Covid school absence rate in Birmingham lower than national average

The absence rate in Birmingham schools remains higher than average for this time of year.

Latest figures show a total of 89% of children attended lessons compared to the usual rate of 95% to 96% in a ‘normal’ academic year.

But the absence rate due to Covid for Birmingham schoolchildren is better than the national average, it has been revealed.

What do the figures show?

Birmingham’s on-site attendance rate for Tuesday, October 19 was 89 per cent, higher than the national average of 88 per cent being reported across the country.

But Birmingham also had a lower rate of absences due to Covid or suspected Covid, with the Covid absence rate (including confirmed, suspected, not vaccinated and other) for state funded schools being 1.7 per cent, versus the national figure of 2.8 per cent.

Will the city council be introducing extra measures to control Covid in the classroom?

This week the city council announced that it would not be advising schools to introduce additional measures to slow the spread of Covid in the classroom, despite neighbouring council Walsall offering similar advice to its schools.

Walsall council recently wrote to schools advising them to re-introduce measures such as class bubbles and staggered break times, with the national rate in the country on the rise again.

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