Commenting as the DfE today release the most recent school attendance data, from Thursday 17 June, which shows another fall in attendance and the highest Covid-related absence rates since schools reopened in March, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“The further drop in school attendance figures shows the pressure schools continue to operate under when it comes to managing Covid-19 cases. Schools are continuing to work incredibly hard to ensure that all the safety arrangements recommended by government remain in place.

"However, we can see that case numbers are continuing to rise amongst children and teenagers and so it is essential that local public health teams are given the freedom to react quickly and put additional precautions in place where this is necessary - seeking central government approval for such action only risks delaying the necessary measures being put in place.

"This is essential to preserve the continuity of education for pupils. As the Prime Minister says, COVID will be with us for some time yet. With that in mind, it is imperative that the government also gives schools clear instructions about what scenarios they should expect to plan for in September. Schools are already thinking that far ahead, so the government needs to do the same.”