St Leonards school closes to students after 15 Covid cases reported

St Leonards Academy will be closed to students in years 7, 8, 9 and 10 until Monday, July 19. This does not affect children of critical workers and identified students.

The school said the decision comes into force with ‘immediate effect’ due to 15 confirmed cases of Covid-19 within the school community. The school said it is awaiting confirmation of test results for others.

A spokesperson for the University of Brighton Academies Trust, which runs The St Leonards Academy, said: “We have taken the difficult decision to partially close to students in years 7, 8, 9 and 10 with immediate effect following talks with the relevant authorities.

“The decision to partially close was not taken lightly but necessary due to the number of teaching staff required to self-isolate. We have now reached a point where we can no longer operate onsite provision safely.

“During this period of closure, the academy will remain open to children of critical workers and identified students. Remote learning will be provided to students affected in the form of independent learning tasks and live lessons. We expect students to return to school on Monday 19 July 2021.

“We want to thank our school community for their ongoing support and understanding during these challenging times.”