Pupil absence owing to Covid has jumped by 100,000 (30 per cent) in two weeks, with 415,000 pupils in state-funded schools absent, data reveals.
The Department for Education’s latest attendance data, which was published today, revealed that around 5.1 per cent (415,000) of pupils in state-funded schools did not attend for Covid-19 related reasons on 20 January.
This is up from 3.9 per cent (315,000) on 6 January.
More than three-quarters of absent pupils on 20 January had tested positive for Covid.
The absence rate in primaries was especially stark, almost doubling in 10 days, from 146,000 on 10 January to 272,000 on 20 January.
Total teacher and school leader absence increased by 6 per cent to 47,000 (9 per cent), up from 44,000 two weeks previously.
The data also revealed an estimated 8.9 per cent (62,000) of teaching assistants and other staff were absent on 20 January.
The DfE added that this increase had largely been driven by the increase in workforce absence in state-funded primary schools.
Impact of sustained teacher absence
Today’s data also revealed that 24 per cent of all state-funded schools had a teacher and leader absence of more than 15 per cent.
If these levels are sustained, almost one in four schools could be exceeding the threshold to apply for the DfE’s workforce fund, eligible to those with teacher and leader absence above 10 per cent for 15 or more consecutive days.
The workforce fund was previously criticised for its “strict” criteria after Tes revealed only 4 per cent of schools applied last year.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “Covid absence figures for pupils are the worst they have been this academic year.
“Schools are struggling to keep things running with nearly 10 per cent of their staff off on average - but for some, this is much higher. Our members are repeatedly telling us that they are having to drop everything to find cover and that just keeping things going is a challenge.”
Mr Whiteman added that school leaders are still ”very much in the eye of the Covid storm” and there is no escaping the fact that it is having an impact on education.
“This disruption is putting huge pressure on students in exam years,” he said. “The government needs to look again at its plans and do more to reassure students that exams can be fair and will take into account differences in missed learning.”
‘Nigh on impossible’ to get supply
A few weeks ago, the NAHT said that schools were “teetering on the edge” because of staff absence, and more than a third of headteachers reported over 10 per cent of staff absence because of Covid.
School leaders today urged the government not to wait until 7 February to reveal details of topics to be covered in GCSE and A-level exams.
They told MPs that it was “nigh on impossible” to get supply teachers, warning they had not seen a “deluge” of ex-teachers coming back to the classroom.
Before Christmas, the DfE called for ex-teachers to return to the classroom to support supply shortages.
However, DfE figures earlier this month revealed that only 485 ex-teachers had signed up to return to the classroom. Concerns have also been raised over difficulties with DBS checks and a lack of the most up-to-date CPD.
