Pandemic: When do schools close?

By Alison Smith
BBC News education reporter

Who closes a school depends on what type of school it is

Guidance for head teachers on school closures last issued during the bird flu alert in 2006 is being urgently checked and updated to cover a possible swine flu pandemic.

Schools are likely to be at the forefront of efforts to stop flu spreading, because evidence suggests children have less innate immunity, carry the virus for longer than adults and carry more of it.

When they come together in school, flu can spread rapidly.

But when exactly would the decision be taken to close schools, and who would take it?

During the recent episodes of snow across the UK, there seemed to be no right or wrong point at which to close.

Some head teachers were condemned for keeping schools shut and forcing parents to stay off work to look after their children, when other schools seemed to do everything possible to stay open.

But should there be a risk to children's health, one might expect a much more organised and uniform approach.

Could all UK schools be closed overnight in one fell swoop?

At this point it is impossible to say. England's Department for Health said it would not comment on whether the government might ever decide to close all public institutions.

The Scottish Government says: "Advising all schools in an affected area to close may offer the most practical option.

"Whilst this would disrupt education and have a significant negative effect on services and businesses, particularly those highly dependent on working parents, these disadvantages would be outweighed by the children's lives saved."

'Lead role'

Ordinarily, a head decides whether the school should close in consultation with the school's board of governors.

But their usual autonomy could well be overridden by the education authority which would take its cue from health agencies on a government level.

The Health Protection Agency, which is responsible for protecting public health across the UK, would "take the lead role" in responding to a pandemic, the Department of Health said.

England's Department for Children, Schools and Families said that where state schools were concerned, the education authority would decide whether they should close.

We don't take closing the school lightly, but the health and well-being of our young people and our staff is absolutely paramount Jane English, head teacher

"The HPA would have an advisory role, but we would strongly advise schools to follow the HPA's guidance," a DCSF spokeswoman said.

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council, which has around 400 schools, said they would do just that.

But for independent schools, voluntary aided schools, foundation schools and academies, which are run independently from the local authority, the governing bodies would decide when they should be shut.

So conceivably there could be a situation where some schools close before others.

On Monday, nine further cases of swine flu were confirmed in the UK - five of them involving Year 7 pupils at independent Alleyn's School in Dulwich, London, which announced it would close by for at least a week.

Governors at another private school, Dolphin School in Battersea, London, decided to shut it as a precaution after it emerged that two pupils - siblings of pupils at Alleyn's - had been confirmed with the virus.

Swine flu has already closed another private secondary school, South Hampstead High School in north west London, and two state schools, Downend Comprehensive in South Gloucestershire and Paignton Community and Sports College in Devon.

Paignton will remain shut until 11 May after a 12-year-old girl who is a pupil there contracted swine flu in Mexico.

Principal Jane English said: "We don't take closing the school lightly, but the health and well-being of our young people and our staff is absolutely paramount.

"It's not an ideal time with young people taking public exams, but clearly health is far more important."

Checklists

In the meantime, head teachers might be well advised to start reading the DCSF guidance, which runs to several pages, covering different scenarios of preparedness and infection control.

There are model plans for schools and colleges to help them decide what to do to prepare for a pandemic and a further checklist of actions which the government will deliver "once a pandemic is more imminent".

The first checklist should be performed when the alert level is between one and four, so now the alert is at level five, heads should already have consulted it.

It includes considerations such as "Develop communication and dissemination plans for staff, students, and families, including information about possible closures, any timetable changes, and - where relevant - transport changes."

And: "Consider how you might operate in the event of key staff absence (including both teaching and ancillary staff). Review arrangements for covering teaching and non teaching duties."

No school has to demonstrate it has ticked all the boxes - but the list is meant as a guide for school leaders to ensure they have everything covered.

'Angry'

Some people are taking no chances.

Parent Rebecca Laws in March, Cambridgeshire, told BBC News: "I will not send my daughter to school until proper sanitary measures are taken to try to minimise the possible human to human spread of swine flu.

"I am teaching my daughter at home, keeping to her normal timetable and key stage level. I am angry that schools, colleges and work places have not taken more initiative regarding this matter, and I feel it is better to err on the side of caution.

"I am frustrated that it is human nature to shut the gate after the horse has bolted."

Should there be disruption to schooling, summer exams may also be put on hold.

Exam boards and regulators have held discussions with government representatives for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the university admissions body Ucas to agree a common approach if required.

The Scottish Government said that if exams were disrupted schools would be advised on what to do to ensure candidates would be treated fairly and not be disadvantaged, and that their work would be assessed and qualifications awarded.

In the meantime pupils who will be taking their examinations in the next few weeks are being advised to continue to study as normal.

There was similar reassurance from the English watchdog, Ofqual, which said it was reviewing its contingency plan.

But, like the Department of Health, it would not elaborate on what that overall plan was.