U.K.’s Elite Schools Shutter Ahead of Government Guidance
U.K.’s Elite Schools Start to Close Despite Government Guidance
(Bloomberg) --
The U.K. government is belatedly shutting down its school system. Some of the country’s most prestigious private schools took matters into their own hands days earlier.
Westminster School, in the heart of London, announced Tuesday it would close for the remainder of the current term and move to online teaching. Harrow School, which counts Winston Churchill among its former students, also said it would close and provide educational services remotely after a pupil tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Daily Mail. Rugby School, a boarding school in the center of England, has done the same.
“We are in a unique position as a boarding school in central London and that brings with it a duty of care,” Westminster Head Master Patrick Derham said in a statement. “Given the paramount importance of safeguarding the wellbeing and health of the school community, and with the already considerable impact on both staff and pupils of the latest measures for self-isolation, usual operations remain unsustainable.”
The requirements for self-isolation and social distancing are particularly difficult at boarding schools.
Changes were apparent even before the closures. For decades, some of Asia’s wealthiest families sent their children to top U.K. fee-paying schools. The spread of coronavirus into Europe meant international students at Winchester College -- whose history stretches back more than 600 years -- had already returned home to avoid any potential travel lockdown, according to a spokeswoman. The school is sending its remaining pupils home and deploying remote learning, its headmaster announced Wednesday.
A network of French schools in London have also closed. Lessons at the Lycee Francais have been suspended since the end of school on Monday, according to a March 15 letter to parents.
The closures of these institutions was at odds with the initial stance of the U.K. government, which waited until Wednesday afternoon to announce U.K. schools will close from Friday.
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