Teacher tests positive for Covid-19 at school visited by Boris Johnson

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A staff member at the school Boris Johnson visited has tested positive for Covid-19 – just days after the Prime Minister and his team did a ‘meet and greet’.

A member of staff at Castle Rock High School in Coalville, Leicestershire, has tested positive for coronavirus, with students who came into contact with them being told to stay home and self-isolate.

A letter was sent to parents last night by headteacher Michael Gamble – just 11 days after Boris Johnson visited the school.

The Prime Minister addressed year seven pupils at the school on August 26, apologising for A-Level and GCSE exam results affected by a ‘mutant algorithm’ that forced an embarrassing Government U-turn.

During his rambling speech, Mr Johnson also told bemused year seven schoolchildren that it is politically acceptable to sing Rule Britannia and ruled that Harry Potter is not sexist.

His visit caused a stir online after the Prime Minister gave a speech in the library, in front of books with titles such as The Twits, Betrayed and The Subtle Knife.

It later emerged the former librarian didn’t intend the covert message for Mr Johnson, but reportedly put it up as a message to school management during her last week on the job in February.

Following the latest news, local residents have speculated online that Boris’s visit was to blame for the outbreak, with some classes suspended and pupils asked to remain at home.

Number 10 is yet to confirm whether the prime minister and his staff will self isolate.

In the letter sent out last night, Mr Gamble said: ‘We apologise for the lateness of this letter, however this evening we have been informed that on member of our staff at The Castle Rock School has been tested positive for Covid-19.

‘The health, safety and well-being of our students is paramount. Please be assured that we have sought immediate advice from Public Health England this evening, and we are continuing to closely follow the published government guidance.

‘Staff who may have been in ‘contact’ with the staff member have already been contacted by the NHS Test and Trace process.

‘Due to the timing of this news, and as a precautionary measure, we are requesting that students in the following classes/groups please remain at home tomorrow (Monday 7th September).

‘We will contact each parent tomorrow to let them know if their child should continue to self-isolate.’ 

Locals took to Facebook to comment on the issue, with one saying: ‘Is Boris a super spreader.’

Another added: ‘Castle Rock has covid, is it due to Boris going?’

But others were quick to point out that the PM has already had the virus ‘months ago’. 

This comes soon after two schools have been forced to close just days after reopening last week as members of staff test positive for coronavirus, while entire year groups at three other schools are forced to self-isolate.

One school in Suffolk and another in Norfolk have both closed just days after reopening for the autumn term after staff members tested positive for Covid-19.

And entire year groups at three separate schools have been forced to self-isolate after coronavirus cases were diagnosed within their ‘bubbles’. 

Old Buckenham High School, near Attleborough, has been forced to close after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.

Parents were given only a few hours’ notice and had to hastily make plans for keeping their children at home after the Norfolk school announced the closure on its website on Sunday night. 

Some parents planning to head back to work today had to contact their boss at the 11th hour to say they couldn’t come in. 

Old Buckenham said: ‘Due to a member of staff testing positive for Covid 19, Old Buckenham High School will be closed on Monday 7th.

‘We apologise for the late delivery of this information, however, we have only very recently become aware of the situation. More information to follow.’

The co-ed school, with 530 students aged 11 to 16, had only re-opened for the autumn term on Friday. 

The news came hours before the majority of pupils in Norfolk will return to school, many of them for the first time in several months.

Head teacher Andrew Fell added: ‘While it is regrettable to close the school on Monday, this incident has shown that systems are in place and working to quickly deal with any issues related to Covid-19.

‘The school will be deep cleaned on Monday and decisions about re-opening conveyed to parents/careers as soon as practicable.’

Government guidance doesn’t specify that schools should automatically close if a member of staff contracts the virus. 

But if a staff member tests positive, the class or group ‘within their childcare or education setting’ should be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days. 

CEO of the Sapientia Education Trust Jonathan Taylor said: ‘Whilst we regret the further disruption we are working with colleagues in Public Health England to take all necessary steps to plan the re-opening of the school.’ 

It comes as a Northumberland school was among three forcing pupils into self-isolation after positive coronavirus tests.

Year one pupils at Newsham Primary School in Blyth are self-isolating for 14 days after a student in the year group was diagnosed with coronavirus.

All children from that class have been told to stay at home soon after the school reopened to students on September 2. 

In a letter sent out on Sunday evening, headteacher Anne-Marie Armstrong wrote: ‘Public Health have stated that all Y1 pupils need to isolate for 14 days from Thursday, September 3rd, which is the last day that this child was in school. The isolation period will therefore expire on Thursday, September 17th.

‘Other family members of Y1 pupils and staff do not need to isolate for 14 days.

‘I will write to parents and carers tomorrow but wanted the families of the children concerned to have this information as soon as possible.’ 

She added: ‘It goes without saying that this situation is one I’d hope we’d never have to deal with at Newsham Primary School.

‘We are one of the earlier cases in the country where Covid-19 has affected a pupil and I know you will join me in sending love and best wishes to the child and family concerned.’

In a previous message, Mrs Armstrong said ‘a carefully organised procedure’ was put into place after information was received about the positive Covid-19 diagnosis, in line with guidelines from the Department for Education.

Thirty pupils in year 7 at Ysgol Bro Edern in Cardiff have also been asked to self-isolate for 14 days after a student tested positive for Covid-19. 

Head teacher Iwan Pritchard said: ‘Due to the procedures we have in place, restricting contact between different classes and logging seating plans of all lessons, we have been able to limit the numbers of pupils needing to self-isolate and there is no need for parents or pupils that have not been contacted to self-isolate or be unduly concerned.

‘Having kept to the two-metre social distancing rule, or worn a face covering if this hasn’t been possible, no school staff need to self-isolate.’

Additional cleaning, on top the normal daily routine, has also been completed as a precaution, Mr Pritchard said. 

Buile Hill Academy in Pendleton, Salford, were another school forced to put students in self-isolation for 14 days, until September 18. 

Pupils had only returned for three days after the academy opened last Wednesday to Year 7 students.

Head teacher James Inman sent a letter to parents yesterday saying one person in the ‘Year 7 bubble’ had tested positive for Covid-19, adding that parents of affected children would be contacted by telephone.

Mr Inman wrote: ‘The school is working closely with Salford’s Public Health England team to reduce the risk of infection for your children and our staff.’

The pupils at the Manchester school, which is undergoing a deep clean, will be able to return after September 18 if they are not displaying any symptoms. 

Mr Inman said all ‘household members’ of the positive case will be self-isolating, adding that children cannot leave their homes or be visited by others during the isolation period.

He added: ‘Comprehensive remote learning will be available for all Year 7 pupils during this time and further details of how your child can access this will be made available tomorrow. 

‘Only your child needs to self-isolate, other members of the contact’s household do not need to self-isolate.’ 

It has not been confirmed whether the case refers to a pupil or a member of staff.

In a separate letter sent to parents of Year 8, 9, 10 and 11 pupils, the school said Public Health England had advised it would not need to close with all other students being told to go to school as normal.

Staff and students from West Derby School in Tuebrook, Liverpool, have been told to self-isolate after a pupil tested positive for coronavirus. 

A total of 56 pupils and three staff members will now spend 14 days self isolating at home.

This comes as another school has shut today after five teachers tested positive for coronavirus – with more members of staff awaiting test results.

Pupils had started to return to the Samuel Ward Academy in Haverhill, Suffolk, last Thursday – but classes in years nine and 11 were due for their first day back today. 

The school said in a statement that the closure was a ‘precautionary measure’ and it hoped to reopen on Tuesday.

Headteacher Andy Hunter said: ‘The safety of pupils and all those who work at the school is my biggest priority.

‘Obviously this is a huge disappointment after working so hard to get the school back up and running.

‘I will be looking closely at the systems we put in place to try to understand how the transmission occurred and to make sure we do everything possible to limit the chances of the same thing happening again.

‘I am very disappointed by this disrupted start to the school term.

‘We have taken very extensive precautions.

‘We were delighted that term had started so well last week and were looking forward to the final two year groups starting (on Monday).

‘But I have had excellent support from Public Health England, Public Health Suffolk and Suffolk County Council.

‘We are determined to do all we can to stop the further spread of the virus and agree with the precautionary action to close the school (on Monday).’

A deep clean is to take place at the school.

Anyone who has been in close contact with infected staff has been contacted and asked to self-isolate for 14 days, the school said.

Further contact tracing will continue and additional pupils and staff may be asked to self-isolate.

Stuart Keeble, director of public health at Suffolk County Council, said: ‘Understandably, this news may worry parents across Suffolk, but it is important to remember that the risk of children contracting Covid-19 is still very small.

‘Evidence suggests that children are more likely to contract Covid-19 at home.’