Students at Woodhouse Academy have been told to self-isolate after one of the school's pupils tested positive for Coronavirus.

The decision affects the school's Year 5 students, who must now stay at home and not return to school until Monday, 19th October.

A teacher at the school has also tested positive, but the school says that following a review into close contact between the teacher and other students and members of staff, nobody else needs to be sent home as a result of this positive test.

The school's principal, Deborah Farr, notified students and parents of the positive tests in a letter.

She said: "We have been notified by a parent that one of our year five pupils has received a positive Covid-19 test result.

"As a result, we have been advised by the Staffordshire Covid-19 local outbreak control team to instruct all year five pupils to go home and self-isolate for 14 days, following their last point of contact, in line with national guidance.

"We are asking them to do this to reduce the further spread of Covid-19 to others in the community. They will return to school on Monday, October 19.

"While these circumstances will cause concern for everybody within our school community, you do not need to request a test or self-isolate unless you are showing symptoms, in line with national guidance. Those with siblings in year five do not need to stay at home and self-isolate unless they start showing symptoms."

In a separate letter regarding the teacher's positive test, she added: "One of our staff has informed us that they have had a positive Covid-19 test. We have followed the Government and Poublic Health England guidelines to ensure correct procedures are adhered to.

"We have been advised that, as there has been no close contact between the member of staff and students, no-one needs to be sent home.

"We have also reviewed the close contact that might have occurred between the teacher and the rest of our staff. Luckily, we do not need to send teachers home."

The positive tests have come shortly after Biddulph High School and James Bateman Middle School also recorded their own recent Coronavirus cases.

The three schools now all have groups of students who are self-isolating.

Biddulph Nub News reported recently how students at Biddulph High School who were identified as "close contact" with staff members who tested positive were told to self-isolate.

Year 7 students at James Bateman Middle School are also now being taught remotely after the school recorded its own Coronavirus case.

And last month, Year 9 students at Biddulph High School also had to self isolate following a Coronavirus case recorded in their year group.