THE head teacher of an academy and nusery has confirmed why he took the decision to close suddenly this morning. 

Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery, in Hornby Avenue, Westcliff, announced the closure this morning, leaving parents complaining of being left in the dark. 

Principal Mr Clement has now released a statement, confirming a parent of a pupil has tested for coronavirus. 

He said: "We can confirm that we have been informed by a parent that they have the covid-19 virus and are currently hospitalised.

"The child of this parent was in school until yesterday and the parent was in school last Thursday meeting staff. The family will now be self-isolating.

"Following Public Health England advice we have cleaned any potentially infected areas this morning as allowed in the time available.

"We planned to remain open and did everything possible to achieve this however operational difficulties presented themselves this morning which meant that we are unable to open today.

"We will use this time to request a professional deep clean and reopen at the earliest opportunity.

"The health and safety of our children and staff are our highest priority and we will continue to seek advice and take any appropriate steps necessary. Updates will be provided on a regular basis via our website and parent communication apps (Dojo and Gateway)."