Deep clean at Shropshire school after pupils taken ill with bug

Thomas Adams School in Wem undertook a full clean of the school this weekend.

Officials at the school said deep cleans were carried out every year, but had been brought forward after some pupils were taken ill.

One pupil at the school said as many as 60 of his fellow students had been taken ill, but the school's headmistress said the number of those who had fallen sick wasnot an "unusual number".

Liz Deakin, headteacher of the state-boarding school on Lowe Hill Garden, said: "Schools always have a sickness bug going around a couple of times a year so, being sensible, rational people we've been taking every precaution to make sure everyone is as healthy as possible.

"We always have a deep clean a couple of times a year. We normally do it during the holidays but we have brought it forward this year by a couple of weeks. Easter falls very late this year."

The school has said it has no evidence that the sickness was the winter vomiting bug norovirus, but sent a text to parents which read: "Public health England advise that students affected by the sickness bug should not return to the school/college for 48 hours after the symptoms have gone."