Twenty-three teachers are absent from the Isle of Man’s biggest high school.

It means that some pupils will be sent home from tomorrow.

Ballakermeen head teacher Adrienne Adrienne Burnett has written to parents to let them know.

Years nine and ten (aged 13 to 15) will have to stay at home for the rest of the week from tomorrow.

Mrs Burnett said: ‘We have 23 teachers absent, plus a number of cover supervisors and I cannot see attendance rates improving quickly. There is also a lack of supply teachers available.

‘Please be assured that this decision has not been taken lightly; we have tried to do everything to avoid this scenario, and despite high levels of staff absence for much of this term, we have coped, with no year groups being asked to remain at home since the second week of January.

‘Where possible, staff will be informing the students of the work that they should be completing between now and the end of the week, but with almost 20% of the teaching workforce absent, this will not be possible in all cases. In this situation, students may access our online provision.

All other students will remain in school as normal.

The news comes after Covid-19 infections jumped significantly in the last week.