Five times as many children in school compared to first lockdown

There are many more children attending school than there were in the first national lockdown in March last year.

New government data shows that there are five times as many state school pupils on site as there were back then.

Figures from the Department for Education show 21% of primary school pupils were on-site last week, while 5% of secondary school students were in class.

In the first lockdown, on-site attendance was approximately 4% in primary schools and 1% in secondary schools.

It means that more than a fifth of primary school pupils in England were on-site last week.

Overall, 14% of state school pupils were in class on January 13.

The government has said that only vulnerable children and the children of key workers should attend class in person.

Other pupils have been told to learn remotely until mid-February due to tighter restrictions.

But approximately 709,000 children of critical workers were in attendance on January 13 – which represents 72% of all pupils in attendance last week.

The government has delivered more than 200,000 laptops and tablets to help with remote learning since the start of this term.

Figures from the Department for Education suggest that 239,103 devices have been sent to councils, academy trusts, schools and colleges across England since January 4 – when the latest lockdown was announced.

A total of 801,524 laptops and tablets have been delivered or dispatched to support pupils to access remote education since the start of the scheme.

Downing Street said Boris Johnson wanted schools to open ‘as soon as possible’ after deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries suggested that a regional approach may be taken in deciding when England’s pupils return.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Johnson has previously stated ‘the priority is to get schools open as soon as possible, but whether that is after the half-term break depends on a number of things’ including progress in the vaccination programme and the possibility of a new coronavirus variant emerging which resists the jab.

The spokesman said: ‘You have got the Prime Minister’s desire and intention to try and open schools as soon as it is safe to do so and that remains our position.’

Asked whether regional disparities in vaccination rates could slow the reopening of schools in some areas, the spokesman said: ‘We will continue to look at the latest scientific evidence and data.’