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Westlands School in Sittingbourne confirms eighth positive Covid-19 case as two year groups isolate
19:21, 19 October 2020
updated: 19:35, 19 October 2020
Two years groups have been told to isolate for 14 days after a Kent school revealed it had three more cases of coronavirus.
Students in Year 10 and Year 12 at Westlands School, in Sittingbourne, are now on a "circuit breaker" and were told by the school not to leave their house for two weeks.
The positive tests means the Westlands Avenue school, which is part of the Swale Academies Trust, has now had eight Covid-19 cases.
In a letter to parents head teacher Christina Honess said: "I am very sorry to inform you that we have had three more positive Covid-19 tests amongst our student body.
"While we have been reassured by our Local Health Prevention Team that were are doing everything we could to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
"I am obviously concerned that the virus is being transmitted amongst pupils in our Year 10 and Year 12 cohort."
Miss Honess continued, explaining they had come to the decision at the school to have their own form of a circuit breaker.
'This means that no Year 10 or Year 12 student should leave their house for 14 days...'
She added: "This means that no Year 10 or Year 12 student should leave their house for 14 days.
"Members of their household do not need to self-isolate unless someone in the household starts to experience symptoms."
The head teacher explained students will be working from home, and should use Google classroom to access their timetable, and that all classes students used, will be cleaned.
He said: "This appears to reflect the increasing infection rates across Swale, although less than 10% of our pupil population are at home due to Covid related issues.
"Almost all of these are isolating merely as a precautionary measure and have no symptoms whatsoever."
He added how prior to the new cases, previous ones included two teachers, one of whom has now recovered, and three pupils, two of which were from the same household.
"The school continues to liaise with the Local Health Protection Team, who are supportive of the measures we have in place, and we are communicating with parents on a daily basis."
