School attendance back at high levels in England

The first attendance figures since schools in England returned last week show high levels of pupils back in the classroom.

In primary schools, 95% of pupils were in classes at the end of last week.

The return has been staggered in secondaries to allow Covid testing, but 89% of pupils were in last Monday.

"Certainly for primary schools, the return of all pupils appears to have gone smoothly," said the National Association of Head Teachers.

This is the highest proportion of secondary school pupils in school since the first lockdown began a year ago - with a further 2% waiting for a phased return this week.

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