Covid: Fewer children missing school because of virus

The number of pupils missing lessons because of Covid is stabilising in England's state schools, despite a record number of infections in the UK.

New government figures show 179,000 pupils (about 2.2%) were off last Thursday because of the virus - down from 202,000 (about 2.5%) in mid-March.

However, staffing problems remain in some schools, with almost one in 12 teachers absent.

And school leaders have criticised the end of free testing in schools.

About one in every 13 people in the UK has coronavirus currently, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

But most people in England can no longer access free PCR or lateral flow tests, after changes introduced on Friday.

Some free testing for the general public will continue in Scotland until the end of April, and in Wales and Northern Ireland until the end of June.

New data from the Department for Education estimates that 46,000 teachers and school leaders in England (nearly 9%) were absent from open schools on 31 March, down from 48,000 on 17 March.

One in five state schools had more than 15% of their teachers and school leaders absent, down from 23% two weeks before.

Stapeley Broad Lane Primary School in Nantwich has not had to close or send year groups home this term, but learning is still being disrupted because of Covid.

Teaching assistant Sam Morris has just returned to the classroom after being off sick with the virus - and she's not the only one.

"It's just been really hard work for teaching staff. There is no support. There's no extra staff," she says.

"We can't just call on somebody to come from another classroom, because with eight members of staff off there is nobody else to call on."

Just down the road, at Malbank School and Sixth Form, Year 11 student Chloe had to take three weeks off school before her mock GCSE exams because she had Covid.

"That was pretty hard to deal with," she says.

"Teachers being off didn't really help at all because this is one of the most important years we're going to have."

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he was pleased to see a slight fall in pupil and staff absences, but added "the situation remains grave with very severe disruption continuing in many schools and colleges".

Referencing the staff absences, he said: "It is very difficult to operate in these conditions. The government's decision to withdraw free testing in such circumstances is a retrograde step, particularly with exams a few weeks away, and we have repeatedly urged ministers to reconsider.

"We understand the government's desire to declare Covid over and done with, but that is simply not the reality in schools and colleges, where the illness continues to be a real problem because of the impact on both pupils and the workforce."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said absence rates "remain at concerningly high-levels".

"We continue to hear a sense of deep frustration from school leaders as they struggle to deal with the significant and on-going disruption caused by Covid - whilst the government removes every measure they have for controlling it," he said.

The Department for Education said more than 99.9% of schools have "consistently been open this term".

"We are now moving to living with - and managing - the virus, while maintaining good ventilation and hygiene as the norm, and continuing to use vaccines to build the population's wall of protection," it said.