Pupils who have coughs will be sent home from school to stop the spread of coronavirus, according to new guidelines.
Anyone showing symptoms of a “new, continuous cough or a high temperature” will need to be collected from the school by their parents.
Until they arrive, teachers will need to usher pupils into a room on their own where they can be isolated “behind a closed door”, reports the Daily Star.
The government advice says “ideally” there should be an open window, and that they must try and use a separate toilet to the other kids before being collected.
Teachers who help them are told to continue as normal unless they begin to show symptoms themselves.
School closures will not be needed in the event of a coughing student – but this will be a local decision based on factors such as establishment size and risk of further spread.
The local Public Health England Health Protection Team will take contact the school and undertake a risk assessment if there is a public health action to take.
It says PHE will “rarely advise” a school to close, but adds: “This may be necessary if there are so many staff being isolated that the school has operational issues.”
Regularly touched objects should also be cleaned and disinfected more than usual using standard cleaning products.
Young children should be supervised to ensure they wash their hands for 20 seconds using soap and water.
The government says the guidance, which covers childcare, schools, further and higher educational institutions, may be further updated in line with the changing situation.
Amid blanket closures in European nations such as Ireland, Spain and France, many UK parents have expressed fears that their children could catch Covid-19 in the classroom or that they could be fined for keeping their kids at home.
Meanwhile, an online petition calling for parents to avoid prosecution if they pull their children out school due to coronavirus fears has more than 60,000 signatures.
The #Covid19walkout hashtag trended on Twitter last night with parents citing concerns over the health of students and elderly relatives who are most at risk of contracting the deadly disease.
One person said: "My mum is a teacher in her 60s, coming home to my Dad in his 70s. As much as Boris finds them disposable, they're the only family I've got and they deserve a damn sight more than being written off to balance his books. "
Another said: "I commend all the kids planning a #Covid19Walkout, in normal circumstances school is important but these aren't normal circumstances and with a negligent government, you have to do what's best for your health and the health of your family."
