A year ten student at a Dartford school has tested positive for coronavirus.

Wilmington Academy informed parents earlier this week, advising them that all students and staff that may have been in contact with the infected student had been asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

All affected classrooms and communal areas of the mixed secondary have been deep cleaned in line with guidance from Public Health England.

Principal Michael Gore wrote: “In line with guidance from Public Health England we are now asking all the students and staff that may have had contact with the infected student to self-isolate for at least 14 days in line with the official guidance from Public Health England.

“It is unlikely that any of these people will have yet developed COVID-19 so self-isolation is a precautionary step to prevent them from passing it on to anyone else in the school.

“If your child has had contact with someone who is asked to self-isolate as a precaution, then there is no need to worry or for your child to self-isolate and they can continue coming to school as normal.”

Students have been allocated bubbles which are designed to stop the transmission of COVID-19 across the wider academy. 

Classrooms have also been rearranged to avoid students sitting directly face to face and being in close contact with each other. 

Teachers can operate across different bubbles, but are told to remain at least 2m away from other staff and students when teaching at all times.