More than 1.1 million pupils were forced to miss class due to coronavirus at the end of the summer term as absence levels hit a record high.
New figures show 1.126 million children were out of school in England on Friday July 16, compared with 859,000 on Friday July 9.
Some 994,000 children were self-isolating due to a possible contact with a Covid-19 case, 48,000 pupils with a confirmed case of coronavirus, and 33,300 with a suspected case.
A further 50,700 pupils were off as a result of school closures for other Covid-related reasons. School bubbles have now been scrapped for the autumn term after rules ordering children to self isolate if a classmate tests positive triggered rocketing absence rates.
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