More coronavirus cases at Newbury College

Students now self-isolating

Two connected cases of coronavirus have been reported at Newbury College.

The college was notified that two students from the same family had tested positive for Covid-19 today.

It said that the students have not been on-site since last week and have been self-isolating since developing symptoms.

Principal Iain Wolloff said: "I want to reassure students, parents and staff that we are following government guidelines stringently and are working closely with the Public Health Team.

"Thanks to the continual monitoring of sickness and effective use of teaching ‘bubbles’ we can identify any staff or students who are affected quickly and efficiently.

"We continue to provide education on-site to our students while maintaining an emphasis on the importance of social distancing at all times."

The two cases today follow a student testing positive for Covid-19 last week.

A small number of students and staff were contacted individually and asked to self-isolate as a precautionary measure.

The college said it had robust plans for dealing with confirmed cases including, alerting the Department for Education, Public Health England, and West Berkshire Council and notifying any students and staff that may need to self-isolate as a precaution.