School reduces singing in assemblies amid flu surge

A primary school in Leeds has reduced singing in assemblies to cut the spread of flu, with the number of children off sick the highest recorded in more than a decade.

One in six children have been off or sent home from Wigton Moor Primary School this week and after-school clubs have been postponed, with head teacher Elaine Bown calling it the "worst year" for sickness since she started almost 14 years ago.

It comes as the NHS warned it was facing an unprecedented flu wave this winter.

Mrs Bown said: "What is particularly difficult is it gets passed on to teachers and staff. Keeping the school open is obviously our priority to make sure you can provide an education."

On Monday, 70 children were off sick or sent home from Wigton Moor in Alwoodley, with high temperatures or coughs, according to Mrs Bown.

Although some students have recovered and returned to school, the number has remained high throughout the week, with one class seeing almost all its students off during one day.

"It is really really high," Mrs Bown said.

"Our staff run the after-school clubs across year groups, so we wanted to stop the transmission, we have to prioritise learning."

Latest NHS figures show an average of 1,717 patients across the country were in a hospital bed every day last week because of flu.

Bosses are warning there is no sign of cases peaking yet, despite 17m flu jabs being delivered.

Alwoodley Medical Centre reported a "significant rise" in children needing treatment for coughs, chest infections and sore throats.

The centre has notified patients that consultations may be offered at alternative health centres because of demand.

Wigton Moor has introduced Covid-style measures to counter the spread.

These include opening windows and implementing sanitisation stations.

Mrs Bown said singing was "a tricky one".

She said: "We've had assemblies, but we've not sung in assemblies because again, we know that that's something that spreads it quite a lot.

"We are rehearsing for nativities at the moment and Christmas performances and we know from Covid that singing in schools is one of the worst spreaders.

"But we are also trying hard not to cancel Christmas, we do not want to do that, so we are trying to make it as non-infectious as we can manage."

Leeds City Council's director of public health, Victoria Eaton, encouraged everyone eligible for a flu vaccination to "take up the offer".

"Evidence shows this makes a big difference in preventing severe illness and hospitalisation," she said.

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