More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
More than 200 students and two staff members at a secondary school have been told to stay home.
Wilmington Academy in Dartford made the decision to ask all year 11 students to self-isolate until next Friday after a pupil tested positive for Covid-19.
A total of 228 students and two members of staff are affected by the announcement.
A spokesman for the Leigh Academies Trust said: "We can confirm that a Year 11 student who was already self-isolating has tested positive for Covid-19
"As a result of this the school made the decision, in conjunction with clinicians from Public Health England, to ask the remaining year 11 students to self-isolate for 14 days since the confirmed student was last in contact with them.
"All students are receiving online learning to ensure their studies continue."
The school will remain open for other year groups to attend in line with guidance from the Department of Education and Public Health England.
Since the start of the academic year Wilmington Academy has had three members of teaching staff test positive and says in all of these cases, they were asked to self-isolate in accordance with the advice. This also includes any students or staff that had close contact with them.
Leigh Academies Trust, which is responsible for the school and its roster of more than 1000 pupils, added "parents are always notified of any cases that require students to self-isolate".
Following the latest case at Wilmington Academy Principal Michael Gore penned a letter to parents and carers to inform them they would be postponing mock exams.
The letter also conceded the school was "facing staff shortages across various areas of the school which is unfortunately having an impact on the ability to deliver some back-office services".
It follows a string of confirmed cases by the Trust across its network of schools in Dartford with an admin worker from Longfield Academy the first to report a positive test, then a week later a Year 10 pupil was confirmed to have contracted the virus at Wilmington Academy.
Multiple cases have also been reported at Milestone Academy, a special needs school in New Ash Green.
As part of Covid-19 secure guidelines, students are allocated into "bubbles" designed to stop the transmission of the virus across the wider academy.
Classrooms have been arranged to avoid students sitting directly face to face and being in close contact with each other.
If a school develops multiple cases where cross transmission is a factor, Public Health England will then advise whether a partial or full school closure is needed.
For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.
