'Established outbreak' confirmed at Clacton school
All students at Clacton Coastal Academy will be taught online until November after a number of positive coronavirus cases.
In a letter to parents, Headteacher Mr Lees, confirmed that all students will need to stay at home from today (Wednesday 14th October) and will receive their full timetable of lessons online from tomorrow.
The decision follows a meeting between the school, Public Health England and Essex County Council, which resulted in the situation being classed as an 'established outbreak' due to the number of student and staff cases.
Mr Lees went on to say that to limit the spread of Covid-19 the entire school would be moved onto a Virtual Learning Programme, which Years 8 and 10 were already accessing.
He announced that students would be expected to return to school as normal on Tuesday 3rd November - after half term.
The academy say they've carried out a full audit of student access to IT to ensure that all students have a computer device and WiFi to complete their learning at home - any student without the correct equipment will be issued with it.
Mr Lees ended by saying: "I understand that this will come as worrying news, but want to stress again that the actions we are taking - in agreement with Essex County Council and Public Health England - are with the safety of students, families and staff in mind."