Pewsey Vale School has been condemned as being “highly irresponsible” for going ahead with a ski trip to northern Italy despite the area being a ‘hotspot’ for the Coronavirus.

A party of children left on Saturday for a week-long trip to the Claviere ski resort in the Piedmont region.

Some parents with children at the Wilcot Road academy say the trip should have been cancelled.

In a message on a Pewsey Vale social media page, one worried parent said: “Highly irresponsible of them, I’d say.”

Other parents also expressed concerns, saying they would not have allowed their children to go on the trip.

A Pewsey Vale spokeswoman said the school had followed Public Health England guidelines “to the letter”.

She said: “It is very clear. We have followed all the procedures and risk assessments and have followed all the guidelines.”

Meanwhile three worried parents have kept their youngsters away from Corsham Primary after another pupil returned to class after a half-term holiday in northern Italy.

Headteacher Lindsay Fry said the parents were being “ultra cautious” about the Coronavirus emergency.

She said: “I am aware of only three children, out of 630 pupils across two sites, who are not at school because of Coronavirus fears.”

Two pupils at Malmesbury School have put themselves in self-isolation as a precaution against the virus.

Neither has been diagnosed as contracting the virus but have isolated themselves at home to look out for symptoms.

Tracy Daszkiewicz, director of public health for Wiltshire Council, said: “They are currently well and I can reassure you that neither pupil has been diagnosed as having contracted the virus to date.

“Malmesbury School remains open as usual.

"Please be assured that the risk of infection is very low and there is currently no public health reason for the school to close."

At St Laurence School in Bradford on Avon, there is no further update on a pupil who has been tested for Coronavirus. The school said: “The student’s family were ill whilst the student was away in northern Italy and has since become ill with similar symptoms at the weekend.

“However, due to recent travel in northern Italy and the symptoms of fever/cold, a swab was taken. The student is self-isolating until the results are known.”

Full advice is available at gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public