Headteachers have warned the Department for Education not to risk the progress being made on keeping pupils in school after the latest figures showed a drop in attendance and an increase in pupils off with suspected cases of Covid-19.
showattendance in state-funded schools was 92 per centon 6 May, down from 93 per centa week earlier.
The NAHT school leaders’ union said the latest figures showed thatthe schools systemnot “out of the woods” when it comes to the threat of the pandemic disrupting school life.
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And the union’s general secretary, Paul Whiteman, has questioned the decision announced last night to lift the requirement for masks in secondary school classrooms.
More pupils off school with suspected Covid case
The data also revealsthat the number of pupils off with a suspectedcase of Covid has gone up from 0.1 per centto 0.2 per cent in a week.
This wasan increase from 12,000 to 17,000 pupils.
However, the number of confirmed Covid cases remained the same as the week beforeat 3,000 pupils, or 0.1 per cent.
Mr Whitemansaid:“The fact that we have seen a growing number of pupils needing to self-isolate raises further questions about the government’s apparent willingness to ignore the advice from scientists, including SAGE [the government’sScientific Advisory Group for Emergencies], when it comes to face coverings.
“No one wants to see restrictions in school for longer than is necessary, but nor do we want to see the progress of recent months put at risk.”
