Students in England are being urged to get tested for coronavirus before returning to school to minimise disruption to lessons and to ensure families can "enjoy the best" of the festive season.
Ministers and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are calling on young people to take a rapid lateral flow test before the end of the October half-term to help prevent Covid-19 cases from entering the classroom.
The plea comes as figures - which coincide with the start of the October half-term holiday - show that the rates of new cases of Covid-19 among schoolchildren in England have fallen slightly.
Pupils are also being urged to get vaccinated where possible - either at school or at walk-in centres. Secondary school and college students in