School closed for Covid deep clean
TEACHER TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS
BAYSGARTH School has told pupils it will close for a deep clean after a teacher tested positive for coronavirus.
Students and members of staff who have been in contact with the patient have been informed they need to self-isolate.
A rota will be introduced for students to come into school until all teachers are back.
The Barton school will be closed today while the deep clean is carried out. The rota is expected to be in place until Monday, October 5.
Students who are not in school will be set work remotely through Google Classroom.
A letter sent to parents and carers by headteacher Richard Briggs yesterday said: “We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of Covid-19 within the school.
“We know that you may find this concerning, but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England.
“We have a small number of children who have been in direct contact with the confirmed case. All of these families have been contacted by phone and received a separate letter.
“They will be self-isolating until Monday, October 5. If you have not received a letter or a phone call, there is no reason to be concerned or self-isolate.
“We will be closing the school for all students tomorrow, (Wednesday September 23), while we conduct a deep clean.
“Unfortunately, as the confirmed case of Covid-19 is for a member of staff, a significant number of staff are deemed to have been in close contact with them and will have to self-isolate until Monday, October 5. This leaves us short of enough teachers to be able to operate school normally for the next fortnight.
“Therefore, from Thursday this week until we are back to full teaching strength (expected to be from Monday, October 5), we will be running a rota system for students in school
“Those students not in school will be set remote learning activities to complete. These will be set in Google Classroom, the same way that we did in during the summer term.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause to your family, and hope you understand that this situation is out of our control. What we can control is the measures to keep our staff and students as safe as possible, which is why we are taking the steps outlined above.”
A timetable on which year groups will be in school on which days will be sent to parents soon.
The school has reminded parents that any children who were not in close contact and are not displaying symptoms need to attend.