CORONAVIRUS testing will be carried out in Rainford High School for staff and students this week following several confirmed cases.

St Helens Borough Council has confirmed there have been 10 positive cases since the school reopened at the beginning of the month, which have continued in a slow but sustained manner.

Currently, two students and a teacher are testing positive, and as a result a number of pupils have been sent home to isolate.

READ > First coronavirus death in almost two months at Whiston Hospital

Following advice backed by Public Health England, it has been recommended that selected staff and pupils should be tested to get a better picture of the potential spread of the virus, due to a lack of obvious connections between cases.

Sue Forster, director of public health at St Helens Borough Council, said: “We want to bring the testing to school as a precautionary measure to get a greater understanding of the school community’s spread of Covid-19.

“We have not seen evidence to suggest there is widespread transmission within the school itself and it appears the cases are from outside the school environment.

“But with a number of children sent home and teachers isolating as a result we believe it would be beneficial to test a sample of the school to help isolate any further cases now and hopefully support the school to deal with the ongoing pressures of new case diagnosis.”

St Helens Star: Ian Young, principal at Rainford High SchoolIan Young, principal at Rainford High School

The testing will be targeted to those only linked to the school and will not be open to the general public.

Those who are selected for testing will be contacted ahead of any tests taking place.

Ian Young, principal at Rainford High School, said: “We have been working closely with public health officials and closely monitoring the impact of the positive cases we have seen among staff and pupils since the school reopened.

“Testing part of the school community, should give us a base line of the situation and support us to making the best decision to protect our school and wider community.”

Mr Young wrote to parents last week to confirm that a pupil in Year 11 and Year 8 had tested positive for Covid-19.

READ > Hope Academy sends 269 pupils home after staff test positive for coronavirus

On Monday, he informed parents of the plans to carry out sample testing at the school, saying there had been a “number of unrelated but regular positive tests”.

Mr Young said the sample testing will take a “strategic approach to get a clear picture of the Covid-19 situation across the school and the local community”.

He said the testing will take place later this week.