Bullies subject schoolboy to ‘horrendous abuse’ after one of his relatives caught coronavirus forcing class to be cancelled
- Hilbre High School on the Wirral, Merseyside is one of several to close this week
- School said it was closing after a parent of a pupil tested positive for coronavirus
- Was later confirmed that a different relative the boy didn’t live with was infected
- Mother revealed the boy suffered ‘horrendous abuse’ after the school was closed
A child has received ‘horrendous abuse’ at his school after it was closed when one of his relatives tested positive for coronavirus.
Hilbre High School on the Wirral, Merseyside is one of several to send its pupils and teachers home amid an outbreak of the deadly disease across the country.
It was closed for ‘precautionary measures’ on Tuesday, with the school stating a parent who tested positive for coronavirus had visited the grounds the day before.
The statement was later corrected by the school, which confirmed that it was a different relative who had been infected.
His mother revealed that the boy had only had brief contact with the family member, who he does not live with, but had still received abuse from fellow pupils.
Hilbre High School on the Wirral, Merseyside is one of several to send its pupils and teachers home amid an outbreak of the deadly disease across the country
She told The Times: ‘He’s really upset because of this – a thousand kids have gone home because of him. He doesn’t need this and I have to protect him and my family.
‘Even though Public Health England have said that he could go to school, people were being abusive.’
The boy is currently in self-isolation and his mother is not going into work.
On Wednesday, the school’s headteacher Mark Bellamy admitted he defied Prime Minister Boris Jonson’s orders to stay open unless told otherwise by health officials.
The school’s headteacher Mark Bellamy (pictured) admitted he defied Prime Minister Boris Jonson’s orders to stay open unless told otherwise by health officials
He said the case ‘directly impacts his students and staff’ and that the school would be disinfected and deep cleaned for two days before reopening on Friday.
It comes as two universities cancelled their graduation ceremonies over coronavirus worries yesterday as more schools ignored official advice not to close.
The University of London and the University of Buckingham scrapped the events despite neither institution having any cases of the virus.
Both were set to host graduands and their relatives from around the world, prompting fears from organisers that the virus could be spread.
Separately, Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, a faith school in Chigwell, Essex, told parents they were closing for ‘at least’ the rest of the week, despite no confirmed case.
A PHE spokesman said: ‘We are aware that some schools have taken a precautionary decision to close.
‘Public Health England’s advice to schools where there has been a suspected case of COVID-19 is that the school does not need to close, or send any staff or pupils home while waiting for the results of tests.
Coronavirus fears have gripped Britain, as a pedestrian is pictured wearing a protective facemask while taking a bus in Westminster, London
‘If a pupil, teacher or other member of staff in a school is confirmed as a case of novel coronavirus, Public Health England will work closely with them to undertake a risk assessment and take all necessary action including tracing close contacts of confirmed cases.’
The University of Buckingham also announced it was cancelling its graduation ceremony, set for March 20 and 21, despite having no cases.
Sir Anthony Seldon, the vice-chancellor, told students: ‘Any disappointment felt is entirely understandable but we truly believe this is the best decision for our students and their guests.
‘Our hope is that by announcing this news as early as possible, those who need to invoke cancellation policies on travel or accommodation will still have time to do so.’
The University of London’s graduation ceremony for ‘students of our distance and flexible learning programmes’ which had been scheduled for yesterday was also cancelled, also without any cases of coronavirus being recorded.
The event at the Barbican Centre in London had been expected to attract 4,000 people from over 100 countries, the university said.
