A SECONDARY school in Herefordshire has said it will be closing early for half term as it tries to stop coronavirus spreading.

Lady Hawkins' School in Kington said it was aware of rising Covid cases and had already tried a number of measures to combat the spread.

But headteacher Paul Jennings said that despite the reintroduction of face masks in lessons, increased cleaning routines and regular lateral flow testing, the school would need to close a day early for half term.

He said the school would also supervise students with the lateral flow tests next week, in a bid to find students with Covid but no symptoms.

Any child who does test positive will need to be collected from school "straight away", Mr Jennings said.

"We have taken the decision to close for half term on Thursday, October 12, which is only a day early, but allows everyone 10 full days away from school, to act as a ‘fire break’ in transmission," he said.

As for pupils with Covid and currently isolating, Mr Jennings said: "We are only expecting students to work at home if they are feeling well enough to do so.

"For those that are isolating at home and are able to complete work then teachers will set tasks via the school Microsoft Teams site.

"It is a challenge ensuring students studying at home and in school are supported and we are working hard to ensure that no students are disadvantaged by an enforced period of self-isolation.

"We would encourage all students to engage with their teachers and contact them via email or Teams, especially if they are not sure what they need to do or require any extra work.