Commenting as the government’s official school attendance data shows a third week of improved attendance rates for staff and students, Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
 
“It is good to see that staff and pupil absence continues to fall, nationally. However, we know that headline figures can hide big variations locally, and there are some schools and many families and pupils that are still experiencing disruption.

“Attendance is still below where it would usually be for this time of year pre-pandemic. This should remind us that we are not out of the woods yet. Whilst everyone hopes that mass school closures are a thing of the past, we must accept that disruption for some may continue in the future, and our responsibility is to ensure no pupil is disadvantaged by it.

“It has been a very difficult winter for schools – and for pupils – and the disruption to teaching and learning over the last three academic years needs to be recognised. While the government has put a package of adaptations in place for exams, these may not be enough to support some students who have suffered more disruption than most. And there is no such acknowledgement of the disruption to learning pupils have faced in primary schools – the government plans for SATs to go ahead as though it is a normal year, when this year has been anything but normal.”