Headteachers are seeking guidance from the government on whether the number of pupils attending school during lockdown should be capped.
Department for Education attendance figures released today show attendance in state schools has risen to the highest level this term and is five times the attendance rate in the first lockdown.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Schools are being placed in the very difficult position of much higher demand than in the first lockdown and no guidance from the government about how many children should be in school at any one time.
Read: School attendance 5 times higher than first lockdown
News: School attendance rises to highest in national lockdown
Covid: Attendance in secondary school dropped as low as 14 per cent in the final week of term
“We have asked the government for guidance over whether numbers should be capped, but we have not had a satisfactory response.
“It is very difficult to square this with the government’s message to the public to stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
He added: “It is worrying that demand for school places is obviously rising during the course of the lockdown.
“Many schools are having to juggle in-school teaching for quite large numbers of pupils with remote education for everyone else.”
Currently, schools are open only to vulnerable children and those of key workers, however the DfE data today shows a rising number of those children in school in the current lockdown.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said the figures were “a timely reminder” that schools didn’t close in the first place.
He said: “A significant number of children continue to be taught by their teachers in school every day, while often those same teachers are simultaneously supporting remote learning to those pupils that remain at home.
“Our own survey of school leaders suggests that up to 2,000 schools in England have had over 40 per cent of pupils attending since the start of lockdown.
“In planning for a return of more pupils to face-to-face education, government should scrutinise the infection rates and transmission within the minority of schools and communities where significant numbers of pupils and parents continue to meet daily. Understanding the level of risk presented by higher numbers of pupils in school would appear key to planning for a safe and sustainable return to school for all pupils.”
A DfE spokesperson said: “Schools remain open to vulnerable children and children of critical workers, but if critical workers can work from home and look after their children at the same time then they should do so.
“We also continue to provide devices at huge speed and scale for those children who need them the most, with over 927,000 laptops now delivered to schools and councils. Over 365,000 of these have been delivered since schools closed to most pupils, helping ensure no child loses out while learning at home.
“We are taking every possible measure to reduce Covid cases and the protective measures that schools have been following throughout the autumn term continue to be in place to help protect staff and students, while the national lockdown helps reduce transmission in the wider community.”
