COVID-19: Almost three in four secondary schools have students at home self-isolating

Almost three in four secondary schools in England had at least one student self-isolating at home last week due to potential COVID-19 contact.

Government figures show more than a fifth (22%) of pupils were absent from school last week on 19 November - compared with 17% the previous week.

The Department for Education (DfE) statistics indicate between 9% and 11% of state school students - around 876,000 children - did not attend school due to COVID-related reasons on Thursday last week.

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Education unions say the current situation has "reached a crisis point" and have called on the government for more support.

About 36% of schools reported they had one or more students isolating at home after being warned about potential COVID-19 contact in the school - up from 29% the previous week.

This is 73% of secondary schools, up from 64% the last week, and almost a third (29%) of primary schools, an increase of 22% from 12 November.

The analysis indicates that 0.4% of students (31,000) were off because they believed they had COVID-19.

And 0.2% (18,000) were off after they tested positive for the virus.

Overall, pupil attendance is currently at the lowest rate it has been since schools fully re-opened - from 86% two weeks ago to 83% last week.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), says the government is to blame for the drop in numbers.

She said: "This collapse in school attendance is the direct result of the government's negligence.

"They have taken almost no measures to protect schools, pupils and staff from the spread of coronavirus this term.

"Schools and teachers are working incredibly hard to keep the system running without any support or resources from the government.

Dr Bousted added: "The situation has reached a crisis point and the government cannot let coronavirus run riot in schools any longer."

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), believes schools are "experiencing disruption on a monumental scale" and that the government should support flexible rota systems to help "manage this turbulent situation".

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT believes the "support from the government is not good" - especially as students have "already missed out on so much".

Keeping schools open, he says, is the priority.

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A government spokeswoman from the DfE has said it is a "national priority" to keep education settings open full-time, especially as students return for the new academic year.

She added "everyone must continue to play their part" in light of the damage caused by disruptions to students' education, development and mental health.