A teacher at Exmouth Community College has tested positive for coronavirus.

In a letter to parents, principal Andrew Davis confirmed the news saying the member of staff taught children of key workers and priority pupils on Friday (July 10).

Public Health England has been contacted.

He said the teacher presented in college as asymptomatic and, according to Public Health England guidelines, presents a lower risk since they were not coughing or sneezing.

All students who were taught by the teacher have been asked to self-isolate.

This comes 10 days after a pupil of Exmouth Community College tested positive for coronavirus after going to hospital for an unrelated injury.

Mr Davis said: “The member of staff had only taught key worker and priority children and had no contact with any other student group.

“The parents and carers of all the students they taught are currently being contacted to advise that they now need to go into isolation for 14 days and not return to college this week.

“As different student groups are taught separately from each other, and have different breaks and lunchtimes, only those students taught by this member of staff will be asked to self- isolate.”

Mr Davis also said year 10 and year 12 sessions as well as key stage three one-to-ones and year 10 one-to-ones all take place in different parts of the college, as do key worker student classes.

He added: “Students (are) not allowed to go from one area to the other.

“Therefore, only those students taught by this member of staff need to self-isolate and all those potentially affected have now been contacted.”

The college has been given a list of the staff who had socially distanced contact with the teacher on Friday.

Mr Davis said members of staff who had socially-distanced conversations with the teacher have been advised to stay at home this week.

He added that, given the range of measures put in place to help keep students safe, transmission within the school is ‘far less likely’ than when ‘out and about’ in the community