Headteacher blames ‘reckless behaviour’ as large number of pupils have to self-isolate

Liam Randall, local democracy reporter

A Headteacher has hit out at “reckless behaviour” which has led to an increasing number of pupils having to self-isolate.

Chris Wilkinson, headteacher at St Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School in Wrexham, has spoken out after children have had to be sent home on several occasions this week.

He said there had been three incidents since Monday where pupils have attended school despite a family member having coronavirus symptoms.

Delta variant

It follows a sharp rise in the number of children absent from school for Covid-related reasons across the UK in the last few weeks amid concerns over the spread of the Delta variant of the virus.

Mr Wilkinson has now called on parents to act responsibly and follow the rules.

In a notice posted on the school’s website, he said: “We are currently experiencing a large number of people who are needing to isolate as a result of positive cases.

“I am very grateful to parents and carers for the speedy way in which pupils were collected from school on Monday.

“I am hoping to update you soon with exact times for a return to school for the affected year groups. For some, this may be sooner than envisaged.

“However, we have experienced three incidents this week (only three days) where, pupils have attended school whilst parents or family members were or are symptomatic and awaiting the result of a Covid-19 PCR test.

“In each case, pupils were collected from school because test results were positive. We now await test results for the pupils themselves.”

He added: “Please, please, keep to the rules – you should not send a child into school if someone in the household is symptomatic

“Reckless behaviours pose a risk of greater transmission, and ultimately lead to more pupils being sent home. I’m grateful in advance for your support in this very important matter.”

In the last few days, two year groups at the Maelor School in Penley have also been forced to go into self-isolation in response to positive test results.

A total of 12 new coronavirus cases were reported in Wrexham today (Wednesday, June 23), with the rolling seven-day infection rate for the county borough standing at 47.1 per 100,000 of the population, the fourth highest in Wales.