A WHOLE year group at high school has been sent home to self-isolate following a small number of positive coronavirus tests.

The decision was made to ask year nine students at Cardinal Newman Catholic High School to work from home based on public health guidance and the school’s own risk assessments.

Positive tests were only present amongst some year nine pupils and the school remains open for the rest of the year groups.

The school has already put in place a full timetable of online remote learning using Microsoft Teams for the affected pupils.

Beamont Primary School have also sent a year four class home to self-isolate following a positive Covid test.

The class will be supported with online learning until their isolation period ends.

Louise Smith, CEO at Warrington Primary Academy Trust, said: “A Year 4 class bubble at Beamont Primary was closed yesterday following a positive test result.

''We followed our standard procedures and closed the bubble.

''The class were sent home and switched immediately to online learning and will return to school once the isolation period ends.”

It comes amid a number of other cases in schools in the town, including Great Sankey High School where some pupils in years seven to nine have been asked to self-isolate as a result of a small number of positive coronavirus tests.

Sankey High is among the schools that have also now reintroduced the wearing of face masks by students in lessons, corridors and while sitting in the dining room.

Parents are also being encouraged to ensure pupils take lateral flow tests at least twice a week and report the results to school.

''We followed our standard procedures and closed the bubble.

''The class were sent home and switched immediately to online learning and will return to school once the isolation period ends.”

This follows news that Warrington has been designated as an enhanced support package area amid rising coronavirus cases which is being driven by the Delta variant.

The Government made the decision about the town on Monday.

It means in Warrington, over the coming days and weeks, there will be an enhanced presence of community engagement and street teams to speak to residents to make sure they are testing themselves routinely and are taking up the vaccine when offered.

Furthermore, there will be supervised in-school testing and the re-introduction of face coverings in educational settings, surge PCR testing in some specific areas and settings and enhanced delivery of local and targeted communications, including roaming ad vans and billboard messages.

A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are working closely with schools that are managing confirmed cases of coronavirus within their school communities.

''These schools are in close communication with the parents, carers and guardians of pupils who are affected.

''If positive cases of coronavirus are confirmed, schools are following the correct COVID-secure procedures, as they have been doing throughout the pandemic, and are implementing their risk assessments, which may require sending class year groups home to isolate, as per government guidance.

“Parents, carers and guardians are advised to check their child’s school website regularly for any updates, and be assured that school leaders will keep you informed and updated, as and when they have any new or relevant information to share.”