By Rashleigh MacFarlane

The entire cohort of 12-13 year old Year 8 pupils at Camborne’s Science and International Academy school has been told to stay at home because of fears over Covid-19.

Principal Ian Kenworthy has written to parents to confirm that one Year 8 student has tested positive for the disease and that the school is now complying with government advice.

It is not known if the school’s Covid-19 case is connected with any of the other cases in recently declared “clusters” at Camborne, Pool and Illogan Highway, or Redruth. The pig processing food factory at Pool is also the focus of a Covid-19 Public Health outbreak.

The school, which once embraced the former Camborne Grammar School, was later known as the Camborne Science and Community College, becoming an Academy in 2011. It has more than 1,200 pupils on roll and enjoys a national reputation for science and maths. It describes itself as Cornwall’s “most consistently high performing secondary school.”

The Year 8 students have been told they cannot even come with parents to the school gates for the collection of pupils in other year groups.

Mr Kenworthy’s letter says:

Dear Parents and Carers

I write to inform you that today, we have received confirmation that a student in Year 8 has tested positive for Covid-19.

In response to this information, and in accordance with government guidelines, all students in the Year 8 bubble are to remain home until Tuesday 29 September 2020, returning to school on Wednesday 30 September 2020.

A detail from the Camborne Science and International Academy website. Year 8 students have been sent home for at least a week because of Covid-19

Advice from the Local Authority Public Health team and the DfE confirms that household members do not need to self-isolate unless they are displaying symptoms. All students in other year groups or at the Nexus campus should continue to attend school as normal.

For Year 8 students, remote learning will resume from Wednesday 23 September via the Google Classroom.

If your child is struggling to access the Google Classroom platform please email year8enquiries@cambornescience.co.uk

There is a need for all Year 8 students to self-isolate at home and parents are to ensure that their child is supervised for the duration of the school day.

Please ensure that your Year 8 child is not in the vicinity of the school site before, after school or at the informal times of the school day.

Your support at this time is needed and greatly appreciated.

Yours sincerely

Ian Kenworthy, Principal