Covid-19 Scandal at Cavendish School

The NEU and GMB were very concerned to discover that there has been a confirmed case of Covid-19 at the Cavendish Hub where a staff member tested positive last weekend (9-10th May). The Cavendish School  Hub has had children in from Cavendish School, Stafford and Roselands ESCC schools as well as smaller numbers from other Eastbourne schools. 

East Sussex NEU Branch said:

"Thankfully we understand the member of staff is not seriously ill but the potential infection that may have taken place given the size of the hub represents a serious and imminent threat to heath.

We are particularly concerned as despite this being known by some of the senior leadership on Monday 11th May all staff and parents were not made aware until late Friday 15th May. This was only disclosed at all after the unions were informed of the case on Friday 15th May and contacted management to say we would tell staff and parents if they did not.

Allowing staff and children to attend the hub for a whole week without informing them, shutting, allowing testing to take place, and doing a full school deep clean is unacceptable. There has clearly been a series of failures here and as advice was sought by leadership from East Sussex County Council and Public health England it raises serious questions about the quality of that advice.

The NEU has met virtually with its members across Stafford, Roselands and Cavendish to give advice and discuss the situation. It is clear that there are extremely serious questions to be answered: 

• Why were all staff and parents not told of a confirmed case and what advice was given to the leadership? 
• Given the unions had already been raising concerns with ESCC that the hub was too big how will the council and school leadership respond to having potentially having Covid-19 present in a building which had up to 100 people present in it? 
• How quickly can tests be provided for all those who have been on site and families? Why was such a large hub allowed to open and what assessments of the risk were done? 
• How is a school wide deep clean on Monday 18th be sufficient response to a case identified on Monday 11th when people have been in the building all week potentially spreading the virus?
• How can a reopening of the hub on Tuesday be justified? 

Indeed, how can there be faith from school staff and parents that any East Sussex schools can open more widely from 1st June when even with limited opening an outbreak in a school has been handled so badly?   The National Education Union will be continuing to advise its members directly and will be looking for an urgent meeting with East Sussex County Council and school leaders."

You can also read the press statement from the GMB by clicking here.