The NAHT survey of 2,000 school leaders in England shows that more than a third (36 per cent) had more than 10 per cent of their total staff absent on the first day of term because of Covid-related reasons.
More than a quarter (27 per cent) said they had more than 10 per cent of their teaching staff off due to Covid-related reasons and almost 1 in 10 (9 per cent) said they had more than 20 per cent of their teaching staff absent.
The snap poll also found:
'This is a very worrying picture'
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said, ‘Schools are doing everything they can to maintain education for pupils in the face of very challenging circumstances. Staff absence on the first day of term was considerable and school leaders have been doing what they can to redeploy teachers and other support staff to avoid being forced to combine classes or send groups home.
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