A member of administrative staff at a school has tested positive for Covid-19.

In a letter to parents, St James the Great Academy principal Tamasin Springett confirmed one pupil at the East Malling school who had come into contact with the employee was self-isolating as a result.

Other members of staff who came close to the person who tested positive also had to self-isolate.

Since the case was identified at the school last week no further positive results have been reported, and no further action has needed to be taken.

In her letter last Tuesday, Ms Springett said: "The Department for Education has advised that we do not need to close any year group bubbles, and it is safe for children to continue to come into school.

"I want to stress again that the safety of our children, families and staff will always be our number one priority, and I understand how worrying this news will be. We will keep all parents updated and informed as the situation develops."

The staff and students who came into contact with the infected staff member were told to self-isolate until Friday, October 2, and can return to school the following Monday.

A cleaning team also undertook a deep clean of the areas that the member of staff had been based in as a further precautionary measure.

Other schools in Malling have reported cases of pupils contracting the coronavirus.

A Year 6 pupil tested positive at Valley Invicta Primary School on Teapot Lane in Aylesford. The year group's bubble was told to isolate for two weeks .

One father to a pupil from that year said: "I don't feel like it's safe enough for the kids to be back in school."

Speedy action was taken at St Katherine's School, Snodland, when 10 pupils in Year 3 started showing symptoms of a persistent cough and temperature . Even before tests were taken, the entire Year 3 bubble was sent home to isolate and get tested as the head teacher "could not take any chances".

Aylesford School required all students to work from home for two days on September 22 and 23 while the premises were deep cleaned after two students, one in Year 9 and another in Year 13, caught the virus.

Read more: All the latest news from Malling