A number of children have been taken to hospital by ambulance after a ceiling collapsed at a school in southeast London.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said three fire engines and 20 firefighters were sent to Rosemead Preparatory School in Thurlow Park Road, Dulwich.

It said some people were treated for minor injuries and that a “number of children” had been taken to hospital by ambulance.

All other children and staff were safely evacuated.

A specialist USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team confirmed the building was “at no further risk of collapse”, the LFB said.

London Ambulance Service said it was called to the private school – whose fees are nearly £5,000 per term – at 9.24am.

It said in a statement: “We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, medics in cars, advanced paramedics, incident response officers, emergency planning resilience officers, our hazardous area response team, and a command support vehicle.

“Our crews treated a number of patients at the scene and have now been stood down.”

There is no word yet on the exact nature of the injuries, the number of children who were hurt, or their ages.

Met Police also attended and said that all children and staff had been accounted for and the school was in the process of contacting parents.

“We await an update on assessment of any injuries,” the force said in a statement.

Extensive road closures are in place around the school.

The MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, Helen Hayes, tweeted: “Very concerned to hear of the collapse of a ceiling at Rosemead School this morning.

“My thoughts are with the children, staff and parents. I hope no-one is seriously injured.

“I’ve contacted the school to offer my support. My thanks to the emergency services who attended the scene.”