Attendance in England five times higher than first lockdown

As reported by BBC news, school attendance in England is five times higher than during the first lockdown, official figures show

One in five (21%) primary school pupils and one in 20 (5%) secondary school pupils went into school last week, the Department for Education reports. Only four per cent of state primary school pupils and one per cent from state secondaries were in school during closures last year. The increase has been driven in part by children without laptops or tablets being allowed to attend school.

Around 980,000 students attended school last week, of which roughly three-quarters were children of critical workers, the DfE data shows. Pupils in schools and colleges in England – except children of key workers and vulnerable pupils – have been told to learn remotely until at least mid-February due to tighter restrictions over COVIS-19.

But more schools are teaching children of key workers and vulnerable children on site than during school closures in the first lockdown. On 13 January, 99% of state-funded schools were doing in-person classes – compared to 80% in May 2020. The definition of vulnerable children has also been expanded to include pupils who do not have laptops, allowing them to access face-to-face learning at school.

Commenting on government statistics on school attendance and delivery of laptops, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Government statistics confirm that school attendance is much higher than during the first lockdown. This has put schools under tremendous pressure as they have to juggle face-to-face teaching for those in school with remote education for those at home. It has also raised concerns about how many children it is safe to have in schools during a time in which the prime minister has advised people to stay at home and save lives. We still haven’t had a clear answer from the government on this crucial question.

“Another set of government statistics shows the number of laptops and tablets delivered to schools. While we are very pleased with the progress that is now being made on this issue, the frustration is that we are nearly a year into the crisis, and deep into a second period of restricted school opening, and it has still not been fully resolved. Even now, we are not convinced that the government fully understands the need that exists both in terms of devices and connectivity. It did not get to grips with this issue early enough, and it has been playing catch-up ever since.”

Commenting on the latest government statistics on school attendance, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said:  “The number of pupils eligible to go to school and colleges is higher than in the previous lockdown but even given the increase in student numbers staff attendance rates could be much lower. More can be done to further the government’s aim of driving down infection rates by ensuring staff work at home wherever possible.  

‘We still regularly hear of schools expecting staff to teach remotely in empty classrooms or attend meetings which could happen online. Government guidance says that people should work from home unless absolutely necessary to be in work. This message needs to be adhered to in schools and colleges as much as in other workplaces.”