Secondary school closes to break spread of flu

A secondary school has been closed for two days because of an outbreak of flu and streptococcus infection.

Head teacher of Budehaven Community School in Bude Dominic Wilkes said there had been more than 270 pupils and 32 members of staff off sick with the illnesses on Wednesday.

He said following advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Cornwall Council and the school's governors and senior staff had agreed "a firebreak" was "the best decision was to move to a remote curriculum to try and break the spread of infection".

The latest NHS figures show hospital admittances for flu are at their highest levels on record for this time of year.

The average number of flu patients per day in the week ending 7 December in Cornwall was 11, up from eight the week before.

University Hospitals Plymouth had nine in hospital, up from eight while Torbay & South Devon had seven, up from four.

The largest rise in the South West was at Royal Devon University Healthcare where there were 22 in hospital on 7 December, up from 12 the previous week.

Budehaven School has 1,167 pupils and 150 staff members - it is anticipated it will reopen on Monday, he added.

The head teacher said cleaners had been working before and after lessons but on Wednesday the school had reached the point where there were not enough teachers to cover lessons.

Mr Wilkes said: "Everybody's agreed it's a firebreak that's needed.

"It's not something we just do, it's not what anyone wants to do without any thought."

He said teachers had set enough work for the pupils to do at home and he thanked parents for their support.

Dr William Welfare, UKHSA's director of health protection in regions, said at this time of year respiratory viruses were not uncommon and spread easily from coughs and sneezes, "especially among young children".

He said: "School closures due to outbreaks are rare and are a decision for the head teacher based on a number of factors."

He said those factors included staff sickness, any possible safety issues, the numbers of more vulnerable children and whether part or all of the school needs to be closed so health protection measures such as deep cleaning can be carried out.

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