ASCL comment on school attendance figures

Commenting on the school attendance statistics published today by the Department for Education, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“We’re pleased to see rates of pupil and staff absence caused by Covid are decreasing, and we very much hope that this means a corner has been turned in what has been a very difficult first half of the spring term.

“Our concern is that the government’s living with Covid plan, and the lifting of virtually all control measures, does run the risk of causing a new wave of transmission and disruption in our schools and colleges. We hope that is not the case, but vigilance is important.

“Schools and colleges have weathered a very tough half term with extremely high rates of pupil and staff absence caused by the virus, and they deserve enormous credit for all they have done to keep education going.”