Moulton and Sutton St James Primary Schools confirm COVID-19 cases

Two South Holland primary schools have reported positive COVID-19 tests in the last seven days.

Mouton's John Harrox and Sutton St James were each informed of positive tests between Tuesday, November 24, and Monday, November 30.

A Lincolnshire County Council spokesman confirmed that a "staff member" at Sutton St James had tested positive for the virus but "was not in school at the time".

The positive test at Sutton St James was not a pupil, as we incorrectly stated in a previous online article, and we apologise profusely to both the school and parents for any worry caused by this error.

The county council spokesman said: "The school was included in our daily update because a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. However, we can reassure parents that the person in question was not in school at the time."

In the case of John Harrox, head teacher Daniel Pilsworth said: "We have had a confirmed case of coronavirus at the school during the period stated. We immediately contacted the local public health team and, in line with government guidance, the children and staff within this bubble are self-isolating as a precaution.

"The safety of our staff and pupils is our top priority and we have a range of measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus, including frequent handwashing and social distancing."

During the same period, a Year 5 class at St John the Baptist Primary School, Spalding, was told to self-isolate after it was notified of a positive COVID-19 case on Thursday (November 26).

Andy Fox, consultant in public health at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "We have had 16 new contacts from schools in the past seven days.

"The rate of incidence in school age children in Lincolnshire remains low at 20 cases per 100,000 over seven days, compared to 256 cases per 100,000 for all ages."

"All schools are taking action to limit the potential spread of the virus, with some pupils and staff self-isolating as a precaution where necessary.

"The majority of schools remain fully open and those affected are working really well to limit both the risk of the virus spreading and the impact on the pupils' education."