Eton pupils under lockdown after rise in Covid infections

ETON College has gone into “lockdown” following an outbreak of Covid as parents tell of their anger at boys being told to stay in their boarding house for remote lessons.

The school wrote to parents this week to explain that they are taking a series of measures to ensure that the virus does not spread throughout the school.

At the start of the week, around 50 students were told to remain in their accommodation for 48 hours where they received tuition remotely.

The entire school was told to wear masks and take daily lateral flow tests, with chapel and assemblies cancelled for the week.

Some parents are said to be “appalled” at what is going on, with one saying the school has gone into a “total panic”.

One parent told The Telegraph’s Planet Normal podcast of her frustration at the disruption to the boys’ schooling.

“The school has gone into hunkering-down mode,” she said. “It’s like we are living in a two-tier society where young people are still being put into lockdown and bending over backwards for something they are not even going to be very ill for.”

Headteachers have been told by ministers that many of the restrictions which were in place last academic year are no longer necessary. Children are now only meant to self-isolate if they have tested positive with a PCR test or have symptoms. But many schools have started to implement more stringent measures after detecting a rise in cases, picked up initially by lateral flow tests.

“This is not how we are operating outside of schools,” the parent said. “If I am in the same house as someone with Covid, I can still go to work. It is all very frustrating. We need to stop constantly testing children. Parents have been appalled.”

Secondary school students are advised by the Government to take two lateral flow tests each week during term time but should only be asked to isolate if they have tested positive on a followup PCR test, or if they are showing symptoms. Schools can step up measures if they see a rise in positive cases that could constitute an outbreak, according to official guidance.

Eton, wrote to parents earlier this week saying that they have “seen a rise in the number of boys testing positive for Covid-19 in school”.

They added: “Following the advice of the health protection team, we have introduced certain measures to mitigate the risk of spreading infection, whilst at the same time providing the boys with as normal experience as possible.”

A spokesman for the school said: “Pupils and staff in one particular boarding house have been asked to selfisolate for 48 hours."

They added that parents have been “understanding and supportive” of the measures.

‘Young people are put into lockdown and bending over backwards for something they are not even going to be very ill for’