Families encouraged to take-up rapid testing offer ahead of pupils’ return to the classroom

Shropshire Council is urging households and support bubbles of school pupils and staff to attend one of the county’s rapid testing sites as children prepare to return to school from next Monday.

The Government has confirmed twice-weekly testing using rapid lateral flow tests will be made available for free to all adults in households with primary school, secondary school and college-aged children for those without symptoms.  

This includes adults in childcare and support bubbles, and twice-weekly testing will also be offered to adults working in the wider school community, including bus drivers, taxi drivers and after school club leaders. 

These tests will be available: 

• at a local test site  
• via employers if they offer testing to staff 
• by collecting a home test kit from a test site 
• by ordering a home test kit online.

As schools return from next Monday (8 March), families are being invited to get tested at one of our rapid-testing sites across the county. 

Walk-in testing (no booking required) 

Bridgnorth Community Centre, Severn Street, Low Town, Bridgnorth, WV15 6BB 

Shifnal Cricket Club, Priorslee Road, Shifnal, TF11 8HD 

The Victoria Centre, Victoria Road, Oswestry SY11 2HT. 

Shropshire Council-run sites (booking required) 

The Lantern, Meadow Farm Drive, Harlescott, Shrewsbury, SY1 4NG 

Halo, Craven Arms Community Centre, Newington Way, Craven Arms, SY7 9PS 

Stanier Hall, Thomas Adams Sixth Form, Noble Street, Wem, SY4 5DT  

Tests can be booked online at  http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/lfdpublictesting/ 

Pharmacies (booking required) 

Several Shropshire pharmacies are now offering rapid testing for people who cannot work from home. Tests can be booked online using   https://www.1centralhealth.co.uk/shropshirelft 

The Lateral Flow Tests are self-administered, with staff on hand to offer guidance, and are a simple swab of the throat and the nose. Test results are available within 30 minutes. 

For those unable to visit sites, these tests will be also available to collect at the following local testing sites between 1.30pm – 7pm each day:- 

• London Road Car Park, Shrewsbury, SY2 6NS 
• Beatrice Street Car Park, Oswestry, SY11 1QW 
• Smithfield Car Park, 25 Lower Galdeford, Ludlow, SY8 1RN 

Further collection points will be coming online in the near future. Tests can be ordered either for collection or home delivery online here. 

People with symptoms of COVID-19 should NOT go to any of the rapid testing centres. Instead, they should stay at home and book a test online or by calling 119.