London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Covid-19: Quarantine hotels 'unsafe' for returning pupils

Covid-19: Quarantine hotels 'unsafe' for returning pupils

Parents and teachers have called for international pupils to be allowed to self-isolate at their school, rather than in a "quarantine hotel".

In a letter to the government on behalf of 500 schools, the Boarding Schools Association said hotel accommodation was unsafe for pupils.

James Davidson said the thought of his daughter quarantining on her return to school from Abu Dhabi made him anxious.

The government said parents should accompany children during quarantine.

James Davidson's daughter Kitty attends Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire, but has been learning remotely in Abu Dhabi since December

Kitty Davidson faces having to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days if she returns to Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire, due to the United Arab Emirates being on the government's travel 'red list'.

Mr Davidson said it has been an "anxious" and "unsettling" time.

"This is not something we really want her to go through," he said.

"Equally, it will be extremely tough on her mentally to be learning remotely whilst all her friends are in school mixing socially.

"The stance from the schools is that they can provide quarantine and will provide regular testing, so I am not sure this situation has really been thought through by the government."

Saina Sodhi has been unable to attend classes in person at Millfield School for a year and is living in New Delhi with her parents

Seventeen-year-old Saina Sodhi, who attends Millfield School in Somerset, said uncertainty over travel and quarantine measures meant she was unlikely to return from India.

"Parents will be extremely unsettled to have to make their child quarantine at an unsafe location abroad," she said.

"Having not been to school for a year, going back now is crucial as being away from school for longer will have its impact on my education and performance as a student.

"A majority of my peers, who I have been in touch with, were extremely excited to go back to school but will not be returning due to the quarantine hotels."

Boarding Schools Association CEO Robin Fletcher has written an open letter to the government asking it to review its stance

Emma Taylor, headteacher of Dean Close School in Cheltenham, said asking pupils to stay in a hotel was "unsafe" and Westonbirt School headteacher Natasha Dangerfield said the policy risked putting children off coming to the UK.

"Those students that are on those countries listed, they won't come back," said Ms Dangerfield.

"I don't think the children or their parents are prepared to put them in that position and that's a huge loss to their education."

The Department for Education said children were not exempt from quarantine and asked parents to consider if it was "essential" for their children to "travel unaccompanied into the UK at this time".

A spokesman said if travel was "unavoidable", a parent or family member must accompany their child during quarantine.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×