Northampton school head "deeply frustrated" as Covid test means kids must spend Christmas in isolation

A Northamptonshire school head admits it is "deeply frustrating" some students must spend Christmas in isolation after a positive Covid-19 test.

Moulton School & Science College told parents on Friday that a year nine student with no symptoms had received a positive test during a random programme and will need to self-isolate for ten days.

Headteacher Angela Dabbs said: "Nobody wants to be in this position and especially at this time of the year."

And one angry mum posted on social media yesterday: "This is why the government should have closed schools last week, so it doesn’t spoil people’s Christmas."

The school and NHS Test and Trace will now contact all other students, mostly aged 12 and 13, and staff who have been in direct contact and will also need to self-isolate away from their families until after Christmas.

Mrs Dabbs told parents: "We have received notification that a student has tested positive for Covid-19 in Year 9.

"We are in the process of contacting by phone all those students who will now need to self-isolate.

"We understand that this is desperately frustrating for all involved. The student was identified as part of a random sampling programme and was asymptomatic.

"Please remind your children if they have been affected to be kind. Nobody wants to be in this position and especially at this time of the year."

Parents have been warning for weeks about the risk of kids being forced to spend most of the holidays in isolation by any positive tests in the final week of term.

An online petition calling for a "two-week school lockdown before 24 December to save Christmas" was signed by nearly 1,100 in Northamptonshire and 125,000 nationwide.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson threatened legal action against schools who wanted to switch to online learning during the final week of term.

And the Government only announced on Thursday mass testing would be rolled out during a staggered return by secondary schools during the first week of January.

That meant schools yesterday had to rush out permission slips to allow children to be tested in schools and notify parents on which days different year groups would be back in class.

Teaching unions welcomed the testing programme and staggered start but Alan Hackett, Northants' NASUWT national executive member, said: "Yet again the government is announcing significant changes affecting schools with little or no time to prepare before the Christmas closure period.

"It's infuriating when school leaders have been saying we need a staggered return for some time."