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A Liverpool school has temporarily closed after positive tests for Covid-19 among staff and their contacts left it with 31 adults and three classes of children needing to self-isolate.

Redbridge High School in Fazakerley, which serves pupils with special educational needs, will close until 5 October, head teacher Paul Cronin said.

He said the decision was taken because staff and pupil safety was "paramount".

New coronavirus measures come into force on Merseyside from midnight.

The school's senior leadership team took the decision to close after four positive tests brought the number of staff unable to come to work to 31.

In a letter to parents, Mr Cronin said that the school's "current risk assessment" described it "as a bubble".

"Clearly, the school bubble has been compromised and hence the need to close for this period of isolation."

He said he was "very conscious of our vulnerable pupil population and the risk of infection to them".

"If we were to reallocate staff to cover the existing gaps in the current circumstances, we risk exacerbating the potential for further infection," he added.

"We realise this will be a difficult time and we do not take this decision lightly [but] the safety of pupils and staff is paramount for us."

The school will provide remote learning during its closure.

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