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Mar 2020

Last Updated: 09/03/2020

Education

Will Chinese students be stuck in Harrogate this Easter?

by Tamsin

| 05 Mar, 2020

One school in Harrogate tells The Stray Ferret that it's a worrying time and some pupils may have to stay here for Easter

The families of Chinese students at two Harrogate private boarding schools face the dilemma of whether or not their children should go home for the Easter holidays.

China, where the disease originated, has seen 80,430 cases with 3,013 deaths and more than 6,000 seriously ill.

Sylvia Brett, Principal of Harrogate Ladies’ College, Highfield Prep School and Highfield Pre-School told The Stray Ferret:

“A small percentage of our pupils are from Category 1 and Category 2 regions who, following our advice, haven’t been home since Christmas.

“They will either remain in the UK during the Easter holidays or self-isolate away from school for 14 days on their return.

“Some are quite naturally worried about friends and family at home and we’re working hard to support them emotionally through this time. We’re also reviewing overseas trips currently planned for the Summer Term and will decide over the coming weeks whether they will go ahead.”

The college has installed additional alcohol hand sanitisers around school. The prep school pupils, who normally shake hands with staff when they arrive at school in the morning, have been asked to get creative with alternative greetings such as foot taps, elbow bumps and even the Star Trek “Live Long and Prosper” greeting. She adds:

“We’ve been planning and preparing for the impact of coronavirus since the end of January. It’s a very worrying time for everyone and our whole school community is working hard to help prevent the spread of the virus.”

The College has a team of qualified nurses in its Wellness Centre and they’ve been medically briefed on the virus and have been liaising with both Public Health England and NHS111.

A Contingency Planning Team is working on short, medium and long term plans, covering all aspects of running a school including providing lessons via an on-line learning environment and video conferencing if necessary.

The college believes it's time for people to keep cool heads and Sylvia Brett points out:

"I think it’s really important for the sake of the children that we remain calm, but it’s also important that we’re prepared for any future developments and so we’re focusing on trying to achieve both of these things.”

Ashville College says it is keeping the parents of its students regularly updated.

The Boarding Schools Association (BSA), of which Harrogate Ladies College and Ashville are both members, gives very specific advice for boarding schools with Chinese students, saying. ‘We advise those who decide to travel that protective measures could well be in place before they return. Depending upon how the virus spreads, this could include the need for returning pupils to be quarantined.’