Three fire engines and 20 firefighters raced to the scene at Rosemead Preparatory School and Nursery in Dulwich, South London, after the collapse shortly after 9am today.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb also admitted the growing attainment gap between privileged children in private schools and poorer students in the state system is ‘not acceptable’.

Some 61.2 per cent of GCSE entries from private schools got a grade 7, 8 or 9 this year, compared with 57.2 per cent in 2020 and 46.6 per cent in 2019, according to analysis by exams regulator Ofqual.

A total of 1.05million were out of school because of the virus on July 15 when a snapshot of absences was taken. It marked a 25 per cent increase on the 839,700 the previous week.

The American School in London is Britain’s most expensive day school, charging an astonishing £32,650-a-year in fees to the capital’s loftiest bankers, corporate lawyers and celebrities.

The number of children away from school has quadrupled in a month. Last Thursday more than 375,000 – or one in 20 – was at home because of the virus.

When droplets of orange juice or fizzy drinks like coca-cola are placed on a lateral flow test it produces a positive result. Britons have been urged to watch their children while tests are taken.

The game with the Czech Republic is being played at Hampden Park in front of 12,000 fans before the Tartan Army head to Wembley to play the Auld Enemy, England, on Friday night.

A school believed to have been set up as the Roman Catholic rival to Eton has appointed Olivia Smith, 17, as its first female captain in its 162-year history after agreeing to admit girls last September.

Leaked audio from a porn lecture juniors at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School reveals they learned about ‘electro porn’ as part of a mandatory lecture.