A TOWN school has become one of the first in the country to test staff and pupils for Covid-19 on campus.

Crestwood Community School in Eastleigh have set up two sites, one in each of its campuses, where lateral flow testing can be carried out.

At the end of the last academic term, the government announced to schools that testing would be starting on campus after Christmas.

As a result of the latest lockdown, many schools have reportedly delayed their testing programmes.

But at Crestwood staff worked throughout the Christmas break to get theirs up and running, with the first tests carried out on Tuesday.

Headteacher, Krista Dawkins, said: "At Crestwood, we're not ones to wait to be told how to do it or what to do, we just got on with it.

"I'm blown away, with the way my staff have adopted this, the way in which we've developed the systems."

The school has 191 members of staff in total and so far, 150 have been tested for the virus.

On the first day, two members of staff tested positive and were immediately isolated.

Headteacher, Krista Dawkins, said that if they hadn't done the testing, she would of had staff in school, working with the children currently accessing the critical worker and vulnerable children provision.

"I'm so happy that we've done it. We test all our critical worker staff before they have any contact with the kids so that we know they are safe.

"It has been a tough year, but at the end of the day, we're doing our part. If the NHS are putting all that effort in, then it's only right that we do the same."

MP for Eastleigh Paul Holmes said testing is a "vital" tool in the fight against Covid-19.

He said: "The rollout of more testing in schools will help us track the virus and protect more people as we begin our ambitious vaccination programme.

"Crestwood is an excellent local school and it is no surprise that they are making use of the new testing facilities."

Leader of Eastleigh Borough Council, Keith House, also praised the school efforts.

He said: "Well done to Crestwood, they've got a good team there.

"The more testing we do the better. The only way we're going to control the virus other than the vaccine, is through testing."