School to partially shut as dozens of pupils self-isolate
JON MACPHERSON
DOZENS of pupils at an Accrington school are self-isolating over coronavirus fears with a partial closure set to come into force.
Mount Carmel RC High School headteacher Xavier Bowers said out of 800 pupils on the roll, 100 pupils were absent from school on Monday with 65 ‘linked to the virus’.
Mr Bowers stressed there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus reported at the school and the absences could be ‘seasonal flu’.
Of the 100 teaching and support staff at the school, 12 fall under into the ‘vulnerable’ category as classed by the Government’s scientific and medical advisors.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Bowers said he is not expecting them to report for work on Monday and the school ‘won’t be fully open if that happens’.
He said: “We are fully open at the moment. We don’t have any confirmed cases as far as staff are concerned or staff families.
“We have a number of children and families who have decided to self-isolate.
“There are about 800 pupils on the roll. There were 100 children absent from school yesterday.
“Sixty-five were linked to the virus and others were just normal absence.
“It may be just seasonal flu. The lack of testing is a reoccuring issue and various specialists have given advice on what to do for the best. We have a number of staff who fall into the ‘vulnerable’ category and at the moment they are at work.
“Based on what was said yesterday they are going to be advised to quarantine for 12 weeks.
“That’s what we are preparing for. We won’t be fully open if that happens. We will have to take the decision to partially close. I think schools will struggle to cope once that happens.”
Mount Carmel has announced a range of ‘significant’ measures to reduce risk of infection, including:
ONLY allowing essential visitors to come onto the school site.
CANCELLING all non-essential staff meetings, staff briefings, staff training, and non-essential staff visits
CANCELLING all non-essential pupil school visits and activities in school
AS soon as pupils have eaten their food at break and lunch to move outside, or in bad weather into the pod or school hall
The school has cancelled a number of upcoming events, including all sports fixtures and school lettings, a face to face Year 11 parents evening on March 19 and a Year 6 welcome evening on March 24.
The senior leadership team will also meet every day at 8.10am to review the ‘fast-changing situation’ in order to be able to update staff, pupils and parents as soon as possible.
Mr Bowers said the situation is ‘completely unprecedented’ and doesn’t believe their is a ‘right answer’ about school closures. He said: “I can see all the reasons why schools should stay open from an achievement and safeguarding point of view, but I can also see why people like the World Health
Organisation are frustrated with the fact the government have not followed on from other countries in Europe and closing.
“I don’t think there’s a right answer to the situation.”
Prime Minster Boris Johnson announced as the Observer went to press that schools would close on Friday for the foreseeable future but would remain open for children of people in frontline services.