Kingspark closes after six adults connected to specialist school test positive for coronavirus

Kingspark School in Dundee has been forced to close following an outbreak of the coronavirus.

The decision to shut the gates was made yesterday evening, after six adults attached to the school were confirmed as having tested positive for Covid-19.

The campus is to remain closed until at least Monday, with the school shut to all today and tomorrow.

Parents with children at the specialist school will be informed ahead of Monday morning whether it will open, council bosses promised.

A deep clean is under way as a precaution, education chiefs said last night.

Paul Clancy, Dundee City Council executive director of children and families services, said: “Officers of the council and public health officials agree that the best way forward following identification of more cases is to close the school for the next two days for a deep clean to be completed.

“There are robust hygiene measures and other mitigations in place throughout Kingspark School, however, given the vulnerabilities and complex needs of the pupils, we cannot take any risks.

“This has been a difficult decision to reach, but it is one I hope that families can understand and appreciate. Safety has to be paramount.”

The decision to close the school gates was made by the council and NHS Tayside.

Dr Ellie Hothersall, consultant in public health medicine with NHS Tayside, said: “We would reassure parents we are taking this measure as a precaution due to the varied needs of the pupils who attend the school.”

Pictures: Mhairi Edwards. Top: Jade Erskine with her daughter Kaitlyn Morris, 6, who is being kept off school over Covid fears after a pupil tested positive at Newhill Primary School in Blairgowrie. Above: The army has been called in to set up a testing unit at the 2 Sisters chicken factory.