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Huge surge in number of pupils sent home due to Covid
Covid-related pupil absence in slot England has hit a new high since all students returned to school in March this year.
Over 640,000 pupils in England were not in school due to Covid last week – up from 375,000 the week before.
Of these, just 62,000 were confirmed or suspected Covid cases.
The statistics come as England’s Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the system of sending whole “bubbles” home after a positive case would be scrapped at the end of term.
The Department for Education figures show the highest number of Covid-related absences since the return to school in March, with 8.5% of children out of school on 1 July, up from 5.1% on 24 June.
This takes the total number of children not in school in England to 641,200.
In primary schools, Covid-related absence was 7.4% on 1 July, up from 4.5% on the previous week.
While in secondary schools – where the data is adjusted for the fact that Year 11s and Year 13s have now finished school – Covid-related absence was 10.4%, up from 6.2% on 24 June.
Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said the latest figures made for “grim reading”.
“Whilst the government might argue that scrapping bubbles and changing rules around self-isolation will reduce the number of pupils missing education, we should be equally worried about the significant rise we have seen in confirmed and suspected cases in a single week,” he said.
“These latest figures only serves to demonstrate why the government must take urgent action and put alternative measures in place to keep school communities safe.”
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