A MOTHER has withdrawn her daughter from a York school because of coronavirus fears - as the number of confirmed cases in the UK reached 456.

The Department of Health says there have been 83 more cases since Tuesday - the biggest rise in a single day - with six patients dying in hospitals in the UK.

The Acomb mother says her worries over the virus deepened after Year 8 pupils from her daughter's school, York High, went on a trip to France and did not go into isolation from other students on their return to school today.

But the school has said it followed Government guidance and consulted with City of York Council before allowing the trip to France, and the advice from all parties was that it was safe to go ahead.

And a council official said that at the moment, there was no reason to keep children at home unless they were unwell and unfit for school, or they had been in contact with confirmed cases, or had visited the countries listed as high risk.

The mother said she had discussed what to do with her partner, family and daughter before making her decision, and they had all supported her stance.

"As a loving and caring mother, my first priority must be to protect my daughter from the virus in every way possible," she said.

She said the latest figures on coronavirus from France showed a considerably worse rate of infection than the UK.

France has had more than 1,600 coronavirus cases confirmed compared with fewer than 400 cases in the UK, as well as more fatalities.

The mother said she also had concerns about a separate trip by York High to London this week, with pupils again coming back into mainstream school afterwards.

She said her 13-year-old daughter would work at home, with support from her and family members and using online materials.

The mother added that she was very concerned about the Government's decision on Monday to stay in the 'containment' phase rather than move into the 'delaying' phase, which could have involved school closures.

She said she had joined almost a quarter of a million other people in signing a national petition, which calls for the Government to to at least consider closing schools/colleges down in the coming weeks or as soon as possible, which can be found at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300403.

The girl said she agreed with her mum's decision, adding: "I don't want to catch coronavirus."

York High School head teacher Rod Sims said it continued to follow government guidance in its response to Covid-19.

"Before we allowed the France trip to travel we consulted with the travel company, City of York Council and most importantly, the government advice issued through the Foreign Office," he said.

"The advice from all parties was that it was safe to travel to France. In this rapidly evolving situation we check daily for any updates from government and adhere strictly to them.

"Our website gives easy access to all official guidance and is updated after any changes. We urge all our parents and students to stay calm and follow the official advice.

"We are following the same government guidance with regards to the London trip which places no restrictions on travel within the United Kingdom."

Sharon Stolz, director of public health at the council, said it was in regular contact with all academy trusts,  headteachers and early years settings with updates on coronavirus from the Department of Health and Social Care.

"The Department for Education (DfE) has also released guidance for schools and educational settings (see www.york.gov.uk/coronavirus) and a helpline to answer questions about coronavirus related to education is now open," she said.

" Staff, parents and young people can get in touch by:

“In line with government advice, we are advising schools how to prevent infection by avoiding exposure to the virus with handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes and throwing tissues in the bin, and staying at home if you are feeling unwell.

“At the moment, there is no reason to keep children at home unless they are unwell and unfit for school, or they’ve been in contact with confirmed cases, or have visited the countries listed as high risk.

"It is important to maintain attendance at school to ensure children receive the education to which they are entitled and achieve the best outcomes.”