A number of children have been sent home from a second Dublin primary school, after a pupil was diagnosed with coronavirus.

The child was diagnosed yesterday and was sent home alongside a number of classmates and everyone they had been in close contact with.

The children have been asked to remain at home again today and will continue to receive lessons through remote learning until they are tested and permitted to return to class.

The rest of the school is “continuing in full operation” and officials are offering the school principal and management “every possible support and assistance.”

It comes after an entire class of students was sent home from another school in the capital yesterday.

The Dublin & Dún Laoghaire Education & Training Board said its “continuing priority is to support the wellbeing of the school community and to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning for the pupils and teachers of the school.”

It said it has “established in-depth protocols and procedures” for responding to coronavirus outbreaks at all of its schools.

“These protocols anticipated the possibility of cases arising in schools and, as such, there is a high state of preparedness among our school communities where prescribed plans and protocols have been implemented and followed in full.”

Clare school

This evening meanwhile, a school in County Clare has reportedly closed its doors for the coming week after a number of its staff were identified as close contacts of a confirmed cases.

The school reportedly broke the news to parents via text message this afternoon.

The text message informed parents that there was no permanent member of staff available to keep the school open while the others are unavailable.

It said it hopes to reopen on Wednesday September 9th.

Priority testing

Speaking at the Oireachtas COVID committee this evening, the Minister for Education confirmed that schools dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks are entitled to priority testing.

“We have had a number of engagements with the Department of Health and the HSE where we have raised the issue of priority testing,” she said.

“Priority testing will be provided where there is an outbreak in the school.

“Schools will be treated no differently to the priority testing that is being provided in other environments where a situation of that nature occurs.”

Reporting from Stephen Murphy