UP TO 70 children attending the same Portland school have been struck down with a sickness bug.

The figure represents around a third of the total number of pupils at Southwell Community Primary School.

Attendance rates were so low this week the school was forced to cancel a trip to London because only eight children were available to go.

Parents whose children are ill are being advised to keep them at home for 48 hours.

Headteacher Stuart McLeod hopes things will return to normal next week.

He said: “An unusually high number of our children have been absent.

“We’ve had to send a number home who have been ill in class.

“It has affected all years and a few teachers have been taken ill too.

“We’ve no idea what has caused it but we know these things affect schools from time to time – although that doesn’t mean were complacent about it by any means.”

The school has almost 200 pupils aged from four to 11 years.

One parent suggested around 70 children were absent on one day.

Mr McLeod said: “There’s certainly been a high number but not so many that we’ve had to close the school.

“Absence levels have been gradual but numbers started to increase mid-week.

Absent “By Thursday it had become quite acute that children were becoming ill and were asking to go home.

“There were 52 absent yesterday which was lower than Thursday.

“We’ve been advising parents to keep their children at home for 48 hours so they stand a chance of getting over it.

“We’re ensuring cleanliness is rigorous throughout the school and hope this bout of sickness will disperse after the weekend.”

Because of the low pupil numbers Mr McLeod was forced to cancel a year four trip to Southwell’s ‘twin school’ – Dairy Meadow Primary School in Southall, Middlesex, yesterday.

He said: “I had to pull the plug on that the day before because the numbers were so low. There were eight children available out of a possible 23. The trip has been postponed until after Christmas.”

Dorset County Council said it was not aware of any other schools affected.