Year group at Wolverhampton school told to self-isolate as pupil tests positive for Covid-19
Pupils at a Black Country school have been told to self-isolate after a fellow student tested positive for coronavirus.
Wolverhampton Council confirmed the positive case at Highfields School, in Merry Hill, Wolverhampton, today.
All students in Year 11 have been told to self-isolate for 14 days as a safety precaution.
At least 10 schools in the Black Country and Staffordshire have had coronavirus cases confirmed since students returned last week.
Among the affected schools in Wolverhampton are Aldersley High School, where the Amethyst Sixth Form is closed, the Royal Primary School and East Park Academy.
A spokesman for the council said: "We can confirm that a Year 11 pupil at Highfields School has tested positive for Covid-19 and as a result students in Year 11 have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
"Public Health England is supporting schools locally and across the country with the response to single confirmed cases of coronavirus in school attendees.
"Where cases are identified, Public Health England, the City of Wolverhampton Council and the school in question will work closely with staff and pupils to implement the appropriate steps to manage any potential exposure.
"We are aware of a few individual cases among the school population across the city, and are happy that appropriate steps are being taken to allow schools to manage these situations safely.
"There are no current outbreaks in schools, where we have evidence of two or more linked cases, and although individual cases may arise in school settings from time to time, these cases may well be a result of transmission in the community rather than in school."
Headteacher Graham Tate said: “We were made aware that a Year 11 student had tested positive for Covid-19 and made the decision to quarantine all students in the year group for 14 days following advice from Public Health England.
“This is incredibly disappointing considering how long students have been out of school and how pleased they have been to get back to school. But safety must always be our top priority.
“If any of the students or staff develop Covid-19 symptoms they need to contact the NHS Track and Trace system and follow their advice. It is also vital that parents and carers do not send their child to school if they or anyone in the household is showing any symptoms of Covid-19.
“Please be assured that the safety of our students is our utmost priority and we will continue to keep parents and carers updated.”
Live lessons are now being streamed online via Microsoft Teams for students in the year group so they can continue their curriculum from home, following their scheduled daily timetable.
As school reopening was staggered for individual year groups to reduce contact between students, Highfields remains open to all other students and staff.
