The head of a multi-academy trust has said that the government must act now to change school isolation rules so as not to “write off” the rest of the summer term.

The news comes as newly appointed health secretary Sajid Javid yesterday said he had asked for “fresh advice” on the issue of school bubble isolation, amid rising numbers of pupils missing school to isolate.

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And this morning, it was reported that isolation could end in the autumn.

But Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Community Learning, which runs 53 schools, told the BBC’s Today programme that the rules on isolation needed to be changed earlier.

He said that of around 31,000 pupils, around 10 per cent  - just over 3,000 - were isolating from Oasis schools at the moment.

“It’s a pretty alarming situation and we would say that something needs to be done about this now,” he said.

Of isolation, he said: “It’s been in and out, in and out, up and down and, of course, the impact of this on many children is absolutely huge in terms of their development, their social and their mental health.

“So, whereas, I hear this morning that the government’s thinking about reassessing the situation for September, there are still three weeks of this summer term to run - you can’t just write off the rest of the term. Three weeks is a long time in a young child’s life,” he said.

Mr Chalke added that testing could be done within schools, or smaller bubbles could be sent home, to mitigate the problems.

“We are told that we might be given new advice for the summer for next term, but what about the summer itself?” he asked.

“It was just weeks ago that the government was pleading with schools to keep going through the summer because kids so urgently needed education. In Oasis schools across the country, we aren’t sitting kids behind desks at all, but we’ve got fun summer activities, which are about socialisation and mental health.

“Three weeks of term, six weeks of summer holidays - that’s a lifetime in the life of a young child in primary school, so those nine weeks need to be used instead of wasted. If we really want to put education at the top of the agenda for everyone, we can’t throw this away.”

Referring to the upcoming Euro 2020 football match this evening as a “metaphor” for what should happen in schools, Mr Chalke said: “England have to have a new sense of vision and they’ve got to move the ball faster, and I think that’s what educationalists across the country are calling on from government - move the ball faster, give us a vision, don’t waste this summer.”

He said schools should also be advised of any changes to Covid regulations and exams by mid August.

The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.