A NUMBER of Romsey schools have been affected by the Government's announcement of school closures.

Boris Johnson said schools in England will close their gates on Friday until further notice, but urged parents not to leave children in the care of grandparents or older relatives who are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill with coronavirus.

The school closures have also affected exams, with it thought GCSE and A Level exams also being cancelled.

In the Test Valley, The Romsey School, Mountbatten School and Stroud School were among those partially closing before the news was announced by Mr Johnson.

Now, schools have reacted to the news.

Colm McKavanagh, headteacher of The Romsey School said: "As you can imagine it is all hands on deck at the moment to make sure that pupils are set up to continue their learning once schools are closed.

"Staff have been brilliant and have made sure that the on-line learning portals are filled with activities for the pupils and will be continuing to monitor and assess the work that they do, albeit remotely.

"We are of course providing a local provision for children of key workers and we are working collaboratively with our cluster of schools to act as a hub, providing continued education, activities and a daily meal.

We await further clarification with regard to the cancelling of all exams so that we can provide further reassurance to our Year 11 students who are naturally anxious for the future.

"Our message to parents and the children is keep following the advice from Public Health England and we will all pull through this difficult time."

Mr Worrall, Headmaster of Stroud School, described this "unprecedented" moment.

He said: “In recent days, I have been humbled by both the efforts of the staff and the response by our parents.

"This is not an event that features in normal school planning and is unprecedented in my 20 years of teaching. Despite this, the staff have been amazing, preparing for a closure whilst still teaching a ‘normal’ full timetable load.

"Our parents, who are just as stretched within their own working lives, have been nothing but supportive.

"Together, we will close the school on Friday; sending home children who remain happy and secure in the knowledge that we will get through this as a whole community."

Cliff Canning, Headmaster, Embley, said: “For some time, we have been preparing for an announcement that the Government may close schools. 

“Embley’s Digital Learning Strategy has been in place for three years and all pupils having access to our ecosystem of digital resources. 

“Combined with virtual feedback, support and encouragement from our teaching staff, we can provide continuity in our high standards of teaching and learning while the school is temporarily closed.”