"It is a big ask": Sheffield headteacher explains how schools will do mass Covid testing

Kam Grewal-Joy, headteacher at Meadhowhead School Academy Trust, has been overseeing the rollout of asymptomatic mass testing at the school, beginning with tests on staff members.

Next week she hopes that the tests will start on children of key workers and those listed as vulnerable, who still go into school during lockdown.

And in spite of the high demands on schools to effectively implement mass testing, Mrs Grewal-Joy said she is pleased with how it has gone so far.

“After Christmas we were given guidance on implementing mass testing in school. At first it was supposed to be for all children but then the national lockdown came in,” she said.

"What we did in response to that is we have trained a group of seven support staff, who voluntarily came forward to be given an extensive amount of training and run the tests.”

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The test centre has been set up in a dance studio at the school, and the first tests have started to be carried out on the staff working during the lockdown, who number around 100.

Staff working at the school full time are being tested up to three times a week, and the staff on rotas who come in on certain days are tested on arrival.

"From the testing we have done this week we have managed to get about 40 staff tested in an hour,” Mrs Grewal-Joy said.

"I am absolutely grateful to the support staff that have put themselves forward to do the tests and process them.

"The next stage is children and we have started getting consent from parents and carers. We have capacity to test them once a week”

Mrs Grewal-Joy said she believed it was possible to ensure that the school was safe for those going in during lockdown.

However, she said schools would face significant challenges when expected to roll out the testing programmes to every other pupil and staff member.

“It is a big ask,” she said. “There is no two ways about it.

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"At the moment we have roundabout 140-150 children coming in.

"The challenge will be when all the other children return, and we have to look at sustaining and having the capacity to have a test centre that will cater for the 1800 who are here on a normal school day.

"The guidance from the Depertment for Education is that for a test centre that size we would need 20 staff running it.

"I do not have the manpower to do that. To upscale it we are going to have to give it some thought and await further guidance.”

Mrs Grewal-Joy said that she had offers from parents and volunteers who said they would come in and help run the test centre if needed.

“It is incredibly challenging at schools at the moment but at the same time we want them to be as safe as possible,” she added.

"If mass testing in schools is the best way to make sure that is the case then there is an appetite for that.”