Teacher tests positive for Covid-19 at secondary school in Harborough

A teacher has tested positive for Covid-19 at a secondary school in Market Harborough.

The member of staff at Welland Park Academy is now isolating at home after they got the results of their coronavirus test on Friday September 25.

But they are still managing to teach their students remotely from home.

And the Welland Park Road school’s 960 youngsters are still able to attend the school day in day out as normal because they had no direct contact with the teacher.

Julie McBrearty, the principal at the academy, told the Harborough Mail today: “We do have a teacher who has unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19.

“But we have made meticulous preparations for this sort of eventuality happening and we are carrying on at school as seamlessly as possible.”

She said she told the parents of every child at the school about the development by letter last Friday afternoon as well as the teacher’s colleagues.

“The teacher affected was already self-isolating at home because a member of their household had tested positive for the virus.

“So their last day actually teaching here in school was on Monday September 21,” said Julie, who has about 105 members of staff altogether.

“All of our teachers teach our children in a taped-off area at the front of the classroom.

“They have no direct contact with students.

“We have carried out a thorough risk assessment into this situation and done everything we can.

“We are confident that all of our children can continue to come into school as usual because they have had no direct close-up contact with this teacher.”

The school head said the teacher is showing only “mild symptoms” of the coronavirus and is continuing to work from home.

“We obviously feel for them and hope that they make a full and speedy recovery.

“They are doing ever so well because they are still teaching their students by Microsoft Teams from home,” said Julie.

“The pupils are supervised in class as they are taught.

“But we are not being complacent about this.

“The safety of our students and our staff always come first.

“We are taking every possible measure and precaution to guard against the risk of Covid-19 at Welland Park Academy.

“We make sure that everyone keeps their two-metre social distance.

“All of our classrooms and indoor space were deep cleaned in the summer.

“We are doing all that we can to minimise contact between everybody here all the time.

“Students are operating within special zones while we run double lessons and stagger entry and exit times.

“Our children and staff have responded magnificently in what is a very strange time.

“Our student attendance is up at about 95 per cent, which is about right for us.

“We have been incredibly lucky that all of our students have so far been fine.

“And I’d like to pay tribute both to them and our staff for being so flexible, sensible and understanding in these difficult times.”