Prince George and Princess Charlotte are to be home-schooled as fears grow over coronavirus in Britain.
The children, who are educated at Thomas’s in Battersea, will move to ‘remote learning’ following advice from the school.
It is understood that all children at the £19,000-a-year school will be sent home on Friday as a precautionary measure due to increasing absences.
No one has yet tested positive for the virus at Thomas’s four schools in Battersea, Clapham, Kensington and Fulham, despite the absences.
Charlotte, four, started at the school in September joining her big brother George, six, who started in 2017.
Princess Charlotte, with her father, the Duke of Cambridge, and mother, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George, arriving for her first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea in London last year
No one has yet tested positive for the virus at Thomas’s four schools in Battersea, Clapham, Kensington and Fulham, despite the absences (pictured, Thomas’s in Battersea)
A spokesperson for Thomas’s London Day Schools said: ‘Due to the increasing number of children and staff absent from school because of the coronavirus pandemic, Thomas’s London Day Schools have decided to move to remote learning from Friday 20 March.
‘From this date the curriculum will be taught through online learning platforms and we have asked parents to keep their children at home and to access their lessons through this system.
‘This will ensure that children have continuity of learning when they are unable to attend school. In cases where families are not in a position to keep their children at home (those who are ‘front line staff’ in the medical profession, for example), the school will remain physically open until the last day of term, Thursday, 26th March.
‘We appreciate the support of our school community as we continue to provide the best possible solution for our pupils during these challenging times.’
It comes as schools in Wales and Scotland will close by the end of this week while a decision on whether to do the same in England will be taken ‘imminently’.
The Welsh government announced today that all schools will close for an early Easter break by Friday at the latest.
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, said her country will be doing the same due to the impact of coronavirus on staff numbers.
And in a sign that the school closures may not be short term, Ms Sturgeon said she could not ‘promise that they will reopen before the summer holidays’.
No announcement has been made on schools in England but Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested at lunchtime at PMQs – before the Welsh and Scottish decisions were announced – that some sort of action will be taken in the very near future.
Thomas’s school in Battersea is housed in a Grade II listed building, the former Sir Walter St John’s Grammar School which dates back to 1700.
Boris Johnson said at PMQs at lunchtime that decisions on continuing education provision in England would be taken ‘imminently’
Children & parents/carers arrive at school in West London. Many schools remain open despite the coronavirus crisis
The school, which describes itself as Christian, open to children of all faiths, believes in ‘praise as the greatest motivator’.
Parents are told their children will be in an atmosphere which seeks positive relationships between pupils, teachers and parents.
Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a child’s first day.
Former pupils include Florence Welch, of the band Florence and the Machine. Others are model Cara Delevingne and her sisters, Poppy and Chloe.
In his welcome message on the school website, headmaster Simon O’Malley says: ‘Thomas’s Battersea is a busy, thriving, purposeful school, educating 560 boys and girls between the ages of four and 13.
‘As you would expect of any Thomas’s school, the most important school rule is to ‘Be Kind’. We offer a rich and broad curriculum, with art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and PE all taught by specialist teachers from a child’s first day in school.’
He added: ‘We hope that our pupils will leave this school with a strong sense of social responsibility, set on a path to become net contributors to society and to flourish as conscientious and caring citizens of the world.’
William and Kate are familiar figures at the school gate and have thrown themselves into school life, helping out at coffee mornings and cheering George on from the sidelines at sports day.
A petition calling on the government to close schools across the UK has more than 672,000 signatures
Schools in England haven’t yet officially been told to close.
The PM said the government would act to ‘square the circle’ of making sure the spread of the virus is slowed while also ensuring there is not an adverse impact on NHS capacity.
Senior figures in the government fear a blanket closure of schools would adversely affect the health service because key workers could be forced off work to look after children.
There are also concerns that closing schools could lead to elderly grandparents being asked to look after grandchildren while parents continue to work.
The over-70s are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus and have been urged to avoid all non-essential social contact.
Education is a devolved matter in the UK which means devolved administrations have the final say on what happens to schools within their borders.
A petition demanding all schools and colleges be shut down for an ‘appropriate amount of time’ has been surging in recent days.