Dozens of primary school pupils sent home after child and teacher test positive for coronavirus
DOZENS of Year 6 pupils have been sent home from a Wiltshire primary school after a youngster and their teacher tested positive for Covid-19.
Kids in a ‘bubble’ at Shaw Ridge Primary in Swindon are isolating after two positive tests for the virus.
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It comes as Boris Johnson, pictured with youngsters at a school in Hertfordshire, announced there will be ‘full attendance’ for pupils by September[/caption]School chiefs say a child in Year 6 and their teacher have coronavirus.
All staff who have been in close contact with the infected teacher are also now self-isolating and waiting to be tested.
As a result of the staff shortage, all Year 6 pupils have been told to stay at home for at least a week, or until teachers have been given their test results.
In total, the school has 360 pupils aged between four and 11.
The rest of the school is open for children of keyworkers, as well as those in nursery, Reception and Year 1.
Headteacher Sally Cowell said in her email to parents: “We are continuing to take all necessary steps as advised by Public Health England to ensure this does not spread further and all staff who have been in close contact with the infected staff member must be tested as a precautionary measure.
“Because of this, we do not have sufficient staff to maintain the Year 6 class bubbles and so we have taken the decision to close these bubbles, at least for the remainder of this week as we await staff test results.
“Parents have been informed and children have been collected.
“The rest of the school remains open for key workers’ children, nursery, Reception, and Year 1 children as per their rotas.”
The school will be sending further updates to parents.
The news comes as Boris Johnson announced all children will be back in class by September.
‘FULL ATTENDANCE’ BY AUTUMN
During a speech in Commons yesterday, he said there will be “full attendance” as the two-metre social distancing rule will be reduced to ‘one-metre plus’ on July 4.
The new rule allows Brits to get closer to one another – but only with “mitigations” like masks in place.
But in the latest wrangle between the Government and teaching unions over the issue, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the plans for full schools are “pure fantasy”.
“It may be possible to accommodate more pupils in classrooms with a ‘one-metre plus’ separation, but not all pupils,” he said.
“There just isn’t enough space in many classrooms to do this.
“It isn’t a magic bullet.”
Schools, colleges and nurseries closed more than 13 weeks ago due to the Covid-19 outbreak, remaining open only for vulnerable youngsters and the children of key workers.
Since then, officials have been locked into disputes with unions over when schools will reopen.
Union bosses were last week accused by MPs of scaring parents by pushing the view that schools are “death traps”.
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A new study by Cambridge University found the risk to children is very low – and youngsters are more likely to be hit by lightning than die of coronavirus.
A number of schools have faced cases of the virus since they began reopening.
Last week, Joseph Locke Primary School in Barnsley closed its gates after three members of staff tested positive, while earlier this month, Rawlins Academy in Quorn, Leicester closed after a suspected case.
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