In an update from Frome College the Principal has thanks the governors and volunteers who have helped ensure that testing has gone so well at college.

She told parents that over 80% of the student population has been tested, with over 2,000 tests completed.

This week it will be third and final test on site for students and then the kits are being sent home, with a recommendation from the college that tests are carried out 3-5 days apart.

According to details supplied on the Department of Education site the results from those are that:

"If anyone's test is positive, they should immediately start isolating in line with public health guidance. Members of their household should also start isolating.

Where a pupil's test has been taken on site under supervision, there is no need for a further test to confirm the result as there is a lower chance of the test being administered incorrectly. The best available evidence on LFD tests delivered at home and in testing sites over recent weeks suggests that the risk of false positives is extremely low – less than one in a thousand.

"This means that only a very small proportion of all tests are likely to be a false positive. This analysis supports the policy of not requiring confirmation of positive LFD tests conducted at asymptomatic testing sites, given the current prevalence of COVID in the population.

"All pupils, staff, and their households who take their tests at home should report the results by calling 119 or through the online form.

"Because tests taken at home are unsupervised, if a pupil, member of staff or a member of their household gets a positive result at home they should report the result and arrange to have a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. Details click HERE : the coronavirus test site

"In the event that the PCR test is negative – that they do not have Covid 19 – this overrides the lateral flow test if it was taken at home and they should therefore return to school."

The government says that evaluations from Public Health England and the University of Oxford show lateral flow tests have extremely low rates of false positives.