A BRADFORD secondary school today announced it will not be open on the last two days of term because of a high number of cases of illness among staff and pupils.

Queensbury School head teacher Liz Hart said staff had struggled to keep the school running because the number of people unable to make work through sickness.

A statement on the school website states: " We have now been forced to take action before the situation gets any worse. The number of students and staff falling ill is continuing to rise and we are now facing unusually high sickness rates, so it is with regret that we have decided to close the school to all students on Thursday and Friday.

"Please be assured that we have not taken this decision lightly, but our key priority is to protect the welfare of our young people and staff. By closing the school to students for the remainder of term, we are doing all we can to prevent any more families from contracting the illness. Hopefully this will give us all as much chance as possible to come back fully refreshed and ready to learn after the Christmas break.

"We fully understand the inconvenience the closure will cause and it is extremely disappointing that it cuts short a particularly enjoyable time of the school year for parents, students and staff alike. As ever we will be very grateful for your support as we look to do the best for everyone concerned."

The school will reopen on Tuesday, January 6.

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