision, ended on 31 March. In the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, a local Health Protection Team might advise a residential SEND setting to re-introduce some time-limited asymptomatic testing for targeted groups of staff and pupils or students (secondary age or above).
From 1 April 2022, the UK Health and Security Agency has issued updated guidance on health protection in education and childcare settings. The guidance contains practical advice on managing a range of infections and outlines the steps regarding self-isolation for those with a positive COVID-19 test result.
This replaces all guidance previously issued for the children’s social care sector. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities.