False widow spiders infestation forces closure of primary schools

Two primary schools have closed after becoming infested with the most venomous spider in Britain

By Javier Espinoza, Education Editor

3:04PM GMT 13 Nov 2015

Two primary schools have been forced to close after they became infested with false widow spiders.

"It has been confirmed today that we have an infestation of false black widow spiders in the school grounds and building.

Hundreds of pupils from Thomas Buxton School and Osmani School in Tower Hamlets east London, have been sent home due to the infestation of the spiders.

Both schools said they would be closed until Monday while they looked into the problem.

In a statement Thomas Buxton School said the spiders can give a "nasty bite" and may cause an allergic reaction.

Pest controllers are at the scene and the school building and grounds will be fumigated "as a matter of urgency", the school said.

The statement said: "It has been confirmed today that we have an infestation of false black widow spiders in the school grounds and building. The spiders can give a nasty bite which may cause an allergic reaction in vulnerable people.

"The safety and wellbeing of the children is our main concern so we have to take immediate action to deal with the problem.

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Wildlife Aid provides free online resource for primary schools

Primary school children learning science will benefit from the Wildlife Aid Foundation's new online resource

The Wildlife Aid Foundation (WAF) has launched its Wildlife Aid Education to more than 20,000 primary schools nationwide to provide free, easy-to-access, national curriculum-based learning resources.

WAF is a respected wildlife rescue charity in the UK. From its Surrey headquarters it deals with over 20,000 wildlife incidents each year. The charity’s founder and chief executive, Simon Cowell MBE, said: “For over 30 years the Wildlife Aid Foundation has been devoted to rescuing wildlife and promoting a greater understanding of mankind's responsibilities – and opportunities – as custodians of the natural world.

“On the front line of wildlife welfare, we see daily that the pressures on wildlife and the natural environment have never been greater, and that today's school children will inherit a world with issues requiring ever more compassion, understanding and ingenuity to solve.

Continued