One of Doncaster’s biggest schools closes due to winter vomiting disease

Trinity Academy, in Thorne, was closed on Friday because of the number of pupils suffering from symptoms which are described as consistent with those of norovirus.

And parents of pupils at Long Toft Primary School in Stainforth were contacted by text to inform them the school would be closed on Friday due to the number of pupils who had suffered sickness.

Parents on pupils at Trinity were notified by the school of the closure, which reopened on Monday, after a deep clean of the premises.

Executive principal Jonathan Winch said there had been 124 pupils off with the bug when he decided to close the school.

He said: “In liaison with public health experts, we took the decision to close the Academy for one day after staff and students reported symptoms consistent with Norovirus.

“As this is a highly infectious virus and 124 students were off school, with the number increasing rapidly, we felt closure was a responsible course of action to avoid further spread of the infection.

“In addition, we have taken the opportunity to carry out a deep clean of the Academy, which will reopen on Monday.”

He added: “I have been advised by the Health Protection Unit that this is a mild illness caused by a virus, but that it is very infectious.”

Mum Rosemary Squires, who has a child at Long Toft, said she had received the text saying the school would be closed due to the extraordinary number of pupils and staff off with the illness and stating the school would undergo a deep clean .

She said: “We knew that it had been affecting children elsewhere. Now we’re keeping a close eye on our children in case they go down with it.”

Parents have been warned that symptoms typically begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure, lasting typically from one to three days. The symptoms of the virus can be a combination of the following nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

The school has passed on NHS advice to parents to ensure children drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, give them paracetamol for any fever, aches and pains, ensure they get plenty of rest, and if they feel like eating, give them easy to digest foods such as bread or brown rice

The are also told to stay at home as there is nothing the GP can prescribe for sickness and diarrhoea, although a local chemist may be able to provide rehydration solutions, and to contact their GP or call NHS 111 to seek advice if the symptoms last longer than a few days.

Parents are also being told that if their child is affected, they should not return to school until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped to prevent further spread of the virus.

Norovirus is extremely contagious and easily spread – and parents have been told that to help prevent the spread of the virus they should wash hands frequently, and encourage their children to do the same – especially after going to the toilet, before eating and before handling food; ensure an infected child is not sharing things such as toys, food, blankets; encourage all children and adults to cover their mouth and nose with disposable tissues and wash their hands after using or disposing of tissues; ensure all spillages of faeces and vomit are cleaned up immediately.