EARLY precautions taken by an independent international school to minimise the problems caused by the outbreak of the Sars virus have paid off.Alexanders International School in Bawdsey, near Woodbridge, takes students from all over the world and each year more than 50 countries are represented in the school where they learn English as a foreign language.

EARLY precautions taken by an independent international school to minimise the problems caused by the outbreak of the Sars virus have paid off.

Alexanders International School in Bawdsey, near Woodbridge, takes students from all over the world and each year more than 50 countries are represented in the school where they learn English as a foreign language.

Half of the current intake comes from countries affected by the Sars outbreak – but the school was able to take action before the Easter holiday and the majority of pupils did not return home.

School principal John Holton said: "We warned students that it would not be wise to go back to the Far East and most of them stayed in Britain with guardians. Four did go back to areas that are known to be Sars-affected.

"We have said that they needed to spend 10 days in this country and then have a certificate of clean health from a doctor before we allowed them back into school.

"We also suggested that if they wanted to go back, they should get early flights back so that they could spend the 10-day period before they came here.

"Half of the student population comes from the Far East, but we do not have any indications here that we need to worry about at all."

Meanwhile, the health of six students from Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, who spent the school holidays in Hong Kong, is being monitored.

Headmaster Nicholas Ward said: "Six pupils spent Easter in Hong Kong. They had a thoroughly miserable time incarcerated in their homes for almost the whole time and only going out wearing surgical masks."

The school kept in touch with their parents and none of the pupils had been in any part of Hong Kong where there had been any infection.

"Anyone who has been in any affected area has been checked over by our health centre and is being seen twice every day. Their temperatures are being taken twice a day for the next two weeks," said Mr Ward.

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