TWO CASES of coronavirus have been confirmed at a school in Dorchester.

St Osmund's Church of England Middle School in Dorchester had two cases confirmed this morning. It has not been confirmed whether these were staff members or students.

Parents and carers received a letter today from headteacher Saira Sawtell, in which she reassured parents and informed them of the actions being taken to ensure safety at the school.

She said: "This morning we have been informed that there has been two confirmed cases of Covid-19 within our 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 people with symptoms were last in school on Thursday 1st October 2020. On the advice of Public Health, some staff members and students have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days. If you have not been contacted directly by the school with regards to this matter your child does not need to self-isolate.

"Could I please reassure you all that we have been able to minimise the children who need to self-isolate because we have seating plans in place and can identify any children who have had close exposure for more than 15 minutes. Our year group bubbles have worked well and prevented us needing to send vast numbers of children home.

"The school will remain open during this period. The school has been working closely with our team at Public Health England South West and Dorset Council to ensure high standards of hygiene and social distancing are maintained and ensuring all the necessary measures are in place."

This news follows an outbreak of Covid-19 among Year 8 pupils at Dorchester Middle School last week. Several students and a staff member were asked to self isolate at home.