SWINE FLU: Exeter school cancels ceremonies

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl from a school for the blind and partially sighted in Exeter has been isolated with suspected swine flu.

The teenager, from the West of England School, was taken ill in class yesterday and sent home with medication.

The news came as West Exe Technology College announced it was cancelling a parents' evening and three 'celebration' events to help stem the spread of the virus.

Yesterday, parents across Exeter continued to contact the Echo to alert us to cases of swine flu in schools.

Whipton Barton Infants confirmed they had sent a letter out after two of their pupils were clinically diagnosed with swine flu.

A spokeswoman for St Sidwell's C of E Primary School said she believed one child in the school and another in the nursery were being treated for swine flu symptoms.

Two students at Colyton Grammar School have been diagnosed with swine flu.

The West of England School, in line with all others across Exeter, has decided to remain open following its suspected case.

However, parents have been advised they can keep their children away from the school if they want to.

Principal Tracy de Bernhardt Dunkin said: "At the moment the advice we have is that there is no immediate need to close the school and college since we are dealing with a suspected case of swine flu.

"At this stage it is important that we give parents the option to do what they want and we will support whatever decision they make. Our primary concern right now is for the girl at the centre of all this. At the moment she is relatively well and we will be keeping in close contact with the family."

Rick Jolley, deputy headteacher of West Exe Technology College, said the situation remained that three cases of swine flu had been confirmed in the school, with another three suspected.

He added: "We have cancelled a range of after-school activities which we see as non-essentials.

"Three celebration evenings to reward subject-based achievements and one parents' evening have been postponed."

He said the school had decided not to gather hundreds of people in the hall at close proximity given the situation. The events will be held in the autumn.

"Other than that, the school continues to operate as normal," he added.

Three children from Little Ones Childcare based at Wynstream School in Wonford, who were all treated for the virus earlier this week, have now been given the all-clear.

The youngsters had been given swab tests which all returned a negative result, according to nursery owner Katie Porter.

A 19-year-old from London yesterday became the fourth person in the UK to die after contracting swine flu.