Four schools have been forced to close after being deemed unsafe for pupils and staff.

Birchington Church of England School, near Westgate-on-Sea, Sunny Bank Primary in Sittingbourne, Palmarsh Primary in Hythe, and St James' Church of England School in Tunbridge Wells, have all shut today.

The Department for Education (DfE) made the decision after a change in the guidelines from the Institution of Structural Engineers raised concerns over the concrete used in each school’s roof.

Head teacher of Sunny Bank Primary, Jack Allen, whose school has 222 pupils, said: “It is with regret that I have to inform you that Sunny Bank Primary School will be temporarily closing to children on Friday (June 16).

“The temporary closure is necessary while some structural investigations are completed on part of our original building.

“I appreciate that this will cause significant inconvenience and disruption to parents and pupils, but please be assured that we have sent this communication as soon as the decision has been made.

“We are working closely with the DfE to enable the school to reopen at the soonest opportunity.”

Sunny Bank is an academy forming part of The Island Learning Trust, alongside Halfway Houses Primary and Minster in Sheppey Primary School.

Palmarsh Primary is under the authority of Kent County Council (KCC).

Meanwhile, Birchington Primary is a voluntary-controlled institution, with St James’ Primary a voluntary-maintained school, meaning both are also supported by the local authority.

A spokesman for KCC said: “We appreciate the closure of these schools, some of which are maintained by KCC, will be extremely disruptive for pupils, staff, parents and carers.

“We want to reassure them that their safety is always our priority.

“This week, local education authorities across the country were unexpectedly informed by the Department for Education (DfE) that they have adopted new guidelines from the Institute of Structural Engineers.

“This has necessitated the immediate closure of a small number of schools in Kent, as well as in other counties, while work takes place to make them compliant with the new standards.

“KCC is working closely with the schools affected - some of which are academies or voluntary aided and operate independently of KCC.

"This is to ensure that, wherever possible, we can provide temporary accommodation to ensure there is as little disruption as possible to the education of children and young people affected.

"We expect some of the affected schools to reopen from next Wednesday (June 21) following the completion of remedial measures.

“In regards to Sunny Bank, they are hoping to open early next week - in the meantime classes are going to move into a new building there.

“Meals will be brought in from another local school as well as there won’t be a kitchen for a while, and there will also be a temporary toilet for staff put in too.

“We will also prioritise our programme of works across our entire school estate based on the new advice from the DfE.”

The work is being carried out after concerns were raised over the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, after two roof collapses in recent years with little or no warning.

The material was used in roof, floor, cladding and wall construction in the UK from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s - mainly in offices and schools.

The Island Learning Trust and Department for Education have been contacted for comment.