The variety of pupils lacking faculty as a result of Covid-related closures practically trebled within the final week of the autumn time period, with one council space reporting secondary attendance of simply 14 per cent.
The most recent attendance knowledge from the Division for Schooling (DfE) reveals the dimensions of disruption colleges had been dealing with in the identical week the federal government was issuing authorized threats forcing some settings to remain open.
The publication of attendance figures for December 16 was initially slated for December 22, the DfE determined to push again the report “to allow a fuller rationalization of attendance tendencies”.
The information reveals that the variety of pupils absent as a result of their colleges closed for Covid-related causes rose from 53,000 on December 10 to 137,000 on December 16.
General attendance plummeted from 84.6 on December 10 to 79.2 per cent on December 16 – with attendance at main colleges dropping from 89 to 86 per cent and secondary attendance falling from 80 to 72 per cent.
In complete round 872,000 pupils, as much as 11 per cent of the overall inhabitants, didn’t attend faculty for Covid-related causes on December 16 – in contrast with 694,000 on December 10.
Of the pupils off faculty on December 16, 18,000 had a confirmed case of coronavirus whereas 38,000 had been off with a suspected case.
However most pupils absent as a result of Covid – 679,000 – had been self-isolating as a result of potential contact with a case of coronavirus, up from 594,000 the earlier week.
Information from native authorities additionally discovered three councils had lower than one in 4 secondary pupils attending faculty through the ultimate week of time period.
In Thurrock, secondary attendance was at 14 per cent on December 16, whereas in Redbridge it was 17 per cent and in Havering it was 24 per cent.
That very same week, training secretary Gavin Williamson issued a “short-term continuity route” below emergency Coronavirus laws to order the London Borough of Greenwich to retract a request for colleges to shut early for Christmas.
And Presdales Faculty, in Hertfordshire was compelled to u-turn on plans to maneuver to on-line studying following a ‘minded to terminate’ authorized letter from Nick Gibb.
Spring time period statistics
A couple of in 4 pupils had been absent from main colleges outdoors the federal government’s contingency framework on the primary day of the spring time period, attendance knowledge reveals.
Major colleges had been advised to open as deliberate on Monday January 4 until they had been in components of London and the south east that had been highlighted by the federal government.
Right this moment’s knowledge reveals that in main colleges in areas affected by the contingency framework, the place attendance was restricted to susceptible kids and people of key staff, simply 6 per cent of pupils attended on the primary day of time period.
However attendance at main colleges outdoors the contingency framework areas was at simply 74 per cent. The federal government introduced partial faculty closures throughout England later that day.