JCoSS remained closed on Monday after half-term because there were too few staff available. 

Hedadteacher Patrick Moriarty said the school was shut because “we fell below the safe limit.” 

He explained that “even if we can source supply cover, there have to be enough actual JCoSS staff on site to teach and supervise, and enough senior staff to ensure leadership capacity.  

“We will reopen tomorrow but staff may get an instruction to isolate with no warning so it is impossible to predict with certainty.”

Mr Moriarty added that “having everyone on site is obviously the best, but we have good systems in place for remote learning and can provide teaching and learning relatively smoothly where all students are at home.   

“The current situation is the worst-case scenario where significant numbers of staff and students are at home and we have to operate hybrid learning – in class and online at the same time.  This is clunky and difficult for everyone, as well as costing unsustainable amounts in supply cover for which there is no additional funding.”  

Rising Covid-19-infection rates among secondary schoolchildren have led the largest teaching union to call for schools to be closed during the new lockdown in England which is due to come into force on Thursday. 

North Cheshire Jewish Primary School remains closed because of quarantining and at another primary, Bury and Whitefield, one bubble remains at home. 

At King David High School, Manchester, year 10 girls in its religious stream Yavneh are isolating, as are a number of students in years 11 and 13 in the main school. Two teachers and a member of the kitchen staff have tested positive. 

King David took extra precautions at the start of term by requiring all pupils to wear masks indoors.