Fifth and sixth year pupils at Musselburgh Grammar School ordered to stay at home after a cluster of covid cases

A letter has been sent home ordering S5 and S6 pupils to stay at home and work remotely after a ‘small number’ of coronaviurs cases were confirmed at Musselburgh Grammar School last week.

Musselburgh Grammar School

The letter addressed to parents and carers from the Head Teacher of Musselburgh Grammar School, Colin Gerrie, starts: “As you are aware, it was confirmed towards the end of

last week that a small number of people from the school had tested positive for covid-19.

"This resulted in a number of people who had been in close and sustained contact with these individuals, being asked to self-isolate as a precaution.

Colin Gerrie, Head Teacher at Musselburgh Grammar School

“We worked closely with NHS Lothian’s Public Health Team to carry out the contact tracing process and inform parents promptly and efficiently.

“As you would rightly expect, our number one priority is always to prioritise the health and safety of all staff and pupils whilst maintaining high-quality learning and teaching.”

The letter goes on to explain that the majority of people self-isolating are students in S5 and S6 and along with that fact “fewer than normal” teaching staff will be working next week, the school has made the decision to ask all pupils in those year groups to stay home and work remotely from Monday, December 7.

The letter continues: “While there is no requirement for those S5 and S6 students who were not previously contacted to self-isolate, they should not attend school in person.

"We appreciate that this decision may be frustrating and inconvenient, however, we believe it is the right decision in the interests of everyone’s health and safety and to ensure that

we can continue to provide continued education for our students, which is always our top priority.

“We believe that this temporary measure of introducing blended learning for one week is the most effective and productive solution for all S5 and S6 students in the week ahead.

"It avoids a situation where teaching resources are split between working with limited numbers of students in school and those who are self isolating.”

The letter goes on: “For students in S1-4 who can continue to attend school as normal, our message is that the school is safe and remains open. It continues to be the case that enhanced cleaning and infection control measures are in place with national guidance.”

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