News, sport and entertainment from the Bournemouth Echo and Dorset Echo.

SCHOOLS IN FLU CRISIS

From the Echo, first published Thursday 25th Jan 2001.

TEACHERS off sick due to the winter flu bug are causing a severe staffing crisis in some secondary schools - threatening to disrupt the education of hundreds of children.

One school in Bournemouth fears it may even have to send home an entire year group of pupils because it cannot find temporary teaching staff to stand in for those struck down with flu.

The problem is greater in secondary schools than primaries because teaching staff need to be specialised in particular subjects, especially examination topics.

At Winton Secondary, five or six teachers have been absent every day for the past two weeks and there are fears that a year group will have to be sent home if temporary teaching replacements are not found.

Assistant head teacher, James Simms, said: "The last two weeks have been very bad. We are suffering quite serious staff shortages due to bug and chest infections.

"The supply teacher agencies are also having problems finding specialised staff to step in. We are prioritising in examination subjects such as English, maths and science to make sure that these are covered.

"Subjects that are suffering are technology, music, and humanities. It's come close once or twice to us having to send home a year group and it's still possible we'll have to if we can't secure the safety of our pupils."

Pupils are also being hit by the winter bugs, he added, with some classes cut down by half due to absences.

Head at Martin Kemp- Welch School, Catherine Shaw, said: "This week has been particularly bad for us. We have eight staff off with this chest flu bug and they don't seem able to shake it.

"Subjects across the entire curriculum have been affected and it's only due to the remaining staff working above the demands of the job that we've not been forced to send children home.

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