A Melbourne primary school staff member has been suspended amid allegations of  "inappropriate" touching of students, the Department of Education has confirmed. 

The school where the staffer worked has not been revealed - other than to say it is a south-eastern Melbourne primary school - nor has the gender and age of the students involved.

A government spokeswoman said the matter was now before the courts. 

First reported on radio station 3AW's popular Rumour File section, a caller rang in on Thursday morning to report she had learnt "a staff member at a south-eastern primary school has been sacked after allegations of touching students."

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The spokeswoman confirmed the department and the school were co-operating with Victoria Police over the incident(s). 

The identity of the staff member, students and the school could not be released as any identifying features of the sensitive matter could breach child protection legislation, she said. 

"The department is aware of the allegations and is co-operating with Victoria Police. The wellbeing and safety of students is our top priority, and we are helping the school to communicate and support its community during this difficult time," the spokeswoman said.

"As soon as the alleged inappropriate behaviour was reported, the acting principal took immediate action to ensure the person in question did not return to the school."

Note: An earlier version of this story stated that a primary school teacher had been sacked. That was incorrect, and the text has been changed to reflect that. The error was a consequence of incorrect information being given to the reporter.