A strictly Orthodox primary school in Barnet has said that pupils who attend a simchah must stay home and not come to school for a week after the event.

Rabbi Yehuda Feldman, headteacher of the independent Torah Vodaas Primary for boys, told parents on Tuesday that “recently there has been a number of people in the community contracting the virus through attending chasunos [weddings] and simchahs”.

The school had been “advised by our local doctors that the school must insist that any child or member of staff attending a chasuna or simchah must not attend school for a full week following the simchah.

“If at the end of the full week they display no symptoms of Covid, they should take a Covid test. We will then welcome back any child with a negative test result.”

The school did not indicate how recently infections of coronavirus from attending celebrations had occurred.

From Thursday November 5 until the end of Tuesday this week, weddings were prohibited in England under lockdown rules.

It is now permissible for 15 people to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions in the capital under tier two restrictions.

Dr Tamara Djuretic, public health director for Barnet, said: “It is parents’ responsibility to ensure children are not attending larger gatherings as that can endanger their safety and impacts their education —and the education of their peers too.

“If a child has been exposed to a Covid-19 positive individual, they should not attend school, even if they are feeling well.

“In the pandemic, any individual’s risk has a significant impact on their community.”

The school was approached for comment.