The JCB Academy in Rocester was among the first UK schools to return for in-person classes in the UK after it opened its doors to students back in August. However, weeks after its reopening, it has been forced to close down after a student tested positive for coronavirus.
The school also indicated that it had advised around a hundred students to self-isolate for the next two weeks after it was determined that they had come into contact with the infected student.
Closure of the academy
Principal Jenny McGuirk indicated that the school had taken the advice to close down the school from Public Health England and the Staffordshire Covid-19 Response Team. They indicated that the decision was meant to mitigate the risk factor from the isolated case that had been detected in the school.
She continued by saying that her contact and tracing team was working hard to contact the parents and families of the 100 students who had come into contact with the infected student to notify them of the situation. She also commended her contact and tracing team for tracing the 100 students that had come into contact with the infected student.
She also said that the school had taken quick action in making a decision once the first case of coronavirus was tested in the school. This had enabled the school to mitigate any risks and indicated that the measures that the school took went above and beyond the advice, they were given to them from the Public Health England.
COVID-19 guidelines
Before reopening, JCB Academy had followed all protocols given by the government for the safe reopening of the schools. This included having sanitizers in the school, segregated lunch breaks, and a compulsory rule that required all students and staff to wear a mask when they are at school.
Schools across England have already started reopening schools, with data from NAHT indicating that 92 percent of schools are recording over 80 percent of class attendance.
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