School attendance peaks in NI as Covid absences decrease

More pupils were in school in the week of the 8-12 November than at any point since the start of September.

That is according to the latest attendance records published by the Department of Education (DE).

The number of children out of school for Covid-19 related reasons also fell after the October half-term.

Primary and secondary schools had the highest number of pupils in school during the week commencing Monday, 8 November.

The DE figures show that 90.6% of pupils were in school during that week.

The statistics are based on electronic attendance reports from schools in Northern Ireland.

They show that 1.2% of pupils were absent due to a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19.

A further 0.8% of pupils were learning from home as they were self-isolating, so they were not marked as absent.

That was a slight rise on the previous week but the overall absence rate in schools fell.

The DE statistics indicate that 7.4% of pupils were absent for reasons other than Covid-19 during the week from 8-12 November.

In the week prior to the Halloween half-term from 18-22 October, 89.1% of pupils were in school with 1.4% absent due to a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 with a further 1.2% of pupils self-isolating.

The Public Health Agency has been responsible for contact tracing in schools since early September.

That came after thousands of pupils were sent home as close contacts in the first week of term.

Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Sir Michael McBride subsequently wrote a detailed letter to schools which said they were safe places for pupils and staff.

However, the latest attendance figures show a variation across school types with attendance rates lowest in special schools.

Some special schools have been hit particularly hard by staff absences, which led to an appeal for substitute teachers to provide emergency cover before half-term.

Children aged 12 and over can receive a Covid vaccine in Northern Ireland.