Schools will 'not necessarily' close if a pupil tests positive for coronavirus, Nick Gibb says

Schools will not necessarily close if a positive case of coronavirus is detected, a minister has said.

Thousands of pupils have returned to classrooms in England and Wales on Tuesday for the start of the autumn term, despite concerns being raised about their ability to reopen safely.

Schools minister Nick Gibb urged parents to send children back to the classroom and insisted "schools are doing everything they can to make sure that their pupils and their staff are safe".

Pressed on whether a Covid-19 case would lead to a full school closure, Mr Gibb told Sky News: "Not necessarily. It will depend on the extent of the contacts that pupil has had, whether there are other positive cases of coronavirus.

"But they will take advice from the local health protection scheme and maybe send mobile testing units into a school - there is a whole raft of measures that we will take if there are positive cases of coronavirus in schools."

Asked how many coronavirus cases would lead to the closure of a school, Mr Gibb said: "We have now a test and trace system that gives us granular information about whether there has been an increase in the transmission of the virus in particular local areas.

"Where we see that, we will, and we have, take action to impose new restrictions in those local areas. Parents can be assured."

Mr Gibb said any pupil with coronavirus symptoms will be sent home from school to be tested.

If a child is showing the symptoms of coronavirus then they will be asked to return home, to go home, and then the family asked to have a test," he told BBC Breakfast.

"If that test proves positive, then the school will take advice from the local health protection teams and that will involve tracing all the children and adults that that child will have come across, and those people then will be asked to self-isolate.

"And then, if it is the advice of the local health protection team, a mobile testing unit will go into the school as well to test more young people."

Asked about concerns among parents, Mr Gibb said issues should be raised with headteachers, "so that they can reassure them that the measures are in place to keep schools safe".

Questioned on fines for parents who do not send their children back to school, Mr Gibb said fines are the "last resort".

"Headteachers and staff will be concerned if pupils are not attending," he told Sky News. "Schools will have their own approaches to attendance and many schools will be phoning up parents to make sure they are attending

He added: "The head will want to assure families that the measures that have been taken to keep schools safe have been incredible."

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