False widow spiders close two more London schools
Two more east London schools have closed because of an infestation of false widow spiders.
John F Kennedy Special School, which has campuses in Stratford and Beckton, and Godwin Junior School, in Forest Gate, announced they would close. False widows are about the size of a 50p coin and are the most dangerous spider species in the UK. Four secondary schools and four primary schools, all in Newham, have closed for various amounts of time. Thousands of children have been forced to miss up to a month of lessons because of the spider outbreaks, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. JFK School said it would close "until further notice" while Godwin School is closing for five days. 'Careful deliberation' They join Eastlea Community School in Canning Town, which shut on Wednesday until after half term to clear the arachnids. Its headteacher Stephen Gillatt said in a statement the decision to close was "taken in best interests of the safety of students" and followed "careful deliberation". Two other secondaries - Rokeby School and Lister Community School - have also shut until the end of the month. The schools affected are: Several of the closed schools have arranged for some of their year groups to use facilities at nearby colleges while buildings are fumigated. Work has also been set for pupils to do at home. False widow infestations have been found at numerous locations across the affected schools, both inside and outside the school buildings. Newham Council said it was working with schools to ensure children can still learn while missing lessons. "​It is normal to see more spiders at this time of year as they come indoors for warmth," it said, adding: "False widow spiders are native to the UK, and are common in Southern England. "They are most active at night; during the day they tend to remain within or near their webs." False widows - Britain's most venomous spider Source: Natural History Museum