More than 1,000 primary school children in Tayside and Fife were absent on a single day last week due to Covid.
Attendance and absence figures for each area of Scotland released by the Scottish Government also show variations between areas of the proportion of secondary school pupils attending each day.
It has been only two weeks since all primary school pupils were able to return to school, following the return of P1 to P3 and nursery children on February 22. Secondary pupils are back only part-time due to social distancing requirements until the holidays.
Last Tuesday, the latest day for which data is available, 607 Fife primary school pupils (2.1%) were absent for Covid-related reasons, 272 (2.6%) from Perth and Kinross schools, 55 (0.6%) in Angus and 126 in Dundee (1.2%).
Nationwide the Covid-related absence rate in primary schools was 2%.
An outbreak at Kirkcaldy West Primary School saw 19 people test positive and 19 other Fife schools and nurseries reported cases over the last two weeks.
These included Aberdour, Kings Road, Pathhead, Dunnikier, Torbain, Kelty, Lochgelly South and Aberhill primary schools and Levenmouth Academy, St Andrew’s RC High School and St Columba’s RC High School.
Among the Perthshire primary schools affected were Oakbank, Goodlyburn, St Stephen’s RC, Our Lady’s and Milnathort. Blairgowrie High School and St John’s RC Academy have also had cases.
The proportion of secondary pupils in school in Perth & Kinross Council schools was well above the national average of 26.8% in the morning and 24.1% in the afternoon of March 23.
The area’s 11 local authority secondary schools had over 39% attendance in the morning and afternoon. Attendance was lowest in Fife schools out of the four local authority areas, at 22.3% in the morning and 19.7% in the afternoon.
A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council said schools had followed Scottish Government advice on the safe return of children and young people.
She said: “Head teachers have engaged with their individual school communities to maximise opportunities for safe face-to-face learning for our secondary pupils in line with all health and safety mitigations, guidelines and hygiene measures.”
Absence rates were also recorded for teachers off due to confirmed Covid, Covid symptoms, isolating, shielding, quarantining or caring for someone due to the virus. On the same date there were 16 teachers absent in Angus, 24 in Dundee, six in Fife and 20 and Perth and Kinross.
Data on school attendance and Covid-related absences is being published regularly by Scottish Government Education Analytical Services, based on information provided by local authorities.
Secondary school pupils are due to return full-time after the Easter holidays, on April 12 in Fife and April 19 in the other areas.
Coronavirus in Scotland – track the spread in these charts and maps