Could Schools choose to purchase their own testing kits so that staff can test once they get symptoms in order to ascertain whether they have COVID-19 rather than isolating for 5 days?
Yes, Schools can look to purchase their own kits and the DfE has confirmed this. It would, however, be helpful to communicate to staff why you feel this is appropriate. You might consider phasing out testing gradually, perhaps transitioning to a softer approach of recommending or encouraging testing in certain scenarios only. This could help the confidence of those returning to the workplace and allow time for confidence to increase when becoming familiar with the ‘new normal’.
