Coronavirus: Pupils and teachers isolate at Swanmore Primary and Portchester Community School

Parents and carers at Portchester Community School were informed yesterday via a letter from the school’s headteacher Richard Carlyle.

The letter said: ‘As of this afternoon, two members of staff have been advised to isolate due to a Covid-19 related contact.

‘Public Health England have been notified and a risk assessment has been completed. While there appears to be no direct cause of the infection in the school, I have taken the precaution to ask a small number of students to isolate for the recommended period of time.

‘I have been in contact with the parents of those children.

‘We are treating this as an isolated incident at the moment and will continue to follow all the protective measures in school.’

It comes after two confirmed Covid-19 cases at Woodcroft Primary School in Waterlooville and Swanmore Primary School in Swanmore.

At Swanmore Primary School, five staff and 60 children from the Year 1 bubble are now isolating.

The school told The News that it remains open for all other year groups.

School staff say they are working closely with Public Health England.

The letter said: ‘There has been a confirmed case of Covid-19 within the school.

‘Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus will be a mild illness.

SEE ALSO: Coronavirus in Portsmouth live updates

‘The small number of children who have been in direct prolonged contact with the confirmed case will have received an individual letter and will be staying at home for 14 days.

‘The school remains open and your child should continue to attend if they remain well.’

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, there have been 603 cases in Portsmouth, 405 cases in Havant and a total of 5,658 across Hampshire.

Barry Fanning, headteacher at Woodcroft Primary, said a staff member contracted the virus.

He said: ‘We have had one confirmed case of Covid-19.

‘This individual is an adult who doesn’t work directly with the schoolchildren.

‘We have followed the advice from Public Health England to the letter – the person has gone into isolation and the school will remain open.’

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

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.