The students, whose cost is £ 42,000 a year, are sent home to isolation after a “ large number ” of students tested positive – prompting worried parents that the move would “ spread the coronavirus across the country ”.
- A “large number” of students at a college near Windsor tested positive for the Covid virus
- The Telegraph says that school heads decided to send home the entire Year 12 group
- Sources say parents are angry and say the move is “ spreading Covid throughout the UK ”
- College presidents reportedly defended the decision – which was made after medical advice
Eton College has been accused of “spreading the Coronavirus nationwide” after sending an entire year of students home following the outbreak.
All students of the lower sixth grade of the prestigious boarding school – Year 12 – have been told to quarantine their home after a “ large ” number of students tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, according to reports.
Parents whose children go to the £ 42,000 a year boarding school, near Windsor, Berkshire, are understood to be ‘angry’ about the decision, according to reports. The Telegraph.
It comes on the heels of an earlier outbreak in college last month when presidents confirmed that many of their 1,300 students had Covid-19 upon returning from summer vacation.
On that occasion, the students were asked to isolate.
But Eaton’s chiefs told the Telegraph that, “given the number” of students participating in the event, medical advice from Public Health England was that students “could not safely isolate” the school.
All of the most prestigious boarding schools (pictured: Library Photo) Lower Sixth – Year 12 – have been told to quarantine their home after a “ significant ” number of pupils tested positive for Covid-19, according to reports.
Presidents at the prestigious boarding school also told the newspaper that it had pushed to create its own pathway and tracking and testing system in order to take the pressure off the NHS.
MailOnline last night called Eton College for a comment.
However, some parents are said to have been angered by the decision. A source told The Telegraph: “ Children who live abroad are raised to the families of fellow students.
‘they [the parents] You don’t mind increasing the number of children at all, but they do object to the virus spreading across the country when it can be contained at school.
Current government advice is that boarding schools are advised to consult parents on the decision about sending children home for isolation.
This is in contrast to universities, which are being asked to contain the outbreak wherever possible, by keeping students on campus.
The latest outbreak in Eton comes after an outbreak last month, when The results of a “small number” of students tested positive for the disease upon their return from summer vacation.
Presidents at the prestigious boarding school also told the newspaper that it had pushed to create its own pathway and tracking and testing system in order to take the pressure off the NHS.
Final year students were the last to return to college in Berkshire and pupils were specially tested for the virus upon their arrival.
Eaton confirmed that many of their students have found they have Covid-19 and that those who have tested positive have been isolated.
The outbreak is believed to have affected three of Eton’s interior homes: the Angelo House, the Watton House, and the Kate House.
The college did not confirm which homes were involved, but said at the time that parents had been informed of the outbreak.
The £ 42,000 school was founded in 1441 and has many notable alumni including Prince William, Prince Harry and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
It’s also where former Prime Minister David Cameron was taught, along with Bear Grylls and actors Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.
The government advises international students who are traveling to the UK to attend a boarding school to self-isolate for two weeks before returning to the term.
