Primary school closed for two days as 'number of children' fall ill

A primary school has been forced to close for two days after a number of children fell ill with a diarrhoea and vomiting illness.

Ditton Lodge Primary School in Newmarket had to close on Wednesday after some pupils became unwell.

A letter sent to parents said "a number of children became unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting illness".

Following discussions with the UK Health Security Agency and Cambridgeshire County Council Public Health, the school remained shut on Thursday to allow for a deep clean.

The letter to parents, sent by executive headteacher Lisa Tweed, said: "Thank you for your support today. I know that you have had to change arrangements today to accommodate your children at the last minute.

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"As you may be aware, a number of children at Ditton Lodge Primary School became unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting illness.

"The Trust and I have been working closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Cambridgeshire County Council Public Health and they have provided us with, as a precautionary measure, some actions around deep cleaning and equipment checks."

Remote learning is available for pupils at the school.

Parents unable to arrange childcare have been advised to send the children to nearby Houldsworth Valley Primary School, in Rowley Drive, where staff from Ditton Lodge will be located.

The letter adds: "As always, health and safety is our number one priority. We want to ensure that we have followed all the advice to keep our children safe and have taken a measured approach to reopening.

"Please do continue to contact us via the school office if your child is unwell. We will keep you informed of any further information."

A decision on if the school can reopen on Friday is expected to be made on Thursday afternoon.