Department for Education publishes the latest data on attendance in education and early years settings

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Schools, colleges and early years settings across the country have worked extremely hard to remain open, implementing safety measures and scaling up remote education provision for those children who are self-isolating.

“I know some areas of the country have faced more significant challenges and attendance has been impacted by the high rate of infection in the community at that time. From January, our new programme of rapid testing will help keep more staff and young people in school by identifying positive cases more quickly and breaking chains of transmission.

"Thanks to the continued efforts of school leaders, approximately 99% of schools have been open each week since the start of term, and keeping those schools open remains a national priority. Where children are asked to self-isolate they should receive remote education in line with what they would receive in school so they do not fall behind.”

Background

• Every secondary school and college in England, as well as special schools and alternative provision, will have access to rapid coronavirus testing from January to keep staff and students as safe as possible and in education. See our press release here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/secondary-schools-and-colleges-to-get-weekly-coronavirus-testing

• The level of infection rate in the community means some absences are to be expected, and these figures show both staff and young people doing the right thing and following the correct procedures in place. Schools are working incredibly hard to make sure that remote education is in place for pupils who have to self-isolate.
• We recognise this is a challenging time and are hugely grateful to the school leaders, teachers and staff for ongoing extraordinary work to ensure children continue to receive the education and support they deserve.

· Pupils who are self-isolating should be provided with remote education from the first full school day that they have to remain at home to ensure they do not fall behind.

• Schools, colleges and early years settings across the country have worked extremely hard to put protective measures in place that are helping reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted and where they have become aware that someone who has attended has tested positive for coronavirus, they have responded well and taken swift action in line with public health advice.
• Schools are providing remote education for pupils who are self-isolating, in line with what pupils would be receiving in school. The Government published a Temporary Continuity Direction, regarding the provision of remote education in schools, under the Coronavirus Act 2020.
• The Direction means schools have a duty to provide education to children at home, as they do when children are in the classroom. This should help provide assurances to both pupils and parents that if pupils have to self-isolate at home their education will not be disrupted.
• The Chief and Deputy Chief Medical Officers have been clear the balance of evidence is firmly in favour of schools remaining open, and have highlighted the damage caused by not being in education to children’s learning, development and mental health.
• Children are at very low risk from the virus, and there is no evidence that staff are at higher risk than those working in other sectors. We have strengthened the already rigorous measures schools are following to reduce transmission of the virus, including requiring face coverings in all secondary schools in communal areas outside classrooms.
• SAGE papers on education published recently are clear that any closure of education does particular harm to the life chances of disadvantaged and vulnerable students, who have already felt the effects of the first lockdown.
• Public Health England collects data on infection, incidence and COVID-19 cases overall. PHE publishes weekly data on COVID-19 incidents by institution, including educational settings.
• We recognise that students have faced disruption to their learning, and alongside Ofqual we are taking exceptional steps – like more generous grading and advanced notice of some topic areas - to make sure exams are as fair as possible.

• On 10 December, 99.2% of state-funded schools were open, with approximately 85% of pupils on roll in state-funded schools in attendance.
• On 10 December, attendance in state-funded primary schools was 89% and attendance in state-funded secondary schools was 80%.
• The data from 10 December shows most of the groups of children sent home to self-isolate are relatively small, the average (median) size of the group was around 14-15% of the total number on roll in state-funded primaries and 7-8% in state-funded secondaries.

• We have today (15 December) published a template for schools to use when publishing their remote education provision online. We have asked for schools to publish this information by 18 January.

• We are supporting schools to ensure remote education is in place including through the provision of laptops and tablets to schools to support disadvantaged children. We are building on the over 220,000 devices delivered during summer term and will have delivered over half-a-million by the end of the year.