NI school to close temporarily after a cluster of Covid-19 cases diagnosed

From Monday pupils with be taught remotely “for a temporary period”.

Pupils and staff at the school were voluntarily tested for Covid-19 over the weekend by the Public Health Agency (PHA).

A post on social media - added yesterday- said: “As we continue to work with the PHA we would encourage all our students from the Portadown Campus to take the opportunity to get a COVID19 test.

“The mobile testing unit will be operational for students and staff from our Portadown Campus until 4pm today- Sunday 15 November 2020.

“Our aim is to support the PHA in obtaining as much information as possible around the current COVID19 cluster within our Portadown school community.

“Our priority at this time is the safety and welfare of all our students, staff & wider community.

Ms Harkness”

CSHS has around 600 pupils, all of whom are in year 11 or year 12.

That is because it operates under the Dickson plan, in which children transfer at age 14 from junior high schools in the Craigavon area.

Around a quarter of Craigavon Senior High’s pupils are taught at the school’s Lurgan campus, which will remain open.

But the majority of pupils will be taught remotely following the temporary closure of the Portadown campus.

Kelly welcomes swift action from Craigavon Senior High School

SDLP MLA for Upper Bann, Dolores Kelly, has welcomed swift action from Craigavon Senior High School to move all pupils at the Portadown campus to remote learning after a substantial Covid-19 outbreak.

Mrs Kelly said that school leaders have undertaken a huge amount of work over the weekend alongside health authorities to identify students at risk and put processes in place to ensure there is minimum disruption to learning.

“The substantial outbreak of Covid-19 at the Portadown campus of Craigavon Senior High School is a cause for concern for staff, students and their parents today,” she said.

“Thanks to the swift action of school leaders, we’re seeing a robust plan being implemented quickly that will ensure as little disruption as possible to learning as well as a commitment to keeping the school community safe.

“I understand that principal Ruth Harkness has been working throughout the weekend alongside school leaders and health authorities to identify students at risk of contact with the virus and to put a remote learning scheme in place for all those at the Portadown campus.

“They are to be commended for their hard work in difficult circumstances.

“This again underlines that young people are not immune to this virus and all of our school communities must remain vigilant to the threat. It also highlights how effectively our teachers and pupils are responding to the threat.”

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