Portsmouth headteacher reveals three staff are undergoing Covid tests

While schools have put measures in place to make schools as ‘safe as possible’, headteachers accept there are challenges ahead in ensuring they remain fully open. Crucial to remaining open is retaining a high number of staff with teachers who develop symptoms currently having to isolate for 10 days.

Priory School headteacher, Stewart Vaughan, said: ‘It has been a life-affirming experience to see children return to school but there are challenges ahead. I currently have three members of staff who are either having a test or are waiting for a result. If that situation were to grow then it would obviously be worrying.

‘We have the capacity to deal with staff absence and have planned for that eventuality but the plan will only work up to a certain point.’

There are also concerns that positive Covid tests among pupils could lead to schools having to close for deep cleaning or having to send whole year groups home.

Park Community School headteacher, Chris Anders, said: ‘If there are two positive cases in one year group then you have to send the whole year group home. However, one case means anyone who has been in contact with that child will also have to go home.’

It’s this scenario which is of greatest concern to returning Year 11 pupils who have already seen their GCSE lessons suffer months of disruption.

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Park Community School pupil, Mollie Mai Clark, 15, said: ‘I do worry about getting sent home again. We have already missed so much of school and we still don’t know what is happening with our exams.’

Priory School pupil, Rojgar Ahmed, 15, added: ‘I’m so happy to be back as I need to be in school for my GCSEs. While we had work to do at home during lockdown it was not the same as having your teacher next to you.’

Mr Vaughan is hopeful schools can remain open.

He said: ‘The message from the government is that schools closing will be a last resort. One positive is that we have been through this process once before. I don’t think it will happen but if it does then we are ready.’

Keep up to date with the latest coronavirus news in Portsmouth with our Coronavirus Updates Facebook group.

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