Information for schools, colleges and early years settings on the changes to lateral flow device (LFD) self-test kits for testing at home
FAO: All Schools, Colleges and Early Years Settings
From Monday 2 August, the types of LFD self-test kits you receive for at-home testing may be different. NHS Test and Trace are introducing a new type of test, Acon-Flowflex, which requires nasal only swabs. A throat swab is not needed. The test returns a result in 20 minutes.
From August you should expect to receive Innova (throat and nose swabs), Orient Gene or Acon-Flowflex (nasal only) self-test kits. The instructions on how to use each of these types of test kits for use at home can be found in the test kit packaging. Schools and colleges will continue to receive Orient Gene test kits for use onsite in ATS. Instructions on how to use these kits can be found on the document sharing platform.
You should continue to use any self-test kits you have in stock and only place an order for additional test kits through the online reordering solution when your stocks are running low. This includes using any remaining Innova test kits including those supplied in packs of 3.
The window for secondary schools and colleges to reorder test kits for the new academic year closes on Saturday 31 July. Deliveries of these orders will be fulfilled at the start of the autumn term and may contain Acon-Flowflex test kits. Nurseries and any other secondary or further education settings which remain open over the summer may start to receive these new types of test kits during August. Updated guidance on how to use these test kits will be uploaded on the document sharing platform by Monday 2 August.
