Wells Blue School has confirmed today (October 23) that a positive case of Covid-19 has been recorded within the school community.

In a letter to parents, head teacher Mark Woodlock said the parents of the very small number of children who have been in contact with the individual who has tested positive for coronavirus have been contacted to inform them that their child must stay at home for 14 days.

The school remains open for all other children and students should continue to attend as normal if they remain well.

Mr Woodlock said: "We know that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England.

"We appreciate that this may be disconcerting news coming right at the end of half-term and will do all that we can to reassure students today if that proves necessary.

"As the largest school in Somerset, it was inevitable that a case would arise here at some point. To have stayed fully open to all students right up to the last day of half term has been an achievement.

"If you are not aware, the majority of secondary schools across Somerset have now had to ask a year group to isolate at some point in the last two months. We have been fortunate that we have not been placed in that position.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the reason we have been able to stay open is because of the support that the school and wider community have given us.

"The key has been following the public health messages and ensuring that students and staff who appear to be at risk have not come into school.

"We know of a number of circumstances where sacrifices have been made to ensure that this happens and we are very grateful for that.

"You will appreciate that the school must protect the confidentiality of the individual concerned, particularly as this relates to a medical matter.

"It is possible that rumours may circulate, but I would kindly ask that we do not speculate as to the circumstances.

"I can assure you that yesterday evening we undertook a full review of where that individual had been in school, the students that they had contact with and the distances involved.

"Having liaised with both public health and the DfE, we can be confident that we have identified the small number of contacts and they have been spoken to.

"Should you have questions, then we will try to answer them. The close proximity to the end of term does not help that, but we will do the best that we can.

"I am sure that you are aware that our staff have worked very hard over these last two months and I need to ensure that they take a break to recharge for next term and the new challenges that we will face.

"With all of this happening, it is also important to state how joyful it has been to have the children back in school this term.

"That may sound an odd word in these strange times, but during the course of a normal school day it does feel as if we have become a haven of relative normality for them.

"We have been a place of learning, but also a place for socialising with friends and enjoying that part of teenage childhood that is so important.

"There are endless anecdotes that I could give you that only happen because we have been with the students in these last two months. It emphasises once again the importance of doing everything that we can to stay open."