From Monday 7 February 2022, primary school-aged children of staff and students will be eligible for asymptomatic Covid-19 testing through the university’s accredited Asymptomatic Testing Service.

Parents and carers can pick up test kits from campus, test their children at home, register their test online (registration will begin from 7 Feb), and drop the registered test back off on campus. Tests will be registered in the child’s name, but results will be emailed to the parent or carer.  

Parents and carers must consent to the test on behalf of their child as part of the registration process. Results are usually distributed the day after the test is submitted.  

Testing regularly through the service helps to identify Covid in people who are asymptomatic and may never show symptoms through the course of their infection, who could otherwise unknowingly transmit Covid .

The tests also pick up infections before people begin to display symptoms, allowing them to isolate earlier and potentially infect fewer people – reducing transmission on our campuses and in the wider community. 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Long said: “The Asymptomatic Testing Service is a key element of the measures we have in place to manage the pandemic and keep Covid transmission as low as possible on our campuses.

By opening up the service to young children of our staff and students, we are further strengthening the safety of our university community – while also impacting infection rate in the wider community.” 

If you or your child have symptoms of Covid-19, you should test through the NHS. Do not come on to campus and use the Asymptomatic Testing Service.  

For more information, visit the university’s Testing Service webpages.