Coronavirus: Some pupils told to stay at home from Portsmouth Academy, Priory School and Admiral Lord Nelson schools due to staff shortages

The Portsmouth Academy announced yesterday pupils in Year 9 and 10 would be told to stay home until the end of the week.

And Priory School in Southsea has shut for Year 9 pupils until ‘at least’ the end of the week.

It comes as Miltoncross Academy headteacher Fiona Calderbank yesterday told parents that the person in the 'school community' who had Covid-19 had not been on the premises for more than 72 hours.

Principal Rachel Grey at the academy said the decision would mean those in Year 7, 8 and 11 could be prioritised as they have exams, while the youngest year group is staying open due to parents' childcare concerns.

In a letter Mrs Grey said: 'I want to reassure you that the reason for the part-closure, for students in Yers 9 & 10, is solely so that we can focus our staff on other year groups.

'Students in Years 9 & 10 will be set work to complete (online).

'We will review the partial closure tomorrow (Wednesday) and will update all parents and carers accordingly following our meeting that day.'

Latest figures in Hampshire show 69 people have tested positive for Covid-19 – with three cases each in Portsmouth and Southampton.

In a website post, Priory headteacher Stewart Vaughan said: ‘Whilst we currently do not have any confirmed cases of Covid-19, we do have several staff absent who are currently self-isolating as they are displaying symptoms of Covid-19.

‘We also have staff who are in higher risk categories, as defined by the government, and as such have been advised to remain off work.

'This means that unfortunately, we will not have sufficient staff available to ensure adequate provision of learning and the safety of all of our students and will need to have a partial closure of the school for Year 9, starting from Wednesday 18 March until at least the end of the week.’

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He said students in Year 11 should continue to prepare for exams as normal. Work will be given to pupils online.

At Admiral Lord Nelson there is a rota system setting out the one-off days that year groups are being told to stay at home.

Year 10 students are not in school today.

Year 9 will be off tomorrow, and Year 8 will be off on Friday.

At Castle View Academy children are being spaced one metre apart for morning ‘roll call,’ with the afternoon ‘roll call’ cancelled.

Year 10 and 11 parents’ evenings have been cancelled, and Year 9 pupils' options meetings.

Headteacher Christian Down told parents: ‘You will appreciate these are unprecedented times and our priority must be the health and safety of our students, our staff and of course our wider community.’

Sir Jon Coles, chief executive of United Learning which runs the school, said: 'Our schools will remain open, wherever possible, until we are directed by government to do otherwise.’

He added: ‘Whilst all our schools remain open as normal at present, we are also finalising our planning for what we will put in place if they do need to close temporarily.’

At Springfield School, a March 22 theatre trip to London has been cancelled. Trips to Germany on June 19 and Disney in France on July 16 'remain under review' but are 'likely to be cancelled,' a statement on the school website said.

It added: 'If the school is asked to close, teachers will endeavour to set work for pupils to complete using the Google Classroom system.'

Trafalgar School headteacher Claire Copeland said she is following government advice.

She said: ‘The school and all our calendared events will continue as planned.’

St Edmund’s Catholic School and Mayfield School have not publicly posted updates on the situation.

At Hayling College Year 9 is closed today , on while Year 8 is closed on Thursday, and Year 7 on Friday.

Coronavirus: the facts

What is coronavirus?

Covid-19 is a respiratory illness that can affect lungs and airways. It is caused by a virus called coronavirus.

What caused coronavirus?

The outbreak started in Wuhan in China in December 2019 and it is thought that the virus, like others of its kind, has come from animals.

How is it spread?

As this is such a new illness, experts still aren’t sure how it is spread. But similar viruses are spread in cough droplets. Therefore covering your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing, and disposing of used tissues straight away is advised. Viruses like coronavirus cannot live outside the body for very long.

What are the symptoms?

The NHS states that the symptoms are: a dry cough, high temperature and shortness of breath - but these symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness. Look out for flu-like symptoms, such as aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose and a sore throat. It’s important to remember that some people may become infected but won’t develop any symptoms or feel unwell.

What precautions can be taken?

Washing your hands with soap and water thoroughly. The NHS also advises to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze; put used tissues in the bin immediately and try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell. Also avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth unless your hands are clean.

Sources: World Health Organisation and NHS