Schools face ‘chaos’ and disruption in final weeks of term as number of pupils self-isolating jumps

Schools are facing a “chaotic end to term” and further disruption as the number of pupils off school due to Covid-related reasons has reached its highest level since March.

Staff tell The Independent they were “worried” about the situation in their school and dealing with “rocketing cases” in the final weeks of term amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Headteachers describe how whole groups had been told to self-isolate in recent weeks. Others, who said their schools had been “lucky”, were witnessing those in the local area grappling with staff shortages due to self-isolating teachers.

School leaders also show cautious support for a scheme aimed at ending automatic self-isolation for pupils, amid reports the government could introduce it after the summer holidays.

It comes as school absences in England due to Covid-related reasons jumped to the highest level in months, with more than 5 per cent off school last week.

“Cases are rocketing with much more rapid transmission between pupils than witnessed earlier in the pandemic,” one secondary school leader, who wished to stay anonymous, tells The Independent.

“Local outbreak response teams are overwhelmed and finding it difficult to keep up with communications.”

Andy Byers, a headteacher in Durham, tells The Independent his secondary school had to close for all pupils for several days last week after dozens of Covid cases. At the start of this week, around 300 pupils were still self-isolating.

He said pupils at home have been doing online learning which “hugely increases the workload of teachers” who have just finished submitting grades for exam-year pupils – which they have been charged with following the cancellation of exams.

“I don’t think ministers or the DfE [Department for Education] fully appreciate just how hard things are,” Mr Byers adds.

A deputy headteacher, who wished to stay anonymous, tells The Independent he is “worried” about the situation at his school, which has seen around half of one year group sent home to self-isolate, as well as several others in another year.

“Contact tracing is once again taking up a huge amount of time on the part of senior staff and it causes anxiety amongst students when they see distances between tables being measured and students removed to go home,” he says.

He adds: “With cases rising in the locality this trend is likely to escalate and I foresee a chaotic end to the term."

Stuart Guest, a primary school headteacher in Birmingham, tells The Independent there have been “quite a few cases” in pupils’ families recently, but “luckily” they have not had to send home whole bubbles – groups pupils stay in to minimise mixing – to self-isolate.

“But it really feels like when and not if,” he says.

Pupil absence linked to Covid in English state schools is increasing, the Department for Education (DfE) said on Tuesday as it released the latest data on school attendance during the pandemic.

More than 330,000 students were self-isolating due to potential contact with a Covid case last week and tens of thousands more were out of school with a suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection.

A leading education union says there is a “real concern” numbers will only increase in the weeks ahead.

“Leaders are reporting that this is having a real impact in their schools, and that the level of disruption is now very high,” Paul Whiteman from the school leaders’ union NAHT says.

Michael Tidd, a primary school teacher, tells The Independent: “We’ve been quite lucky with children so far but locally we seem to have a growing problem with staff having to isolate because of notifications or children’s bubbles closing.”

He adds: “I’m currently trying to sort cover for one class, and our usual agency is struggling to help.”

A headteacher in southeast London, who wished to be anonymous, tells The Independent her primary school has not had to send whole groups of children home to self-isolate, nor had any staff off work due to self-isolation, since the end of last year.

“However, we are in a minority,” she says, adding nearby schools were having to tell bubbles of children to self-isolate or dealing with staff having to self-isolate.

One teaching assistant, who wished to stay anonymous, tells The Independent three teachers at her school recently tested positive after masks were removed in classrooms.

“I’m wearing my mask in class and just waiting until I’m affected again, either by contracting Covid or having to self-isolate,” she says.

Reports this week have suggested pupils may be able to avoid automatically self-isolating after coming in contact with a Covid case under rules which could be introduced after the summer holidays.

Trials are currently ongoing into the use of daily contact testing in schools as an alternative to self-isolation after the measure was paused earlier this year following advice from Public Health England.

School leaders tell The Independent they would welcome the return of such a system – but only if it has scientific backing.

“It would avoid so much of the disruption but it’ll be down to the science and a calculation of the risks to ensure it’s safe,” Mr Byers from Framwellgate School Durham said.

Meanwhile, the deputy headteacher who wished to stay anonymous says he thinks it could be an idea but it also depends on scientific evidence.

“Self-isolation of students and staff who are close contacts is certainly a significant problem and the risk of them remaining in school is much less now that so many people are vaccinated,” he tells The Independent.

“Unfortunately the government’s track record means I do not trust them not to implement something as a result of political pressure, regardless of what the scientific evidence suggests.”

Gavin Williamson said on Tuesday he would be “looking closely at issues around the need for ongoing isolation of bubbles” and the results of the trial into daily contact testing as an alternative for self-isolation.

The DfE has been approached for comment.