A PRIMARY school in Oxfordshire is closed today after two senior staff members reported symptoms consistent with coronavirus.

Long Wittenham CE Primary School near Didcot is shut, and is not expected to reopen until Wednesday following a 'deep clean'.

Two staff members and a third person, a family member, are self-isolating after feeling unwell.

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Gillotts School in Henley is also closed today for 'cleaning' - also linked to coronavirus concerns.

Headteacher Catharine Darnton said: "National advice has been provided to headteachers throughout the country by the Department for Education.

"We have simply taken the responsible position of following that current advice closely in all of the actions we have undertaken."

Oxfordshire County Council has logged both schools on its emergency closure page this morning.

The site states: "Long Wittenham Primary School will be closed Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 March 2020 due to 2 senior leaders self isolating because of mild COVID-19 symptoms and another due to a family member ill with symptoms.

"This has caused a staff shortage and also a deep clean will need to take place."

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Regarding Gillotts, the council's closures page states: "We have been notified the school will be closed for 1 day, [for] cleaning in line with DfE [Department for Education]."

The secondary school teaches more than 850 pupils and a message on its website confirms that it will reopen again tomorrow.

Several schools in the county have temporarily shut over the past few weeks, after members of their community travelled to areas hard-hit by the virus. 

These included New College School in Oxford and Burford School in West Oxfordshire.

Both schools have since reopened and have assured staff, parents and pupils that the relevant precautions have been taken. 

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Education secretary Gavin Williamson is due to meet headteachers’ unions today to discuss school leaders' concerns about coronavirus.

Countries including Italy, France and Spain have shut down schools in hope of preventing further spread of coronavirus.

No such measures have yet been announced in England.

In a poll of more than 5,600 Oxford Mail readers last week, 63 per cent said they thought that schools should close.

Many schools are taking their own precautions against coronavirus.

In a website post this morning, North Kidlington Primary School's headteacher Emilie Fidler said whole-school assemblies would not be taking place for the time being.

She wrote: "We are keeping the health of the Kidlington community at the heart of any decision we make. I am keeping up-to-date with government guidance and acting accordingly.

"We have built in additional hand-washing opportunities throughout the day (when children arrive, breaktime, before and after lunch, before hometime) and I am going to pause any-whole school assemblies until the Easter holidays."

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She also asked parents who were feeling unwell not to attend their pre-arranged parent consultation sessions. 

Mark Smith, headteacher of outstanding-rated St John the Evangelist CE Primary School in Carterton, wrote to parents on Friday about coronavirus 'contingency plans'.

He said: "At present the government has not announced plans to close schools in England and as such St John’s remains open.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and update parents as necessary.

"In the event that schools are required to close, school leaders have been developing contingency plans so that children can access learning activities at home."

Nearby Gateway Primary School in Carterton has also told parents that it will not be holding whole-school assemblies 'for the foreseeable future'.

A letter published on its website today also states that pupils with packed lunches will now eat in classrooms, while pupils who get hot dinners will continue to eat in the hall, 'to reduce the number of children gathering to eat their lunch together'.

The letter, signed off by headteacher Clare Bladen, explained: "We’d like to reassure you that at Gateway we’re taking all of the necessary steps to protect our community and are continuing to follow official guidance from the government and Oxfordshire County Council.

"All school functions continue to run as normal with some precautionary adjustments."

King's Meadow School in Bicester will also not be holding whole-school assemblies, and has written to parents about other measures to 'minimise the risk of infection spreading in school'.

No more than 100 children will be allowed to have their school dinner at any one sitting, and children will eat packed lunches in their classrooms.

The letter, sent to parents on Friday, adds: "Children with temperatures and/or a new cough will be sent home."