Teaching bosses in Cornwall welcome plans to change school isolation rules
There are plans to replace Covid quarantine rules for school children with more testing
Teaching bosses in Cornwall say they welcome plans to replace Covid quarantine rules for school children with more testing
At the moment pupils in the same bubble as a positive case have to isolate for 10 days.
But it is feared that is causing too much disruption.
The Department for Education has confirmed that school isolation rules could be brought to an end with ministers writing to secondary schools asking them to prepare to potentially replace isolation rules with testing.
School isolation rules likely to be scrapped in autumn
The Association for Secondary Headteachers in the Duchy says they welcome any safe developments that will help to ease restrictions in schools.
“The comments made today by the Children’s Commissioner are welcome, and Cornwall’s secondary school headteachers welcome any safe developments that will ease the restrictions that currently face our schools and children.
_"As schools across the county are seeing a rapid increase in the number of positive cases in the last couple of weeks, we are all very aware of the need for caution; equally, we see an increased opening up of society and there is frustration amongst many children and parents that school life remains very restricte_d.
"As we head towards a new academic year in September, we hope that any changes to the current self isolation system are an integral part of an ambitious post-pandemic recovery plan for our children.”
David Barton, Cornwall Association of Secondary Headteachers
It comes amid growing concerns about the rising number of children who have to quarantine because they are the contacts of confirmed cases.
“We are provisionally asking secondary schools and colleges to prepare to offer on-site testing when students return for the new academic year, so that schools are ready in case it is needed to keep as many children as possible in face-to-face education.
“We will provide further details about the approach to protective measures and test and trace in education from September in due course.”
Spokesman from the Department for Education