ALL secondary school pupils in Scotland are to be offered coronavirus testing, it has been announced.
Education Secretary John Swinney also confirmed secondary school pupils are expected to return to full-time, in-person learning after the Easter holidays, subject to continued progress in tackling the pandemic.
All primary school children are set to have returned to school full-time from March 15, while secondary pupils are to return on a part-time basis from that date.
Pupils in S4-S6 who are taking national qualifications are being given priority for face-to-face lessons in school.
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Swinney, speaking at the Scottish Government’s briefing, said new guidance being published by Holyrood emphasises important measures for suppressing the virus.
This includes guidance that all staff and secondary school pupils should wear face coverings in classrooms and in communal areas.
The Education Secretary announced: "I can confirm that when children return from their Easter breaks, we will provide secondary schools with additional test kits.
"This will allow schools to offer twice-weekly lateral flow home testing kits for all secondary school pupils, including those in S1 to S3.
“Guidance will re-emphasise that staff and pupils who test positive must self-isolate.”
📺 Watch live: Deputy First Minister John Swinney holds a press conference on #coronavirus (#COVIDー19).
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) March 8, 2021
Joining the Deputy First Minister today is Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith. https://t.co/wdJGYIqz2e
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He added: "We already offer twice-weekly tests for all school staff and all senior phase pupils, that is pupils in secondary school years four to six.
"We've seen good levels of uptake so far, amongst those people who are eligible for tests. We're also working with partners to extend the offer of testing to staff and premises for preschool learning and childcare.
"We expect to manage this from later this month. We're focused on offering test to senior fees pupils because they are more likely to get Covid than younger pupils, although it's worth remembering that they are less likely to have the virus than older adults.
"However, we've also said that we would keep this policy under review. The advisory subgroup on education and children's issues last week noted that there could be benefits in making tests available to young people in secondary school years 1-3.”
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