Update: Banbury school partially closes due to Covid-19

According to the Oxfordshire County Council's emergency school closure list, family groups three, five and six at Frank Wise School are closed (from today Monday July 5) due to a confirmed case of Covid-19. Staff and pupils will return on Tuesday July 13.

Frank Wise School becomes the second Banbury school currently impacted by Covid.

According to the Oxfordshire County Council's emergency school closure list, pupils from both years four and five at Hanwell Fields Community School in Banbury are self-isolating due to Covid-19.

In year four 29 pupils are self-isolating and 30 pupils from year five are self-isolating at Hanwell Fields Community School. The partial closure at Hanwell Fields Community School is from Friday July 2 to Friday July 9.

Students and several staff members from Wykham Park Academy had also been isolating at home due Covid, but they returned to school today (Monday July 5).

A spokesperson from Aspirations Academies Trust said: ''Wykham Park Academy staff and students in years seven, eight, nine and 10 sent home to self-isolate last week have now returned to school after it transpired the lateral flow tests taken by three members of staff were false positives.

"They went on to take PCR tests to make sure, as these offer greater accuracy, and the results came back negative.

''Staff and students were told on Sunday (yesterday) that they could return to Wykham today (Monday July 5). They were originally told to self-isolate until July 12th.

"We apologise for the disruption this has caused, however, we took guidance from Public Health England (PHE), which we are expected to do, and followed the instructions given. PHE advised that we send staff and students home to self-isolate following the Lateral Flow Tests.

''It's been fantastic to be able to welcome our staff and students back.''

There are now 20 schools across the county listed on Oxfordshire County Council's website for schools being partially closed due to Covid-19.