Commenting as the government releases its latest school attendance data which shows that "Covid-related pupil absence in state schools is increasing and is currently at its highest rate since schools reopened in March 2021", Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, which represents leaders in the majority of schools, said:

“We are continuing to see a clear and concerning increase in both the number of cases of Covid-19 and the number of pupils needing to self-isolate as a result. Leaders are reporting that this is having a real impact in their schools, and that the level of disruption is now very high.

“The government simply does not appear to have a grip on this situation and there is a real concern that we will continue to see these numbers continue to rise in the coming weeks.

“Schools are operating under enormous pressure and are working incredibly hard to continue to ensure that all the safety measures recommended by government remain in place, and to deliver uninterrupted education for all pupils but they are coming under increasing strain.

“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. Guidance on issues such as face coverings must be kept under constant review in light of the rapidly changing data, and there is much more the government could do on other protective measures such as ventilation too.

“We also need to remember that some younger teachers will not have had both their vaccinations yet and the mitigations in place in schools remain extremely important for the whole community.”