Seven members of staff at the same primary school have tested positive for coronavirus, as thousands of pupils returned to the classroom across the country today.
Arboretum Primary School, in Derby, has been closed following the positive tests, with the staff members, who have mild symptoms, now recovering at home.
The school is believed to have remained open throughout the lockdown, with children from local schools and those of key workers attending.
It will now remain closed for a week to undergo a deep clean, before reopening next week.
It comes as thousands of children returned to school today, with restrictions eased to allow reception, year one and year six pupils to go back to the classroom.
Up to two million pupils were due to return to lessons, though it is thought that as many as half a million did not.
Arboretum Primary School, in Derby, has been closed after seven staff members tested positive for coronavirus
A teacher talks to a child at Watlington Primary School, with other pupils socially distanced on the day that thousands returned to classrooms
Some were turned away because headteachers ‘weren’t ready’ for them while around half of parents have chosen to keep their children at home because of safety fears.
On Arboretum Primary School, a spokesman for the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust said: ‘Following one member of staff reporting symptoms, the school quickly identified any other members of staff, parents/carers and/or children who may have been in contact and instructed them to isolate for the Government’s recommended period of 14 days.
‘Since then, six members of staff have tested positive and four members of staff who were in contact have tested negative. There have been no reports of parents/carers or children displaying symptoms.
‘The trust is pleased to confirm that all members of staff affected have experienced only mild symptoms and are recovering well at home.
‘In line with guidance, the school has closed this week to allow a deep-clean to be completed and will re-open next week, initially to children of key workers and vulnerable children.’
A Derby City Council spokesman added: ‘The school will re-open on Monday, June 8 and all of those adults who may have been in contact with the affected staff have been informed.’
One local resident said: ‘I thought there was something wrong because this morning there were no cars in the car park and the school was shut.
A child washes her hands after playing at St Dunstan’s College junior school in London as some schools re-opened today
A child has his temperature taken at Harris Primary Academy in south London today
A child has his hand sanitised with the help of a member of staff at a Croydon Primary School this morning. While children skipped in the playground while watched by teachers in full PPE
‘Recently, I have seen children going there and so it was odd that it was shut this week when schools are supposed to be reopening.’
At least 54 councils in England have taken the side of teaching unions, who have argued it is not yet safe for its members to return to schools amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The councils have either told schools not to reopen today, or left the decision up to headteachers.
It meant as few as ’40 per cent of eligible primary pupils’ returned to classes today, with around 550,000 staying at home, as schools stayed shut, turned children away or even held ‘staff training days’.
The Association of School and College Leaders said that of the facilities that are open attendance is ‘highly variable’ and ranges between ’40 per cent and 70 per cent’.
But the union’s general secretary Geoff Barton said this figure is likely to increase as ‘parents become become confident about sending their children to school’.
Up to 1,500 primary schools in England are estimated to be defying the Government’s plan to get all reception, year 1 and year 6 children back in the classroom from June 1 as teachers admitted they were feeling anxiety about returning to work and unions demanded the date be pushed back to June 15 at the earliest.
Parents have revealed that many schools will remain closed for at least another week or more, while some have not yet set a date at all. In other cases schools decided they can only increase the number of places for key workers’ children, not for everyone.