Students isolating after coronavirus case confirmed at Washington Academy

The secondary school confirmed on Monday, September 21 that a positive case had been reported in the school community.

The school remains open to students and only those who have had close contact with the person are expected to self isolate.

Head teacher Sue Hamilton explained that the school was able to male contact with those who needed to isolate before Monday morning.

In a statement she praised the help from Sunderland City Council’s public health team and said that the return to school following the six month lockdown has been a success, despite this case.

She said: “The response from the Local Authority Public Health team was extremely swift and incredibly helpful.

“We put clear support and advice in place ahead of the children returning to school, which has meant the right procedure has conducted swiftly, appropriately, and it has not impacted the school as a whole.

"The majority of our school community can continue to come in – this is due to the fact that the right procedures and systems were in place right from the start to maintain social distancing guidelines. Through our thorough year group bubbling, it has ensured even few transmissions are possible.”

In line with government guidance the school increased ventilation in the building as students returned.

Ms Hamilton added: “Students have remained at a two-metre distance from students outside of their bubble during breaks, lunch time, and movements around the school building.

“Within 24 hours of the positive case being reported to the school on Saturday evening, we conducted a comprehensive review of any potential close contacts, who were informed to self-isolate for 14 days.

“It’s been a positive return to school and we’re proud to welcome our staff and students back following lockdown.

“It’s unfortunate that we are having to isolate some members of our school community over the next two-weeks as a precaution, but we look forward to getting them back in school as quickly as possible.”

Washington Academy is one of more than a dozen schools in Sunderland affected by a case of coronvirus on Monday, September 21. Click here for the full list.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.