The number of schools being hit by closures in Merseyside continues to grow.

With coronavirus cases rising and a new lockdown announced for the region on Friday, concern is growing over the effect of outbreaks on children’s education.

Numerous schools had to send kids into isolation last week after 17 did so the week before.

The return to classrooms has proved fraught with difficulty as teachers, students, support staff and councils deal with a rapidly rising rate of infection from the virus.

Here are the Wirral schools hit last week

Wirral has been suffering badly with a rise in cases, and while the rate of its rise has been overtaken by a number of other boroughs, its schools are still being affected.

Mosslands School headteacher Adrian Whiteley enforced a new mask wearing rule in the school’s corridors after a member of support staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Mr Whiteley said the staff member had contact with a very small number of fellow staff and students at the boys’ school, all of whom are now self-isolating for 14 days.

In Mr Whiteley’s email to parents, he said that everyone who needs to be contacted has been and that there is no reason for anyone else to be concerned about this Covid-19 infection.

Two primary schools, St John’s Catholic Junior School and Lingham Primary, also saw positive cases last week.