Most people across the country are now staying home from work and many are self isolating to stop the spread of coronavirus.

But schools are still open and there is no indication of when – or even if -they will close.

We spoke to one secondary school teacher in Croydon who said that she was becoming “painfully aware” that germs can spread quickly in schools.

And she thinks if schools do close the lives and education of some children will be impacted more than others.

“With 900 bodies passing each other six times a day and I’ve probably passed around 150 books today,” said the teacher who asked to remain anonymous.

“Schools are not like normal workplaces, they are easy places to spread.”

While she thinks adding a few weeks on to the Easter holidays will not have too much of an impact for families to start with, she said that closures will impact the education of some children more than others.

“If they do close schools there will be really strong costs which won’t be felt by all children equally,” she said.

“But some kids don’t have computers and others don’t have the space to work at home.

“Our poorest kids’ families will be trying to budget for food for lunch, a cost which is normally picked up by the school and that’s before you get to parents having to stay home.

“I can really see the case for closing schools but we have to make sure we put measures in place for the most vulnerable children otherwise it will have a negative impact.”

At the moment teachers are preparing online lessons in the event of school closures on top of normal lesson plans.

But this teacher said the mood at school is pretty normal.

She added: “I think adults are more nervous than the kids. I get the sense that this generation of kids who grew up with climate change, knife crime and the reality of Donald Trump in the White House have become desensitised to risk.

“I am worried the schools aren’t doing enough, I don’t know why there isn’t hand sanitiser at the doors and why there hasn’t been a formal education project on the risks.

“It’s not through lack of care, schools are really struggling to think about an awful lot.”

But she said that despite concerns about the virus, very few children in her school have been kept home by their parents.

If the schools do close teachers are expected to continue to work full time, teaching lessons online.

Joe Flynn, secretary of the Croydon branch of the National Education Union said that guidance has been sent to all of its 3,000 members in the borough.

He added: “Our joint general secretary wrote a letter to the Department for Education saying that they want full disclosure of the model that has taken place to decide to keep schools open. 

“I think the union is preparing a petition to release that information.

“Locally we haven’t had many enquiries I am taking it that teachers are doing the sensible things and one or two schools have been closed.”

He added that the union was calling for rules around taking time off to care for sick family to be relaxed.

Coombe Wood School, in South Croydon, closed yesterday (Monday, March 16) until Friday (March 20) due to a number of teachers and students self-isolating.

While Meridian High School in New Addington has partially closed due to “high numbers of staff absence”.

It shut to Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils today (Tuesday, March 17).