Pupils at two more Bournemouth schools test positive for coronavirus

The headteacher of Kingsleigh Primary School in Hadow Road, Bournemouth, contacted parents and parents on Monday afternoon following guidance from Public Health England.

James Lumber said the school remains open and children should continue to come to school if they feel well.

A letter from Mr Lumber said: “We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school.

“We are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

“The school remains open and providing your child remains well they can continue to attend school as normal. We will keep this under review.

“We have notified parent/carers of the relevant class/es of the actions we require them to take and explained how we will be in contact regarding free school meal entitlements, support and learning for their child at home.”

Mr Lumber said an additional deep clean and anti-bacterial fogging would take place of “all relevant area” alongside the school’s robust daily cleaning programme.

He added: “I thank you for your continued support through what is clearly a very challenging situation for us all. If more information or guidance is received from Public Health England tonight or tomorrow I will update you all ASAP.”

Meanwhile, a student at a Bournemouth secondary school has also tested positive for coronavirus.

The headteacher of St Peter's Roman Catholic School in Southbourne has written to parents to confirm the situation.

The pupil, who is in the secondary phase of the school, and their family self-isolated after the child developed symptoms of coronavirus.

Headteacher Ben Doyle's letter says the student and their family "acted quickly and responsibly", while the school used class seating plans to identify students who had come into close contact.

This has led to other students being asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Mr Doyle said it is likely this will not be the only time a member of the school's community contracts COVID-19 in the weeks and months ahead.

In a letter to parents and carers, Mr Doyle said: “I am writing to inform you that a student from the Secondary Phase has tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, the student and their family acted quickly and responsibly and followed the guidance provide by the school in the letter sent to families at the end of August.

“As soon as they presented with symptoms of coronavirus, they stayed at home. They informed the school immediately and both they and their family began to self-isolate. They booked a test at the earliest opportunity, and continued to remain in isolation. They informed the school of the positive test result and aided us by providing details of other members of the community with whom they had come into close contact.

“As a school, we systematically performed the following actions: Contacted Public Health England to report the case and to seek further guidance. Asked the student’s teacher to provide their seating plans in order to identify all students who had come in to close contact with the student. Made contact with students who had come into close contact and instructed them to self-isolate for a period of 14 days.

“This underlines how important it is that we all follow our new procedures. We have many processes in place, and these processes are there to keep our community safe.

“With rising numbers of positive cases around the country, it is likely that this will not be the only instance of a member of our community contracting COVID-19 over the coming weeks and months. However, we can mitigate against the coronavirus spreading in our school if we act responsibly by following the advice and adhering to the restrictions both inside and outside of school.”