It is “far too soon” to be complacent about lifting Covid restrictions or relaxing safety measures in schools, headteachers have warned.

New official figures released today show the proportion of pupils attending state schools in England has dropped over the past week amid concerns about the Indian coronavirus variant.

Just over nine in 10 (91 per cent) of state school pupils were in class on May 20, down from 92 per cent on May 12, according to Department for Education (DfE) statistics.

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They also show that the number of pupils self-isolating owing to contact with an infected person in school has risen from 0.5 per cent to 0.7 per cent in a week. This compares with 0.3 per cent a month ago.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“As these numbers show, it is still far too soon to be complacent about lifting Covid restrictions or relaxing safety measures in schools.

“There is growing concern about the spread of the Indian variant in schools. The government must make the data they hold on this public without further delay.

“Schools need transparency about the levels of infection around the country so they can make sure they have the right measures in place for their local area.

The new data suggests that 82,000 pupils were out of class and self-isolating on Thursday last week owing to potential contact with a case of coronavirus, compared with 65,000 the previous week.

The figures come after the government removed the requirement for secondary school and college pupils in England to wear face masks in class, despite worries about the Indian variant of the virus.

The DfE estimates that around 1 per cent of all pupils on roll - up to 104,000 children - did not attend school for Covid-19 related reasons on May 20.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “While Covid-related pupil absence is said to remain low overall, we are increasingly concerned about the dearth of public health information about the impact of the Indian Covid variant in schools and colleges.

“Despite repeated requests for data on its incidence in education settings, this has not been forthcoming from the government.

“We now learn that the government is advising people not to travel into and out of areas hardest hit by the new variant and this will inevitably further raise concerns among staff, students and families.”

He added: “The government has to understand that many members of staff in schools and colleges are either unvaccinated or have not yet received a second vaccination, while the vast majority of students are not vaccinated at all.

“It is essential that there is full transparency about the impact of the new variant in schools and colleges so that the level of risk is clear and any necessary protective measures can be taken.”

Kevin Courtney, joint-general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said: “This week’s small fall in school attendance continues the pattern of the half-term. We are worried that the national figures obscure significant disruption to schools in a handful of hotspots, such as Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen.”

Jon Richards, head of education at Unison, said: “Data about the spread of the Indian variant in schools was promised weeks ago but there’s still nothing, despite repeated calls from unions.

“It simply isn’t good enough. Parents and staff will be fearing the worst.

A DfE spokeswoman said: “Attendance in schools remains high, showing the continued importance of the rapid testing programme for staff, families and secondary pupils in helping keep the virus out of classrooms.

“It is vital that pupils and staff continue to get tested regularly as we continue on the road map back to normality.”