Why are schools closing when Public Health England say there's no need?

[ElderAve]

The advice is simply that anyone returning from certain affected areas should self isolate and seek NHS advice. Anyone returning from nearby areas should self isolate if they have symptoms. PHE have specifically said there's no need to close, even if there's a confirmed case in the school community.

Are schools allowed to just close, even against the official advice?

Lots of schools closing would be a disaster for the economy, for working parents and exams aren't far away. It's also a very bad thing wrt safeguarding for vulnerable students.

I know schools, especially academies do have a lot of autonomy but surely the government will have to step in if schools keep closing when the official advice is that there's no need?

How will OFSTED view unnecessary closures?

They do have a lot of autonomy- The advice from PHE is general advice and they need to apply it to their own school and circumstances.
One thing to consider is a lot of parents will remove their child in these circumstances anyway and be clamouring for a deep clean as reassurance. And some staff may refuse to come in leaving the school with not enough staff. (Not saying thats what happened)

It depends, I suppose on how many members of staff Are having to self isolate- school can't open without staff

Returnees from half term holidays abroad and school ski trips, etc thus potential infections. All different, obviously, so for school to decide.

Because the advice from PHE seems to be based on keeping schools aka childcare open so the parents aka the workforce isn't impacted rather than trying to prevent the spread of infection. Anyone working in schools knows what germ factories they are at the best of times. The idea that if there is corona it wont spread like wildfire in a school is absolutely laughable and the schools know that.