Students and staff out of school doubles

The number of staff and students out of school in Worcestershire because of Covid has more than doubled in the last week.

A total of 3,422 staff and pupils are currently self-isolating from 40 of Worcestershire’s schools, as of Thursday (July 1), Worcestershire County Council said.

This equates to 71 times that a bubble or partial bubble has been forced to collapse in the county due to either a positive coronavirus test result – or as a precautionary measure because a case is suspected.

The news comes as government ministers reveal plans to put a stop to pupils and staff automatically isolating after coming into contact with a positive Covid case when schools return in September.

This is more than double the 1,632 staff and students at 25 of Worcestershire’s schools that were isolating last Friday (June 25).

Earlier this week, the Department for Education said ministers had written to secondary schools asking them to prepare to potentially replace isolation rules with testing.

On Thursday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said he wanted the school bubble system removed as soon as possible, as increasing numbers of pupils are being sent home.

The system could come to an end on July 19 when the majority of lockdown restrictions are still expected to be lifted – meaning it would only be scrapped for a few days before the end of the school term.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin supports plans for schools to return to normal on July 19 including the scrapping of bubbles and an end to self-isolating.

“The vaccination programme continues to move fast to give protection to many more people and I continue to urge everyone over 18 to come forward to get your jabs as soon as you are asked,” she said.

“This enhanced level of protection means that we will be able to get back to doing many more of our usual activities this summer.

“I also hope that with everyone over 18 vaccinated by the return to school in September we will not have to keep school children in bubbles and can instead use more familiar ways of dealing with staff and pupil sickness absences as we learn to live with this virus.

“Of course, I want to thank teachers, parents and pupils for the incredible sacrifices they have made this year and hope they get some rest and fun this summer away from the school setting.”

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: “We are working with our schools and settings to ensure they are following current government guidelines and we are working closely with Public Health England to keep advice and guidance under review.

“We’re committed to supporting schools to ensure capacity to test if this becomes a requirement as we did in March for the wider re-opening of schools.

“Ahead of the new school year starting in September we will work locally and nationally to support schools in implementing any new measures whilst utilising public health data to ensure that we are able to make informed decisions and guidance for schools.

“We will make sure that any changes that will affect the current Covid measures for schools are effectively planned and do not negatively impact on the education of our children.

“Any increase in cases in the county is a cause for concern. We monitor and assess the Covid-19 cases each day and continue to follow our outbreak control plan, which has tailored measures and actions for individual settings where needed. The rising figures are a stark reminder to us all not to be complacent.”