Pupil tests positive for coronavirus
APUPIL at a primary school has tested positive for coronavirus. The child attends Deeplish Primary Academy in Rochdale and was attending school in a small bubble with classmates after returning last month.
Both he and the children within his bubble will now need to self-isolate for 14 days and it means they will not return to the school before it finishes for the summer holidays on July 17.
Headteacher Ewan McPherson was informed by the infected child’s parent on Monday morning and has alerted all the families within his group.
Children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 5 and Year 6 have been back at school, returning on staggered start dates since June 15.
But, in order to have them in small bubbles with a maximum of 15 children, they’ve been attending on alternate weeks.
The infected child was not due to be in this week and he and his classmates will now miss their final week of school.
Mr McPherson says that the bubble structure has served its purpose as because the child was in such a small group - with only seven other children only those youngsters and the one teacher are now affected by the single positive case.
He said: “The child’s mum contacted me on Monday morning to say their child had tested positive.
“Because of the rota system, with a week in and week out, it wasn’t that child’s week anyway.
“But he and those in his bubble will now self isolate for 14 days.”
The head says he’s worked with the local authority, Focus-Trust which runs the school and Rochdale’s public health to ensure that protocols have been followed and all families notified. It’s now up to those individual families to seek public health guidance on whether they too need to isolate.
Government guidance indicates they should only need to do so if their own child develops symptoms.
Mr McPherson said: “The room where the child was has now been sealed off for a deep clean and we’re using a different classroom for the other group whose week it is to be in school.
“Fortunately we have a large site so they’re able to come in and use a different room while that takes place.”
He added: “We’ve informed everyone from the school. Some parents are comfortable to send their children back, but others have seemed a bit reticent and want to give it a few more days.
“By and large I think all parents are happy with the systems we’ve put in place and this shows that the bubble system has worked as we’ve only had to notify nine people that are directly affected.”