Thousands of Hertfordshire pupils off school because of coronavirus, survey shows

At least 11,600 pupils were absent from Hertfordshire schools on just one day in October, a snapshot Government survey reveals.

The Department for Education's survey of school attendance showed 11,665 pupils were absent from Hertfordshire schools on October 15 – with an overall attendance rate of 92%.

Of these, 67% were absent from secondary schools, 31% from primary schools and around 2% from special schools.

The survey only looked at state-funded schools, of which 72% responded, so it is likely even more pupils were off throughout the area.

The figures, which were placed in the House of Commons library following a written question from MP Margaret Greenwood, showed the total attendance rate across England was 89% – down from 90% a week earlier.

With falling attendance rates across England, but lowest in parts of the north, the Association of School and College Leaders is calling for the Government to provide more support and guidance to schools.

The DfE said up to 412,000 children did not attend school for Covid-19 related reasons, with the majority self-isolating due to potential contact with a case of coronavirus.

In Hertfordshire, 89% of secondary pupils were in class on October 15. This was equal to the average across the East of England, which was the joint-second highest in England.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “Hertfordshire’s schools and teachers are doing a fantastic job under difficult circumstances, and we are committed to supporting them.

"We work closely with the schools we manage to help them with absence management, and we will continue to do this

"There are many reasons why a student might be absent from school on a given day and most of these absences will have nothing to do with Covid-19.”

With such uneven rates across the country, the Association of School and College Leaders said the figures show schools are doing a fantastic job under difficult circumstances, but they need more support.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said: “The Government has to set out clear plans on how next year’s GCSEs and A-levels will be fair to students given that they are being disrupted to a widely differing extent.

"The plans that have been set out so far amount to no more than tinkering at the edges and don’t go anywhere near far enough. Schools and students need a robust plan and they need it now.”

While the Government has said exams will go ahead in 2021, but held three weeks later than usual, the National Education Union said the mistakes of 2020 risk being repeated.

Avis Gilmore, deputy general secretary of the NEU, said: "We need to see a reduction in what is assessed, and a serious conversation with the profession to ensure a robust national system of moderated centre-assessed grades.

“Decisive action is needed to ensure schools and colleges have a clear path forward, giving students and their families the reassurance that an examination system is in place that ensures fairness across the country.”

A DfE spokeswoman said schools were expected to provide pupils with remote education when they were self-isolating and headteachers could decide how to use their school’s premium allocation funding to tackle the impact of lost teaching time on pupils.

She added: “Exams are the fairest way of judging a student’s performance, which is why they will go ahead next year, underpinned by contingency measures developed in partnership with the sector.

“Over the coming weeks we will jointly identify any risks to exams and the measures needed to address potential disruption, with fairness for students continuing to be our priority.”