FORTY-TWO girls joined their headteacher in quarantine at a college yesterday as a precaution against the Sars virus.

The students, all returning to North Yorkshire's Harrogate Ladies College from Easter breaks in the Far East, were met by Dr Margaret Hustler at Manchester Airport.

She escorted them to the independent boarding school and joined them immediately in one of the boarding houses, where they will spend the next ten days in isolation.

Harrogate Ladies College is one of a number of schools across the UK, including Eton, which has chosen to quarantine its pupils.

Dr Hustler said that all the girls have a clean bill of health and there was no need for public concern. She said she chose to join them as she felt it was her duty as headteacher.

She said: "It is not something I felt I could ask anyone else to do.

"Anyway, in a way the head is the most dispensable in this sort of situation as my role is largely administrative.

"I have had to cancel some appointments and I am very sorry that I have had to let a few people down, but this is perhaps the best way to ensure the school suffers the least disruption."

The girls, all aged between 12 and 18, will have to remain indoors. Dr Hustler will take lessons from Monday to Friday and lead a different routine at the weekend.

She said: "It's a roomy building with high ceilings and we have a table tennis table and some dance videos to keep us active. So far, the mood has been quite jolly; in fact, the girls have been amazed to discover the head knows how to make beds.

"I intend to keep an open diary in the hall so the girls can write down their thoughts and feelings, but they also have e-mail and mobile phones - and I have noticed they can text messages to their friends pretty quickly."

Dr Hustler said that the girls, whose parents pay the school's £12,500 annual boarding fees, are used to living in proximity to each other and many have already developed friendships.

She said: "I think some special bonds could develop over the next few days. I think we will certainly have a party the night before we rejoin the school."