Scores of pupils stay home as bug outbreak hits school

A sickness bug swept through Smarden Primary School where last Friday more than half of all pupils were absent.

Parents criticised the school for failing to shut down, saying more children fell ill every day during the outbreak.

The school said 65 of its 120 pupils were off on Friday, although could not confirm whether this was because they had the illness or because some parents were keeping them at home as a precautionary measure.

Despite criticism, the school said it followed strict guidelines from Public Health England and carried out a deep clean, as well as providing guidelines for parents.

Smarden Primary School is run by The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT).

Head teacher Claudia Miller said: “On Wednesday morning we alerted parents of an outbreak of Gastroenteritis in our school.

“We immediately notified Public Health and have followed their strict guidelines in order to limit the spread of the virus.

“This included a deep clean of the school and provided guidelines for parents to follow at home.

“We take the safety and health of our students very seriously and are committed to ensuring there are processes in place so we can react swiftly.

“Public Health is satisfied with the response of the school and we will continue to monitor the situation and liaise with Public Health.”

On Tuesday a school spokesman said just 10 children were still off sick with full attendance expected yesterday (Wednesday).

Smarden Primary School was hit by a sickness bug