At 2:30pm on Saturday 17 July 2021, we were advised that one of our pupils in our (new) Year 8 had had a positive PCR test.

The pupil, who was asymptomatic, was last in school on Thursday 15 July. He was collected from school on Thursday 15 July by his parent at 12:30pm because his sister, who is not a pupil at Deer Park, had tested positive on a routine lateral flow device. We understand the family then all went for confirmatory PCR tests and received their results on Saturday 17 July. Unfortunately, his test was positive.

On receiving this news, members of the school’s leadership team met online and took immediate action.

As a school we are currently obliged to track and trace back 48 hours before a pupil’s positive PCR test. This means we had to consider his movements in school on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 July and scrutinise our teachers’ seating plans.

With especially heavy hearts, we advised the parents of 30 pupils in our (new) Year 8 by text and email that their sons/daughters had been identified as close contacts and that they needed to self-isolate for a period of 10 days from the date of the pupil’s positive PCR test (Thursday 15 July). Because of the delayed test result, this will now be for 8 days from Saturday 17 July to Sunday 25 July inclusive. We also had to advise 2 members of staff that they had also been identified as close contacts.

Regrettably, this news means that this group of pupils will be unable to participate in our end of term reward trip and activities for our new Year 8s on Monday 19 July. However, they will still be able to remotely access learning materials for their lessons scheduled to take place on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 July.

We recognise the restrictions change from Monday 19 July, but Gloucestershire Country Council have advised that in the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19 on or after this date, schools should continue to ask parents to keep children identified as close contacts at home until the end of term.

We fully appreciate the impact this news may have on family holiday plans and apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment these necessary actions may cause.

 Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

We continue to monitor the health and wellbeing of our pupils and ask parents not to send pupils to school if they are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19.