Vomiting bug spreads across city
Thirteen schools are now closed and 70 are under "no visiting" restrictions as a winter vomiting bug tightens its grip on classrooms across Bradford.
The measures have affected almost half of the city's 88,000 pupils, the local education authority said on Monday.
It urged parents to impose an Easter holiday curfew on ill children in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
The city council also said it feared the current outbreak was so widespread it could hit this year's GCSE results.
A spokeswoman said the local authority was preparing to send in teams of environmental health officers to deep-clean schools over the 11-day Easter break, which starts on Thursday 13 April.
One more school - Thornton primary - was added to the list of full closures on Monday. That means 83 of the city's 208 schools have been affected in some way.
Where restrictions are in place, parents are being asked to drop off and pick up children at the school gates and out-of-school clubs have been cancelled.
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=fact>BRADFORD'S CLOSED SCHOOLS
<!--Smva-->Iqra Primary
High Fernley Primary
Carlton Bolling College
Woodlands Primary
Carrwood Primary
St Bede's Secondary
All Saint's Primary (Bradford)
Worthinghead Primary (reception)
Nab Wood Secondary
Barker End Primary
Thornton Primary
<!--Emva--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
In total, 43 schools or nurseries have been closed in the city since the outbreak started in mid-February.
Anthony Mugan, head of Bradford Council's education client team, said: "During the Easter holiday we will continue to apply the appropriate precautions, restrictions, and deep cleans where appropriate on a case-by-case basis.
"We are also urging parents to help us to use the break as a chance to stop the spread of the bug and to keep their children at home if they are poorly.
"The virus is spreading daily to more schools, and schools are doing all they can to help stop it spreading further."
Children with symptoms of sickness or diarrhoea should not attend any community events during the break, such as sports camps and activities held in community halls, churches schools or mosques until they are clear of any symptoms for at least 48 hours.
"This is a community-wide issue and we hope people will work together to help us to wipe out the bug over Easter," said Mr Mugan.
A council spokeswoman said the outbreak had disrupted a scheme under which GCSE pupils move between the city's schools to study specialist subjects.
"This means they can't visit the schools which specialise in their subjects so there is real concern that this may affect our results this year," she said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/bradford/4872382.stm
Thirteen schools are now closed and 70 are under "no visiting" restrictions as a winter vomiting bug tightens its grip on classrooms across Bradford.
The measures have affected almost half of the city's 88,000 pupils, the local education authority said on Monday.
It urged parents to impose an Easter holiday curfew on ill children in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
The city council also said it feared the current outbreak was so widespread it could hit this year's GCSE results.
A spokeswoman said the local authority was preparing to send in teams of environmental health officers to deep-clean schools over the 11-day Easter break, which starts on Thursday 13 April.
One more school - Thornton primary - was added to the list of full closures on Monday. That means 83 of the city's 208 schools have been affected in some way.
Where restrictions are in place, parents are being asked to drop off and pick up children at the school gates and out-of-school clubs have been cancelled.
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=fact>BRADFORD'S CLOSED SCHOOLS
<!--Smva-->Iqra Primary
High Fernley Primary
Carlton Bolling College
Woodlands Primary
Carrwood Primary
St Bede's Secondary
All Saint's Primary (Bradford)
Worthinghead Primary (reception)
Nab Wood Secondary
Barker End Primary
Thornton Primary
<!--Emva--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
In total, 43 schools or nurseries have been closed in the city since the outbreak started in mid-February.
Anthony Mugan, head of Bradford Council's education client team, said: "During the Easter holiday we will continue to apply the appropriate precautions, restrictions, and deep cleans where appropriate on a case-by-case basis.
"We are also urging parents to help us to use the break as a chance to stop the spread of the bug and to keep their children at home if they are poorly.
"The virus is spreading daily to more schools, and schools are doing all they can to help stop it spreading further."
Children with symptoms of sickness or diarrhoea should not attend any community events during the break, such as sports camps and activities held in community halls, churches schools or mosques until they are clear of any symptoms for at least 48 hours.
"This is a community-wide issue and we hope people will work together to help us to wipe out the bug over Easter," said Mr Mugan.
A council spokeswoman said the outbreak had disrupted a scheme under which GCSE pupils move between the city's schools to study specialist subjects.
"This means they can't visit the schools which specialise in their subjects so there is real concern that this may affect our results this year," she said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/bradford/4872382.stm