More than 100,000 pupils still off school

MORE than 100,000 pupils were off school last week in England amid “significant disruption” still being caused by coronavirus, official figures show.

About nine in 10 pupils were in class on Sept 16, still below pre-pandemic levels, according to the first analysis of attendance figures since schools fully returned from the summer break.

But 1.5 per cent of all pupils, around 122,300 children, were not in school for Covid-19 related reasons last Thursday, the Department for Education figures show. This includes 59,300 pupils with a confirmed case of Covid-19, 44,600 with a suspected case and 15,900 absent due to isolation for other reasons.

A further 2,000 pupils were off due to attendance restrictions being in place to manage an outbreak and 500 did not attend as a result of school closures due to Covid-related reasons.

Children off school for a confirmed or suspected case was at the same level as July, but self-isolation levels have plummeted since the year group “bubble” system was scrapped by ministers.

More than one million pupils were off school last term as the “pingdemic” raged, but now children no longer have to isolate for being a close contact of a Covid case.

They are still urged to test twice a week at home, prompting calls from Conservative MPS and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health for asymptomatic testing of children to stop to avoid disrupting their education.

Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, said: “My priority is to make sure children are in school and back to face-to-face learning.”