More children return to school in York than national average
97% of pupils in York were back in class on Monday, compared to 76% nationally
Last updated 14th Mar 2021
More pupils have returned to school in York than the national average, with 97% of pupils back in class on Monday compared to 76% nationally.
City leaders say teachers have been so organised about the return to school that York has not needed to phase the reopening, unlike other areas of the country.
Almost 15,000 symptom-free tests were carried out on pupils in the first week of March in preparation for the return to the classroom on March 8.
Maxine Squire from the council’s education team said the effort to get pupils tested before going back to class had been “very successful”, adding:
“That again is a tribute to the hard work that our teachers and head teachers have put into getting children back into school.”
The rapid tests led to just 34 pupils testing positive for coronavirus and the public health team says it is able to “respond quickly” to the results.
Sharon Stoltz, director of public health, told a meeting:
“We fully expect to see an increase in cases in school-aged children, but after that initial spike we would expect to see those numbers start to fall and our schools have very well-tested arrangements in place to be able to prevent the spread of infection.
“Those measures alongside routine testing will enable us to pick up any cases associated with education settings very quickly and be able to respond.”