Coronavirus: Pupil Covid absence rate falls to lowest level

The annual pupil absence rate pre-pandemic was about 6%

The number of school pupils absent due to Covid-19 has fallen to its lowest level of the 2021/22 school year.

That is according to attendance data provided by schools and published by the Department of Education (DE).

In the last full week before most schools broke up for Easter only 1 in every 200 pupils (0.5%) was off sick with Covid-19.

However, pupil absences for other reasons are higher than they were pre-pandemic.

More teachers were also off school in the week beginning Monday 4 April for non-Covid reasons than with Covid.

The attendance figures for 4-8 April showed 0.5% of pupils were off sick with Covid-19.

That is the lowest rate of Covid absence recorded in the entire 2021/22 school year.

A further 0.3% of pupils were self-isolating and learning from home, so they are not marked as absent from school.

It marks a significant fall from the highest rates of Covid absence recorded at the end of January, when around one in every 20 pupils was off school due to Covid-19.

However, the numbers of pupils absent from school for 'other' reasons is generally higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Prior to the pandemic, the annual pupil absence rate in schools in Northern Ireland was around 6%.

Illness was the biggest reason for not being in school, followed by things like medical or dental appointments or family holidays.

Regular lateral flow testing for pupils will end after the Easter holidays

But the rates of absence for non-Covid reasons during the 2021/22 school year have generally been between 8-10%, with special schools and non-grammar post-primaries seeing the highest numbers of absence.

As a result, about one in every 10 pupils has not been in school on any given day, but the exact reasons for the rise in 'other' absences in Northern Ireland is unclear.

In England, an inquiry has being launched into children who are not attending school in the wake of lockdowns.

The children's commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, said some children had failed to return to school following classroom closures during the pandemic.

The published absence data in Northern Ireland does not detail why there has been a rise in children not in school.

When post-primary school pupils in Northern Ireland return to school after the Easter break they will no longer be required to wear face coverings.

Regular lateral flow tests for pupils and staff will also end after the Easter school holiday in line with the Department of Health's new approach to testing.

However, testing in special schools will continue after Easter and will be kept under review, possibly continuing until the end of June.