You may find these FAQs useful for answering some of your parent’s questions either in person or on social media.
How do I sign my child up?
- To take part, you will need to complete an online consent and an enrolment questionnaire. Once this is submitted, you (student 16 years or over or school staff) or your child will be enrolled into the study.
- The url of the webpage on which you consent and enrol is included in your letter.
Who is carrying out the study?
- The study is being conducted by Public Health England (PHE) in partnership with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. We are working with the Department for Education and it is funded by the Department for Health and Social Care.
- A company called IQVIA will be responsible for arranging appointments with the schools and carrying out the tests. The ONS and Public Health England will analyse the data.
Why should I / my child take part?
- This study will allow scientists to understand who is and has been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19), even if the people infected haven’t realised it at the time. As we know, it is possible that some pupils and staff might be infected with the virus and not develop symptoms.
- The study will help assess the role of schools in the coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission and how transmission within and from school settings can be minimised.
- The swab test is very simple, quick and non-invasive and your child’s participation will help us to better understand the virus, this can help reduce school closures and further lockdowns.
Do I /does my child have to take part?
- Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time without providing a reason and without penalty. Parents or carers may also withdraw their child from the study at any time without giving a reason.
- This is your chance to be involved in a unique study that will help scientists work out how many school pupils and staff have already been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19). If you are still not convinced, you do not have to take part if you do not want to.
Who can take part?
- All school staff from primary and secondary schools participating in the study are eligible. All pupils from primary and secondary schools (excluding year 11 pupils) participating in the study are eligible.
How is this different from Rapid testing?
- The Rapid testing programme in schools and colleges and the Schools Infection Survey (ONS) measure different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rapid testing programme is used to identify cases of COVID – 19 in schools by testing all staff and students twice a week.
- The Schools Infection Survey figures are derived from stratified random sample of schools with separate samples for primary and secondary schools which, when the study launched in the Autumn term of 2020, aimed to oversample schools in parts of the country where the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection was higher.
- Sample: The Rapid testing programme figures are based around the twice-weekly testing for all staff and students in secondary schools, FE colleges; and staff in primary schools, school-based nurseries, and maintained nurseries; as well as the two tests on return for secondary school and college students. The Schools Infection Survey figures are based on testing all pupils and staff within the sample.
- The Rapid testing programme and the Schools Infection Survey are testing in both primary and secondary schools.
- The Schools Infection Survey is also testing for COVID-19 antibodies which the Rapid testing programme is not doing.
- Timings: The Rapid testing programme is testing all staff in secondary and primary schools and colleges, and all students in secondary schools and colleges, twice a week as part of an initial rollout. The Schools Infection Survey is testing participants once every half term.
- The purpose of The Rapid testing programme is to ensure as many young people as possible continue to receive high quality, face to face education; and to help break chains of transmission of the virus.
- The purpose of the Schools Infection Survey is to assess the role of schools in SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission within school settings. By collecting additional data through questionnaires, the School Infection Survey will also allow for the identification of key risk factors associated with increased COVID-19 infection and transmission.
How is the test taken on children?
- A study team will visit your school. The team will consist of five study workers and a School Liaison Officer who will have made the necessary arrangements with your school in advance. For primary schools, a registered nurse will also be part of the team. The study workers will use all the recommended precautions to protect you and other people in your school from getting the virus.
- Nasal swabs will be taken from pupils and staff. The study worker will show you how to take a swab from your nose. This involves rubbing a soft cotton bud on the inside of your nostril to test for the virus. Pupils aged 12 years or over can take the swab themselves or the study staff will help. In primary schools, the nurse will take swabs from pupils. (Please note, this is not the nasopharyngeal swab that takes a sample from deep into the back of the nose).
- Oral fluid (saliva) samples will only be collected from children. The study workers will play a video to show every pupil how to take the oral fluid (saliva) sample. This involves putting a small sponge into the mouth for two minutes to test for the antibodies against the virus.
- Finger prick blood tests will only be collected from school staff. These tests will be self-administered on site at the school and instructions will be provided. These also test for the antibodies against the virus.
- After testing, you will be asked to complete a follow up questionnaire online. An invitation will be sent to you within a few days after the tests have been collected.
Is it one set of tests or will there be follow ups?
- Yes, when schools return, we plan to arrange three more appointments during the academic year. These tests will be conducted at the school. These will be very similar to the initial round of testing.
What is an antibody?
- Antibodies are one way that your body fights an infection. It takes between two and three weeks for your body to make enough of them to fight the infection. When you get better, they still stay in your blood at low levels – this is what helps you not get the same infection again.
How have I been selected?
- Your primary or secondary school head teacher has agreed for the school to take part in the study.
- There are 150 schools (50 primary and 100 secondary schools) participating in this study.
- In selected primary schools, where the average enrolment is 280 pupils, we will offer enrolment to:
- all eligible pupils
- all staff
- In selected secondary schools, where the average enrolment is 990 pupils, we will only offer enrolment to
- all eligible pupils (excluding year 11 pupils)
- all staff
What will you do with the results?
- We will notify all participants of their results as soon as possible. Once we have collected results from all of the schools taking part in the study, we will produce statistics about the number of school pupils and staff that have the coronavirus (COVID-19) or have previously been infected by the virus over the course of the school year.
- The analysis from this study will help us work out the best way to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and minimise transmission in schools. We will produce a report following each round of testing and publish it on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website. Any data presented by ONS will not identify any individuals or schools.
- The results of this study may also be presented at academic meetings and may be published in medical journals in a de-identified manner.
What happens if my child has to isolate and I can’t work?
Have the study workers been tested for coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- All study workers will be offered routine tests for the COVID-19 before visiting the schools and follow the NHS recommendations about the appropriate level of personal protective equipment (PPE) to use.
What will you do with my nose swab and oral fluid (saliva) sample or blood sample?
- Your nose swab will be tested at one of the national testing centres using the standard test to find out if someone currently has the coronavirus (COVID-19), even if they do not have symptoms. Every attempt will be made to report any positive swab results to individuals and schools as quickly as possible, ideally within 48 hours so that the individual and household members can self-isolate and school can take appropriate actions to protect staff and pupils who may have come into contact with the positive participant, as per national guidance.
- The oral fluid (saliva) and blood finger prick samples will be processed by scientists at laboratories at Colindale and Thriva. They will look for the levels of antibodies against COVID-19. We will send you an email to notify the test result are available to view on the Schools Infection Survey Portal. The processing time is generally longer for antibody tests, so you can expect to receive your results within four to eight weeks.
How long will you keep my nose swab and oral fluid (saliva) sample?
- Any remaining samples at the end of the survey will be stored for future tests that might help us better understand viral infections and immunity.
What if I change my mind during the study?
- Your participation is entirely voluntary. You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time without explanation. This includes after you have enrolled onto the study online and before the testing and if you have already given a swab from your nose and oral fluid (saliva) sample/blood test.
- If you decide to withdraw from the survey, telephone IQVIA helpline on 0800 917 9679. A contact email is available for those who are unable to telephone, for example due to hearing or speech impairment iqvia.schoolinfectionsurvey@nhs.net and enter “Withdraw” in the subject of the email. If you are able to use the telephone, it would help us if you could do so.
- If the tests have already been done when you change your mind, we will still use the data from them, unless individuals concerned tell us not to, because they are very important for our study to get a good picture of who has had the coronavirus (COVID-19) across the UK.
Can I find out my results?
- All antibody (oral fluid and blood finger prick samples) and antigen (nasal swab sample) test results will be available to view on your Schools Infection Survey Portal. You will be notified by email as soon as your results become available. If you or your child receive a positive swab test result, we will also inform the school and the local Test and Trace programme, run by National Institute for Health Protection. You and everyone in the household should follow current guidance on the NHS website. We may contact you for more information or to test other members of the household. This is to better understand how the virus affects families of school staff.
What happens if the nose swab tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- As required by law, we will refer your positive swab test result and personal data (including your name, contact details, postcode and ethnicity) to the NHS Test and Trace system.
- Everyone in your household should follow the guidance and isolate even if they don’t have any symptoms. The current guidance can be found on the NHS website.
- If you develop any symptoms during this period, please follow the government’s advice about how long to isolate for starting from the first day of the symptoms. You can return to school once the guidance has been followed and your well and have no symptoms.
- You can find more information available on the Schools Infection Survey portal when viewing test results.
What happens if the antibody test is positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- A positive antibody test means that you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus at some point in the past and developed antibodies to the virus. It does not mean you are infected with the virus now.
- We do not yet know what being positive for antibodies means in terms of whether this will protect people from getting coronavirus again or prevent them passing the virus onto others. Anyone who obtains a positive antibody test should continue to abide by current self-isolation guidelines, wear face coverings and get tested if you have symptoms. The presence of antibodies signals that the body has staged an immune response to the virus, but it does not necessarily mean that person is now immune to COVID-19. That is one of the reasons we are visiting the same people lots of times in the survey.
- Similarly, not everyone who has had coronavirus develops antibodies at all, and antibody levels can also fall after having had the infection, so that the antibody test can no longer detect them. So being negative for antibodies does not mean someone has not had coronavirus.
- COVID-19 is a new disease, and our understanding of the body’s immune response to it is improving. We do not know, for example, how long an antibody response lasts, nor whether having antibodies means a person cannot transmit the virus to others. Our understanding of the virus will grow as new scientific evidence and studies emerge.
- You can find more information available on the Schools Infection Survey portal when viewing test results.
How else will you use my data?
- We will need to collect some personal information, including names, dates of birth, contact details and health information for your child and other household members. We need this information to understand the results of the tests that we perform and to contact you to give you the results. If the swab test is positive, we will also inform the school and the NHS Test and Trace programme so that all those who might have come into contact with your child can be traced to stop the spread of the virus.
- We will keep all the information securely in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The reports produced will not identify you, your child or anyone in your household.
- The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has the statutory objective to promote and safeguard the production of official statistics that serve the public good. In order for us to produce statistics we may link your data we obtain from this study to other survey and administrative data that we hold. Further information on what we use data for is available. All our uses of data will comply with UK Statistics Authority’s ethical framework. Further information on the ethical framework is available.
- The ONS will continue to hold your data collected from this study for as long as it remains useful for statistical research and production. The ONS may provide access to de-identified data to accredited researchers for accredited research purposes via accredited processing environments, where it is lawful and ethical to do so. Access will only be provided to support valuable new research insights about UK society and the economy that are considered to be in the public good.
What’s been done so far?
- So far, there has been one round of testing carried out in December 2020. 105 schools (63 secondary, 42 primary) in 14 local authorities (9 high prevalence, 5 low prevalence) took part in the first round of testing.
- Within these schools, 11,194 participants (4,941 staff and 6,253 pupils) had enrolled by the test date; of those participants enrolled by the test date, 9,662 took part in current infection testing.
How did it work if schools were closed previously?
- The Government announced on the 4th January that schools would be closing except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers. This meant that the Schools Infection Survey was unable to test staff and pupils in schools during the most recent term. Testing will begin again after half term when schools return in March.
- While schools were closed, antibody testing kits were sent to participants of the Schools Infection Survey that had joined recently or not received the antibody test in the first or second round of testing. This antibody data will be included in the next round of results and analysis.
How is antibody testing useful in this scenario if schools have been closed?
- The presence of COVID-19 antibodies means you have had the virus at some point in the past and developed antibodies to the virus. It does not mean you are infected with the virus now. The presence of antibodies signals that the body has staged an immune response to the virus, but it does not necessarily mean that person is now immune to COVID-19. That is one of the reasons we are visiting the same people lots of times in the survey.
- Similarly, not everyone who has had coronavirus develops antibodies at all, and antibody levels can also fall after having had the infection, so that the antibody test can no longer detect them. So being negative for antibodies does not mean someone has not had coronavirus.
- COVID-19 is a new disease, and our understanding of the body’s immune response to it is improving. We do not know, for example, how long an antibody response lasts, nor whether having antibodies means a person cannot transmit the virus to others. Our understanding of the virus will grow as new scientific evidence and studies emerge. Therefore, it’s important that we are testing for antibodies to see how the virus has spread in the past through schools.
What’s been done so far specifically to our school?
- Dependent on each headteacher.
Are there many other schools signed up?
- There are now 145 schools across England with pupils and staff taking part in the Schools Infection Survey.
Schools go back soon, isn’t it too late to sign up now?
- It’s not too late to join up. If you would like to take part, go to the website on the invite letter and complete the consent form and enrolment questionnaire and submit to be enrolled onto the study.
How will the results be useful?
- The results will help to find out how many school pupils and staff have the COVID-19 infection, how many have already developed antibodies against the virus and how this changes over the course of the year. The information we collect will help inform policies to protect school pupils and staff.
Is this study ethical?
- Yes. The study has received the required ethical approval by the relevant research ethics committees. This includes ethical approval from Public Health England, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the National Statistician Data Ethics Advisory Committee.
Will the study take time away from their learning? Will it impact their learning?
- No, the test itself is simple and only takes a few minutes.
Will all my children be taking part?
- That depends. All pupils from primary schools participating in the study are eligible. However, pupils from years chosen from secondary schools that are participating in the study are eligible (excluding year 11 pupils).
Further help
- If you have any further questions on the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS), you can telephone IQVIA on 0800 917 9679,