Five students at a south Essex high school have tested positive for Covid-19, it has been announced.

In a letter to parents Robin Bevan, Headteacher at Southend High School for Boys, said all the students and those they were in contact with are in isolation.

He also urged school youngsters to continue to take Covid tests twice a week.

He said: “During half-term, five pupils tested positive for COVID-19. They are now in self-isolation, as are their families and those with whom they had close contact during the holiday break.

“Periods of self-isolation are not welcome, but remain necessary to reduce transmission. On the whole, the risk to school-aged pupils from Covid is limited; but the risks arising from further more widespread transmission are still considered critical.

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“All pupils should continue to use the LFD testing twice-weekly: on Wednesday and Sunday evening. Results must be reported online. If a pupil returns a positive LFD result, they must inform the school immediately and seek a confirmatory PCR test as a matter of urgency.

“Current Public Health advice requires the school to instruct individual pupils and their close contacts to self-isolate, as soon as the LFD positive is alerted (even if later it is over-turned by a negative PCR result). We will seek to explain this, in more detail, if any further positive cases come to light.”