School back to online lessons after outbreak
YEAR GROUPS SENT HOME AS 42 COVID CASES AT PRIMARY
A primary school has returned to home learning for a number of its year groups following a Covid-19 outbreak.
Cossington Church of England Primary is running online lessons for the school’s Key Stage 2 classes after 42 Covid-19 cases were discovered in the school.
In a letter sent to parents on Tuesday, head teacher Matt Yandell said Sapling Class, which covers Years 3 and 4, and Oak Class, which covers Years 5 and 6, would be learning from home until Monday, November 22.
The majority of the reported cases were found in the two classes, which each have about 30 pupils.
Three teachers and two teaching assistants are also absent, though it has not been confirmed whether these are all because of Covid-19 infections.
In addition to the head and deputy head, the school employs four teachers and five teaching assistants. Mr Yandell said he currently cannot safely staff the school.
He said: “It is with regret that I bring you this decision as I had hoped, as I am sure many parents would have, that we would have no cause for class closures this year.
“However, the following factors have brought about this action: We now have 42 confirmed cases in school. The majority of these are in Key Stage 2.
“The cases have spread rapidly and there was no time to put additional preventative measures at an early stage.
“We now have three teachers and two teaching assistants absent and I am unable to safely staff the school.”
Mr Yandell said he hopes Class Acorn (reception) and Class Seedling (Years 1 and 2) will be able to remain open.
However, new cases have been found since the measures were put in place.
Mr Yandell said further school cases could be possible.
The school has been liaising with Leicestershire County Council to determine the best course of action to minimise the risk of further spread.
The council’s director of public health, Mike Sandys, said: “We have been made aware of a number of coronavirus cases which have had a significant impact on teaching capacity at Cossington Primary
School.
“The absence levels are such that they trigger the government guidance’s threshold for a move to remote learning, so we are supporting the head teacher’s request to move to remote learning for two classes.
“The council is supporting the school with advice on how to limit the spread of the virus and steps to allow the classes to return as soon as possible.”