Covid-19 case confirmed at Eastbourne school

Heron Park Primary Academy in Dallington Road sent a letter home to parents this week advising children to self-isolate after a pupil tested positive.

Headteacher Helen Emmett said in a statement to this newspaper, “A child at our school has been tested and confirmed as having Covid-19.

“Obviously, our thoughts are with the child and the family, who are all now following medical and government advice as to self-isolation and we wish the child a swift recovery.

“As a result of this situation, we are following the most up to date DFE and Public Health Guidelines and have notified parents in the Year group ‘bubble’.

“This has meant that we have had to close the bubble temporarily for 14 days.

“Although all indications tell us that school was not the cause of this, nevertheless we are following advice and we have closed the bubble to allow for a deep clean of classrooms etc.

“Children in the affected bubble will still receive education as we will be providing remote education resources for them.

“I can absolutely reassure our school community that we have extremely robust procedures and risk assessments in place and that we are following all the necessary protocols.

“Aurora Academies Trust has ensured that we follow these procedures to the letter in order that we keep all our children and staff safe. This means that we can keep the rest of the school open for the vast majority of our children.

“All of our parents have been incredibly sensible, and we appreciate their support. This demonstrates the great relationships that Heron Park has fostered with them.

“Once we are able to do so, we shall reopen the year group bubble to enable children to return to education, which is so viral to their wellbeing and development.

“On a personal note, I want to take this opportunity to thank pupils for the mature and calm approach they took on hearing this news, our parents for their responses yesterday and their on-going support, and finally to my staff who continue to work tirelessly with passion and commitment in the ever changing situation.”

According to the NHS, the main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

• A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

• A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

If you have any of the main symptoms of covid-19, get as soon as possible.

Then stay at home and do not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.