Pupils and staff at a Medway primary school have tested positive for Covid-19.

Youngsters in Year 3 and employees at the Cedar Children's Academy in Strood have gone into self-isolation.

Siblings and family members of those who have been in contact have also gone into quarantine, the school confirmed today.

Kirstie Jones, head teacher of the school in Cedar Road, said: “The health and safety of our students and staff is paramount - ensuring that has been our absolute priority and at the forefront of every decision we have made during Covid-19.

“A handful of pupils and staff in our Year 3 bubble have tested positive. We have followed our procedures, drawn from the official guidance, and spoken with Public Health England.

"As a result we have closed our Year 3 bubble. All pupils in this year group continue to self-isolate and are doing school work remotely from home.

"In addition any siblings or family members of the positive cases are now also self-isolating. We have robust safety measures in place, including track-and-trace protocols and a strong bubble system, which means that all other students have been able to continue to attend school.

"We have closed our Year 3 bubble and pupils in this year group continue to self-isolate."

“We have also instigated some additional measures at the school because of these cases.

"These include the closure of shared spaces and the clear marking out of safety zones throughout the school. We still ask that everyone on site should continue to use the one-way system, wear face coverings, and have only one adult attend for drop-off or pick up.

“I understand that this is a challenging time but I would like to reiterate that we are taking every precaution available and following the guidance to the letter.

"The staff at the school and our Trust continue to show great professionalism and I would like to thank them for their hard work, and our parents for their support.”

It is at least the ninth school in Medway to have confirmed cases of the virus .

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