Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “So far, we are not hearing that fuel supply issues are causing major problems for schools, but if shortages go on much longer it is possible that children and teachers could find themselves unable to get to school – there could be problems with transport for special schools in particular.

“The last thing children need is further disruption to education given the experience of the last 18 months. Prioritising key workers is not a sensible solution as it would be impossible to enforce and could cause more chaos on the forecourts. The only real answer is for the government to do everything in its power to get fuel to pumps and bring this situation to an end.

“Schools will of course do everything in their power to minimise any disruption to education as the week goes on. But the government does need to get a proper plan in place to get deliveries moving.”