Secondary school pupils will have to take two lateral flow tests before returning to the classroom later this week.

The Welsh Government has released guidance on the return to school, college and university following the summer holidays, with school pupils across Ceredigion returning to the classroom on Friday.

Throughout September, contact groups or bubbles, will be phased out unless the public health situation changes.

Ahead of the start of the new school year, the Welsh Government is asking families and learners to continue to follow guidance on isolating, testing and vaccination, to minimise the risk of the spread of Covid in our education settings.

The guidance is for any staff or learner with symptoms of Covid-19 - however mild – should stay at home and book a PCR test at their closest test site.

Staff in primary schools - and staff and learners in secondary schools and colleges - without symptoms should take two lateral flow tests, three days apart during the week leading up to their first day back.

If the test is positive they should self-isolate and book a PCR test.

Going into the new term, staff in primary schools and staff and learners in secondary schools and colleges not showing symptoms should continue to take regular rapid lateral flow tests twice a week, and report the results online.

Learners in Years 7 and above should continue to wear face coverings on school and college transport.

Jeremy Miles, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, said: “Earlier in the summer, I wanted to ensure that at the start of the 2021/22 school year, we could keep learners and staff safe, and lessen the possible disruptions posed by Covid-19.

“By now, all of our workforce will either have received or been offered a vaccine. We have also offered the vaccine to all of Wales 16 and 17-year-olds, and will offer it to clinically vulnerable 12 to 15-year-olds.

“This means the risks posed by Covid are much lower – but we still need people to follow some rules, to make sure we don’t risk the level of disruption of day-to-day learning that we saw during the pandemic.”

Mr Miles added: “I’d like to thank everyone across Wales for their efforts in helping us to get to this point. And by continuing to follow these measures, we can all look forward to starting a safer and more stable year, in which schools and colleges will be the safest place learners can be.”

Ceredigion County Council added: “Welsh Government advise all staff and secondary aged pupils to undertake two LFD tests before returning to school – all schools in Ceredigion have been advised to inform staff, students and parents of this.

“We will be transitioning to the new Infection Control Decision Framework (published 27 August) during the first few weeks of September where contact groups will be phased out.

“If the public health situation alters, Welsh Government state that contact groups could be reintroduced as a mitigating factor.”