Wellsway School statement.

A small number of Covid-19 cases have been confirmed at Wellsway School in both students and staff.

Following advice from Public Health England and Bath & North East Somerset Council, the school has identified all known school contacts and informed them that they must self-isolate for 14 days.

The school is following the national guidance for schools including providing staff and pupils with guidance on social distancing and hygiene to limit spread.

The affected students and year groups are now isolating and have been set work to complete remotely.

Term resumes for students on Tuesday 3rd November. Those self-isolating will have completed their isolation periods before Term 2 begins and will therefore return to school on Tuesday 3rd November. The school will undergo additional deep cleaning.

The headteacher Matthew Woodville said: “We are supporting all those affected and are continuing to review all our processes to make our school as safe as possible for staff and pupils.

“Our priority, as always, is the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and the wider school community. We continue to be appreciative of their ongoing support.”

Dr Bruce Laurence, Director for Public Health at Bath & North East Somerset Council, added: “We are working with the school to manage the situation for the pupils, staff and wider community. We collectively must take all the right steps to break the chain of transmission to slow down the spread of Covid-19. Of course, one of the most important reasons to limit any increase in cases is so that we can keep our children in school as much as possible and avoid further disruption to their education.

“We all need to remember to follow all the rules, including on social distancing, hand-washing, face coverings and gatherings. Remember – Hands: Face: Space. If we have symptoms, self-isolate and book a test on 119 or online at nhs.uk/coronavirus and follow instructions from Test and Trace.”