Coronavirus: Fleming Fulton school closes while staff isolate

A Belfast special school closed due to the number of staff currently self-isolating.

Fleming Fulton school in south Belfast has over 100 pupils with a range of special educational needs (SEN).

Fleming Fulton's principal Karen Hancock confirmed two members of staff had tested positive for Covid-19.

The decision to close was taken after consultation between the Public Health Agency (PHA), the Education Authority (EA) and the school, she said.

"This is because a number of staff are required to self-isolate and we must be content that we have adequate staffing in place, and have also taken all the necessary precautions before allowing pupils and staff back into the school," she added.

"We want to reassure parents and pupils that this is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but the health and safety of our whole school community is our priority.

"We will be working with the Public Health Agency and Education Authority today, to establish a plan to safely re-open the school in accordance with public health advice."

Parents were told of the decision to close the school in an email on Sunday night.

"At this stage on Sunday evening, we cannot be satisfied that we would have the necessary replacement staff to ensure the safety and well-being of our pupils at school tomorrow," the email said.

"We appreciate this is very short notice and will cause inconvenience for many families however, we trust that you understand this decision is driven by our focus to ensure your child's health, safety and well-being is our absolute priority."

Parents were told that the school would provide an update to them as soon as possible.

A number of schools in Northern Ireland have reported positive Covid-19 cases among staff or pupils since schools began to reopen on 24 August.

In the vast majority of cases specific classes of pupils have been told to self-isolate for 14 days following advice from the PHA.