11th September 2020
Dear Students, Parents and Carers,
I have been in touch with Public Health England this afternoon, as we have had confirmation that a student has tested positive for COVID-19.
As you know, we have a rigorous system of controls in place in school, including students operating in 'bubbles', enhanced hygiene, the use of face coverings for everyone moving around the building, and seating plans for every lesson.
The student who has tested positive was last in school on Thursday 3rd September and we have been able to effectively identify the contacts the student has had. They and their close contacts will now be isolating at home for the required period.
A close contact is defined as any person who, during the infectious period, has had any of the following exposures:
- A person who lives with or spends significant time in the same household as a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Having direct face-to-face contact or direct physical contact with a confirmed case for any length of time
- Being less than 1m from a confirmed case for 1 minute or longer
- Being less than 2m from a confirmed case for more than 15 mins
- Travelling in a small vehicle with a confirmed case
A formal letter has been sent to parents through our School Comms system and is also here on our newsletter page: https://longbenton.org.uk/parents/newsletters
We know that you may find this worrying, but please be assured that our systems are working effectively and your child is not at any increased risk. Students have been excellent this week at following our protocols around hand sanitiser, face masks and social distancing and we are satisfied that this was a community transmission case.
Kelly Holbrook
Headteacher