THE Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has said that free access to lateral flow tests remains “essential” to protect staff and students and reduce the impact of Covid-19 outbreaks on Scottish education.

The statement from Scotland's largest teachers’ union comes the same week that the free provision of Covid tests comes to an end in England, and follows First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement that the use of face-coverings in schools and wider society will become voluntary rather than statutory in the coming weeks.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "The continued availability of regular, free, lateral flow testing in schools remains essential to limiting the spread of Covid in our schools, to protecting staff and students, and to ensuring that the damaging educational impact of Covid-related absences is limited so far as possible.

"The early identification of Covid cases is vital to limiting the spread of the virus within schools. Replacing tests with advice to ‘stay home if you have any symptoms’ is likely to lead to increased absence as staff and pupils err on the side of caution. 

"Ending LFT availability as we approach the exam season in secondary schools, where significant Covid outbreaks within a school could be devastating for our young people, is even more nonsensical.

"The EIS will continue to press the Scottish Government for the retention of free lateral flow testing in our schools.”

Regarding changes to face-covering regulations in Scotland, Flanagan added: "The EIS believes that the use of face coverings has played an important role in protecting school staff and students and their families throughout the pandemic. It is important that, in our schools as well as more widely, people should be supported in continuing to wear face coverings should they choose to do so.

"This provides important additional protection for those who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed, and we must continue to do all that we can to protect people in these categories from the risk of Covid infection."

Responding to the Flanagan’s comments, a Scottish Government spokesperson told the National: “After Easter – from 18 April – we will stop recommending that people who don’t have symptoms should test for Covid.

“This change in the advice around testing without symptoms has been informed by expert public health advice and will apply across the population – including in most workplaces and in early years centres and schools.

“Then, after the end of April, we will no longer advise the public to seek a test if they have symptoms. At this stage we will move instead to general public health guidance to stay at home if unwell.”

On face-coverings, the spokesperson added: “Individuals should be supported to continue wearing a face covering if they wish.”