Coronavirus: 100 pupils told to isolate after case at Staffordshire school
About 100 students at a school in Staffordshire have been told to self-isolate after a pupil tested positive for coronavirus.
The JCB Academy in Rocester, which was one of the first schools in England to reopen in August following the Covid-19 pandemic, was closed on Friday.
The students who are believed to have been in contact with the pupil have been told to stay at home for two weeks.
The school will reopen on Monday for the remaining 700 students.
Principal Jenny McGuirk said the school had been closed on Friday “as a precaution” after the single case.
She added: “The Academy has taken advice from Public Health England and the Staffordshire Covid-19 Response Team to mitigate the risk from this confirmed isolated case.
“Through track and trace, academy staff have worked throughout the day to contact the families of students believed to have been in contact with the individual who has tested positive.
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“As a result, around 100 students have now been asked to self-isolate for the next 14 days.
“We have taken swift and decisive action to mitigate any risks and the measures we have taken go above and beyond the advice given to us from Public Health England.”
Those who are self-isolating will be able to access learning online, she said.
The JCB Academy was the first school of its kind in the UK for the education of 13 to 19-year-olds with a core focus on engineering.
It had implemented a range of measures before reopening to safeguard pupils, including hand sanitisers outside every classroom, segregated lunch breaks, and the compulsory wearing of masks while moving between rooms.