TEACHING unions warned today that mass-testing plans for secondary schools in January are “undeliverable” without the volunteers to carry them out.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) argued that it would not be possible to recruit and train all the volunteers needed to carry out the Covid-19 tests for students.

In England, secondary-school and college pupils’ return to class will be staggered in the first week of January to help headteachers roll out mass testing.