Health officials advise school in Rugby to remain open after pupil diagnosed with Covid-19

A pupil at Rugby Free Secondary School (RFSS) is self isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, March 8.

The school, part of the Learning Today Leading Tomorrow trust, will remain open after seeking advice from Public Health England.

In an email circulated to parents and carers, a spokesperson for the school explained that the pupil had visited Italy at the beginning of half term.

They had not been to any affected areas, but on their return to the UK the school asked them to self isolate for 14 days.

This was done and the pupil returned to school last week - but they began to feel ill over the weekend and have since been diagnosed with Covid-19.

A spokesperson for the trust which runs RFSS said: "The school is in discussion with, and taking advice from, Public Health England. Together, the school and Public Health England are contacting and giving guidance to those who have had close interaction with the child regarding self-isolation and what to do if symptoms develop.

"Following a joint risk assessment and advice from the specialists at PHE, we have been advised that there is no need for the school to close.

"We have taken the opportunity to clean the school, according to Public Health England guidance, as a precaution.

"The health and safety of our students and staff is a priority for us as a school, and we will be introducing the use of disposable hand towels, hand sanitiser in every classroom and new

protocols at lunchtime.

"We are also taking the opportunity to highlight the importance of regular handwashing, and the Catch It, Bin It, Kill It messages to all our students, as one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of any infection, including COVID-19."

Brenda Mullen, CEO of the Learning Today leading Tomorrow said: “Our first thoughts are with the child and any family members affected and we hope they will make a speedy

recovery.

"Our duty of care to children and staff is paramount and we are assured by the fact that Miss Roberts, the acting headteacher has followed government guidance to the letter

at each stage.

"This action has minimised the risk to other children and staff in the school.

"Miss Roberts will be updating all parent/carers on a daily basis and will immediately contact parents if the PHE advice changes.

"It is also our priority to preserve the confidentiality of the pupil involved, and we will not be discussing further details regarding this particular case.”

The trust said they will issue a further statement at 12pm on Wednesday, March 11.

As of yesterday, March 8, there were four confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Warwickshire.

If you have recently been to one of the affected areas and are feeling unwell, you should use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service or call NHS 111 for further advice straight away – do not go to a doctor or a hospital.

Public Health England and the NHS advise that the best way to protect yourself and others is to regularly wash your hands with soap and water.

For more advice on how to protect yourself and others visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.

You can also visit publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know.