Covid rates on the rise in secondary schools

One in every 35 pupils aged 11 to 16 are thought to have Covid

Secondary school pupils were tested for Covid before the term started (Getty Images)

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) indicate that the rates of Covid-19 are on the rise in secondary schools.

The percentage of those between school year seven and school year 11 (ranging from pupils aged 11 to 16) with a positive test result for Covid-19, has increased to 2.74 per cent on 11 September.

The figures mean that this age group had the highest percentage of Covid cases, with 1 in every 35 pupils having Covid-19, according to the ONS dataset.

They are followed by those between school year 12 and the age of 24, of whom 2.2 per cent had Covid, or 1 in 45.

According to the figures which were based on swabs collected from randomly selected households, it is estimated that one in every 80 people in England had Covid in the week ending 11 September.

This is overall a slight drop compared to the preceding week, but does mean that the rate in England was higher than the rate in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The proportion of those testing positive for Covid also varied by region, with those in the northwest of the country seeing more cases and those in east of England and West Midlands seeing a drop in case numbers.

There was also a slight increase in case numbers in those over the age of 50, although the oldest age groups continue to show the lowest rates of the virus.

The news comes just days after pupils in England returned to school from the summer break, with concerns that the start of a new term could bring with it a rise in Covid case numbers.

Sage, a group of scientists who advise the government, has suggested that “it is highly likely” high levels of coronavirus will be present within schools in England by the end of the month.

However, Dr Yvonne Doyle, the medical director for Public Health England, said “schools are not the drivers and not the hubs of infection”.

The ONS’ next Coronavirus Infection Survey is due out on 24 September.