Taken together for primary and secondary school teachers the average rate of infection is nearly double that of the general population, with a similar incidence among special school teachers.
The rate of infection for teaching assistants and other staff in special schools is a shocking seven times higher than the general population.
The DfE has not published any data on the rates of Covid-19 among early years staff.
The NEU’s calculations are based on data published by the Department for Education on the impact of coronavirus on the school workforce in its latest statistics, published yesterday (19 January), showing attendance in educational and early years settings during the coronavirus outbreak.
The statistics show attendance on 14 January.
For the first time, this data includes the number of teachers and school leaders, teaching assistants and other staff absent with a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Using this data, the NEU has estimated the rate of coronavirus infection among school staff.
Th union says that the data shows that there are much higher Covid rates of infection among teachers and other school staff than for the general population.
Its findings were calculated by comparing the DfE statistics with the Government's official data for coronavirus and comparing the national weekly rolling rate by specimen date.
Source: NEU
The NEU said that its findings contradict the reassurances regularly given by the Department and by Public Health England, including by the deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries in her evidence to yesterday’s Education Select Committee.
Asked about the risk to education staff, Dr Harries said, 'there is no evidenced increased risk to the teaching profession or educational staff in schools, and I think that is a really important one.'
The NEU’s analysis found:
- On average the rate of Covid infection is 1.9 times higher among primary and secondary teachers than the general population. It is two times higher for special school teachers.
- For teaching assistants and other staff, the rate of Covid infection is three times higher in primary schools and almost seven times higher in special schools.
The Government has been collecting this information since early October.
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said, ‘These shocking figures raise further very serious questions about the handling of coronavirus in schools.
‘What investigations have the Department for Education made into these figures?
‘Why have the ministers repeatedly told school staff and the public that there was no reason for concern when these figures indicate that there should have been real concern about the much higher Covid infection rates of teachers and other school staff?'
Covid-related absences in schools
The DfE estimates that approximately 4.4 per cent of teachers and school leaders and 5.9 per cent of teaching assistants and other staff were absent for Covid-related reasons on Wednesday 16 December. This includes:
- 0.9 per cent of teachers and school leaders and 1.1 per cent of teaching assistants and other staff with a confirmed case of coronavirus.
- 0.4 per cent of teachers and school leaders and 0.4 per cent of teaching assistants and other staff with a suspected case of coronavirus.
- 2.1 per cent of teachers and school leaders and 3.1 per cent of teaching assistants and other staff self-isolating due to potential contact with a case of coronavirus inside the school.
- 1.1 per cent of teachers and school leaders and 1.4 per cent of teaching assistants and other staff self-isolating due to potential contact with a case of coronavirus outside the school.
School support staff
GMB said that support staff workers were at the highest occupational exposure to Covid-19 in schools, as common tasks include administration of medicine, supporting children one to one, food and, personal care together with close pupil contact whilst supporting learning.
A total of 33,267 school support staff workers were absent on 17 December for Covid-19 related reasons, including confirmed and suspected infections and those who were required to isolate due to exposure inside or outside school.
The union said that Covid-19 absences have been higher for support staff than teachers on every day recorded by the DfE since 12 October.
The disparity is even greater in Special Schools, where 16.2 per cent of support staff were absent on December 17 for reasons linked to Covid-19 (compared to 5.4 per cent of teachers and school leaders).
Commenting on the rate of infection among school support staff, Rehana Azam, GMB national secretary, said, ‘Schools cannot function without support staff, and these figures confirm that these critical workers are not getting the support they deserve.
‘It is not a coincidence that whilst many teachers are teaching remotely from home, lots of GMB members remain in schools, supervising classes, preparing food and maintaining school buildings.
‘Many of our members are performing tasks that involve a high risk of transmission, without adequate PPE, and often in poorly ventilated buildings.
‘Support staff are the highly skilled professionals of the education system but too often they are ignored in public debate.
‘The comments from deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries yesterday did not reflect at all the reality on the ground.
‘The DfE’s own statistics prove this. ministers across Government need to wake up and recognise the reality that hundreds of thousands of low-paid school workers are at high risk of infection, with devastating consequence for workers, pupils and the wider community.
‘The reality is that without urgent priority access to vaccinations for school support staff, the cycle of community transmission in schools will not be broken.’
Attendance in early years settings - latest figures
The latest figures show that on 14 January the DfE estimates that there were 566,000 children in early years settings in England, approximately 54 per cent of the usual daily level.
