HUNDREDS of children have been sent home to self-isolate after staff tested positive for coronavirus at a secondary school in Newton-le-Willows.

Marie Adams, head of Hope Academy, wrote to parents on Saturday to inform them there had been a confirmed case of Covid-19 within the school.

Parents received another letter on Sunday to tell them there had been a second confirmed case.

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Subsequently, the school has recommended that all students and staff within the Year 9 teaching bubble must self-isolate until Friday, October 2.

Mrs Adams told the Local Democracy Reporting service that the decision to isolate the entire year group was taken because two members of staff within the same bubble tested positive for Covid-19 within two days of each other.

She said the school made the decision in line with national guidance, and has had advice from Public Health England and further support the local public health team.

Mrs Adams said a total of 255 Year 9 pupils have been told to self-isolate.

In addition, 14 students from other years groups taught by one of the teachers who tested positive have also been sent home. Action was taken for these students as they were in the front row of the classes.

Mrs Adams said Hope Academy had prepared a “robust” plan to prepare for a scenario like this, and has allowed the school to continue as normal.

She said: “I’m supported by a fantastic team, genuinely. I think the plan helped to deal the ever-changing situation and we’ve just got to keep going back to the plan.

“The fact that that plan is robust has helped make these decisions.

“We’ve got our own internal track and trace system, so I was able to identify the children in the front rows, for example.

“And I was absolutely adamant that despite it being the weekend, that we needed to get that information out immediately. But that’s our job and I think the experience of lockdown has helped.

“It’s about being prepared, and we are prepared, and the staff always go above and beyond at Hope. I’m lucky.”

Pupils will still be expected to complete the same work that would be given in the classroom, but will be able to access instructional teacher videos to support the home learning.

“The fact that we’ve gone into this situation, the children know exactly what to do,” Mrs Adams said.

“There’s no disruption, it’s just making sure that children have got devices.

“But we did our due diligence pre-summer with that so anybody who has not got a device, I think we’ve had three this morning, they’ve been given a device within the hour.”

If a child who is self-isolating develops symptoms of Covid-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared.

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All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days, including anyone in their ‘support bubble’.

The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Parents who do not have a device within the family that gives access to the internet are asked to contact their child’s pastoral manager, Alison Brown via email alison.brown@sthelens.org.uk