MALVERN'S boarding schools and international college are taking precautions to ensure the prevention of the spread of SARS into the town.

Three independent schools are carrying out twice daily medical checks on pupils returning from Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada. Teenagers are also completing forms giving details about their holidays.

The move follows a meeting with Worc-estershire Health Authority during the Easter holidays to discuss how to deal with the pneumonia-like superbug.

The Abbey International College in Malvern Wells is asking pupils returning from the Far East to arrange their own 10-day quarantine away from the site.

Principal Philip Moere said that they had agreed with other members of the Heart of England Language School Association to take the prevention measures.

While the quarantine affects only about 15 students at present, the issue will be ongoing as the college attracts people from the Far East for two and three-week summer language courses.

Malvern Girls' College, which has about 80 pupils from the Far East, says it is taking the situation very seriously.

Jane Potter, for the college, said many of those pupils stayed in Britain for the holidays and, of those that did go home, several returned early for a quarantine period.

As a precaution, they are testing all 51 pupils who travelled anywhere abroad before returning to school on Tuesday.

She said: "We're testing the girls twice a day, as are all the Malvern schools. The situation is being carefully monitored."

Malvern College deputy head Bill Denny said they were carrying out regular checks on 30 pupils who returned this week from Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Canada, and were ensuring they slept in separate dormitories.

At St James's School, in West Malvern, development director Gill Owen said only four pupils were affected, with others who live in the Far East having stayed in the UK for the school holidays.

She said: "While we're monitoring and carrying out the guidelines, it's not a huge issue here."

To date only six cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome have reached the UK, although the numbers of suspected cases worldwide has reached 3,000.