Covid cases in schools are rising slightly in Wales fuelled by primaries where three times as many pupils are off compared to secondaries. The latest Public Health Wales data comes as hundreds of children have been sent home to work again this week because so many staff are absent – not necessarily owing to Covid.
Figures show school attendance has also dropped off. Nearly one in four A-level year 13 pupils are not turning up and in the school statutory age group those in the key GCSE year 11 are least likely to be in school, separate data from the Welsh Government shows.
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There were 445 coronavirus cases among staff and children in the six days to March 10. That compares with 306 the previous week and 468 the week before that, Public Health Wales data shows. Of the overall total 306 were in primary schools, 97 were in secondaries, and 42 were classed as 'other', which includes independent and special schools and pupil referral units.
Schools Covid cases rose across all five health board and 22 council areas apart from Powys where cases have fallen by 13 to 21 in the week to March 10. Among the rest cases were lowest in Cardiff and Swansea. The highest total number of cases by health board area was 101 in Aneurin Bevan followed by 85 in Betsi Cadwaladr and 75 in Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB . If you want to see how that compares to nationwide infection rates across the whole population see the latest here.
The statistics come as teaching unions warn that despite restrictions easing across wider society the pandemic is still disrupting education. David Evans, Wales secretary for the National Education Union Cymru, said: “Whilst many people are focusing on other issues the pandemic is sadly not over and remains a challenge for our schools.
“Absence figures again show the highest rates of absence in Year 11, which is a worry for young people ahead of their exams in the summer. Teachers are under pressure to finish courses, which only increases when staff and pupils are off. We can’t ignore the pandemic in schools.
"With schools having to shut year groups it is critical that action is taken to keep everyone safe – both staff and learners alike. Welsh Government must make sure that every school has all the support they need for well-ventilated classrooms and masks when required. We will be raising this with them again when we next meet.”
Latest Welsh Government data on school absence, published on March 16, shows that between 3,000 and 7,000 children a day missed school for a known Covid-related reason between March 7 and 11.
In the same period:
- An average of 90% of all pupils attended school in Wales
- 1.6% of pupils were absent due to a known Covid-related reason – up from 1.0% the previous week
- 1.9% of all primary pupils were off for a known Covid-related reason
- 1.2% of all secondary pupils were absent for a known Covid-related reason
- The percentage of boys attending school was slightly higher than the percentage of girls
- Among statutory school-age pupils attendance was highest for pupils in years three and four and lowest for pupils in Year 11 (87.8%).
- As throughout the pandemic children entitled to free school meals were less likely to attend school with the gap being an average of 5.8 percentage points between March 7 and 11
Overall 73% of pupils (345,247 pupils) have missed more than a week for any reason since September 6, 2021. Nearly one in five children (91,716) in Wales have missed more than a week of face-to-face learning due to a known Covid-related reason since the same date.
A Welsh Government spokesman said CO2 monitors have been delivered to all local authorities and schools to monitor levels of CO2 in classrooms and identify when ventilation needs to be improved and £95m of extra money has been made available to councils to help with costs associated with Covid control.
“Schools are using the Local Infection Control Decision Framework, which sets clear national guidance to enable schools to tailor interventions to protect learners and staff. Schools are supported by public health officials and local authorities to ensure measures are appropriate and based on evidence.
“Face coverings are no longer routinely recommended in classrooms. However, as a minimum, they should be worn by staff, secondary-aged learners, and visitors when moving around indoor communal areas."
