Peterborough Council confirms positive Covid tests affecting schools

The latest confirmed case is at Middleton Primary School in Bretton, where a class has been sent home.

A council spokesperson said: “We can confirm we have been notified of a positive test result at Middleton school.

“The affected person is isolating, and those within the same bubble are not at school, as per government process. The local authority are supporting the school.”

This comes after the schools across the city opened their doors over the past two weeks, following the summer holidays. Staff have worked tirelessly to implement their own safety protocols and complete risk assessments to allow them to re-open.

These protocols include what to do in the event of either a staff member or pupil displaying symptoms or returning a positive result from a Covid test.

The council also confirmed that other schools in the city have been affected by positive tests.

The spokesperson added: “We have been notified of a few positive cases in our schools.

“As per our process, when we are notified of a positive case both the Local Authority and colleagues from Public Health support the school and work with them to ensure the necessary protocol is enacted.

“If a child or teacher in a school begins to display Covid symptoms they will be asked to go home and isolate and to arrange a test.

“We have now set up a process that will help teachers and school staff get tested quickly if required.

At one school in Peterborough, staff were seen wearing visors at pick-up and drop off times. The Council confirmed that this does not indicate a change in policy but simply a safety measure taken by the school in question.

The spokesperson said: “Each school will have completed a thorough risk-assessment before they were considered safe to open. The risk assessments were bespoke to each school and their own circumstances. In some instances staff may have taken the decision to wear visors. We support any decision made by a school that helps them lower the risk of infection spreading.”