We have been advised that a second pupil in our new Year 9 has had a positive result on a Lateral Flow Device Test today, Thursday 17 June 2021. The pupil was collected from school at lunchtime by his parent to do a test at home after his older sibling tested positive for COVID-19.

As we did earlier this week, we have consulted with the Department for Education and Gloucestershire County Council and we have taken similar precautionary measures and have asked 25 pupils who have been identified as close contacts to self-isolate at home on Friday 18 June until we know the outcome of the pupil’s confirmatory PCR test. We will then advise parents of the next steps. If the outcome is negative these pupils will be able to return to school on Monday, but if it is positive, the pupils will be required to self-isolate for a period of 10 days from Friday 18 June.

In response to this suspected case members of the school’s leadership team responded immediately to the information the pupil and his parent gave us. We undertook internal track and trace and contacted the parents of pupils identified as close contacts.

As we have done previously we will make provision for these pupils in line with our remote learning plan. Pupils self-isolating should aim to follow their normal school day at home. They will be able to access their lesson material online through Show My Homework and MS Teams.

To help us minimise the risk of transmission, parents are asked to be more cautious than usual and should not send children into school with any of the following symptoms of COVID-19 :

• A high temperature
• A new continuous cough
• A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

Parent should book a PCR test if they or their child/ren displays symptoms and we would be grateful if you could advise the school at the earliest opportunity so that we can undertake any appropriate action.

The government’s latest guidance to schools (Monday 14 June) strongly advises pupils and staff to continue to the twice-weekly regular testing habit which they stress in now more important than ever: ‘With up to 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 not displaying any symptoms, rapid testing remains a vital tool to help us stay ahead of the virus.’

We encourage everyone to routinely self-test using the Lateral Flow Devices. The identification of a positive test at home will help to reduce the risk of transmission in school. As planned, we have despatched more test kits to those children for whom we have consent today. Please do not hesitate to contact Miss Brace, Assistant Head, if your child who doesn’t currently self-test, would now like to do so.