Children as young as three should take part in mass Covid testing, a local council has told schools.

       Essex County Council is believed to be the first in the country to urge primary school pupils to take lateral flow tests twice a week when they return to the classroom after the October half-term holiday.

       Council chiefs wrote to parents saying: “We have seen Covid-19 infections in primary school-aged children in Essex increasing over the past few weeks.

       “At this rate, it is expected that some primary schools could see significant numbers of pupils infected with Covid-19.

       “Throughout the pandemic, regular household testing has been encouraged, but we would now like to strengthen that advice for primary age children.”

       From Monday, when children return to school after the half-term holiday, parents have been told that children aged three and above should take two lateral flow tests each week.

       Under national government guidelines, secondary school pupils, aged 11 to 18, are meant to take two tests a week. But Essex Council said it now “strongly encourages” parents to test their primary aged children as well.

       It comes as councils across the country reintroduce face masks, bubbles and staggered break times and step up self-isolation rules for youngsters.

       Headteachers have been told by ministers that many of the restrictions in place in the last academic year are no longer necessary. However, as cases rise in schools, local public health teams are increasingly encouraging schools to ramp up their measures.

       A dozen councils are advising secondary pupils in their area to wear masks in communal areas at school, and several have introduced more stringent self-isolation rules for children.

       Union leaders have repeatedly called for more restrictions in schools, with Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union, claiming the Government’s failure to introduce stricter rules such as face masks is “irresponsible”.

       The National Association of Headteachers has urged ministers to bring back rules that would see healthy children kept at home if a sibling tests positive.

       But ministers have been warned that families are “furious” about the “continued subjugation” of children.

       Molly Kingsley, the co-founder of parent campaign group UsForThem, said that children now have far more restrictions imposed on them than adults, and are being treated like “second-class citizens”.

       She said lateral flow tests are “invasive and unpleasant,” adding: “At this point in the pandemic it is entirely unsuitable to be testing healthy children and we should be rolling it back rather than extending it to even younger children.”

       Last month, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health called for Covid testing in schools to be brought to an end for the sake of children’s education.

       Dr Camilla Kingdon, the president of the RCPCH, said that the current regime in secondary schools – where pupils are told to take two lateral flow tests each week – is causing “unnecessary chaos”.

       She said that children, who are not at risk from the virus, should not be forced to “carry the burden” of the pandemic.