Two-week circuit-breaker for hundreds of pupils at Surrey secondary school
It comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases doubled in six days.
From Monday (16 November) pupils in Years 7-10 and 12 at Salesian School in Chertsey will face a fortnight of virtual learning from home.
The “difficult decision” to implement a two-week circuit-breaker was made following discussions with Public Health England, as the school has seen an exponential rise in coronavirus cases.
Several hundred students and staff have already had to self-isolate as a result of being a “close contact” with those who tested positive.
Health officials agreed that Year 11 and 13 could continue to attend school “as there have been no new recent cases in these year groups”.
Executive Headteacher of Salesian School, James Kibble, said: “We want to stress that this is a pragmatic response to the situation that we are facing.
“Whilst these are still relatively small numbers of cases, it is clear that they are rising quickly.
“The decision was made to introduce a two-week circuit-breaker for the year groups with most cases, particularly as many children in these year groups were already self-isolating.”
The number of positive cases has been described as “less than one per cent of the school population”.
Mr Kibble added: “A deep clean will be completed throughout the school and college during this period.
“There are no plans to extend or repeat this period of home learning.”
Students in Years 7 to 10 and 12 will be learning from home via “live” lessons on Microsoft Teams from Monday.
Additional support has been offered to vulnerable families, those without IT facilities at home and for those who are experiencing financial difficulties.
Families who qualify for free school meals will receive vouchers to cover the period of home learning.