SELF-ISOLATION has been put in place for two school students at an East Dorset school following fears surrounding the coronavirus.

Two Corfe Hills pupils returned from school after spending half term in the region of Northern Italy affected by the virus.

An email was sent to parents from the school’s headteacher, Phil Keen, yesterday which said: “At the start of school today the advice was that they (the two students) could attend school and further action would only need to be taken if symptoms were apparent.

“We have been monitoring government advice over coronavirus continuously in recent weeks.

“This changed during the school day today and we immediately contacted the students’ parents to ensure that self isolation was put in place.”

Some parents have been taking their students out of school following the concerns.

One parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We are asking them to deep clean the school.

“Both my boys are off school. This is a difficult situation to manage (for the school) but it’s the lack of communication.

“We are not attacking the school, but we have to be understanding the situation.”

Headteacher, Mr Keen, said: "I would like to reiterate that the school has acted in accordance with government guidelines throughout the current situation.

"We have regularly kept parents informed and will continue to do so as appropriate."

A pupil from Ballard School in New Milton has also reportedly shown symptoms of the coronavirus.

An anonymous source said a year 11 student recently returned from a holiday in Northern Italy and fell ill at school.

Headteacher for Ballard School, Andrew McCleave, said: "One of our pupils, who had been skiing in Northern Italy with his family during the half-term, has been sent home as a precautionary measure due to him feeling unwell.

"We've spoken to his parents, who state he is now feeling better. With the global outbreak of the coronavirus, the pupil will be tested for the virus as a precautionary measure. The resort he was skiing in has zero confirmed cases of the coronavirus, so it is highly unlikely he has contracted the virus.

"We are following all of the official procedures highlighted by Public Health England. The safety and welfare of pupils is of paramount importance to Ballard School. We have sought NHS advice and decided to send the pupil home to mitigate any potential risk, however small."

It's been confirmed that the pupil does not have the virus.