Almost 1,000 pupils absent from Tayside and Fife schools due to Covid-19 on Tuesday

Almost 1,000 pupils in Tayside and Fife were absent from school in a single day because of coronavirus, figures have revealed.

Some 971 children missed school on Tuesday April 27 for any Covid-19 related reason across the four local authority areas.

The figures, released by the Scottish Government, include absences from those who have the virus, are in isolation or choosing to stay home.

Regional breakdown

According to the data, Fife was the most affected by Covid-19 with 511 schoolchildren missing school.

That equals 1.1% of the school population in the kingdom.

There were 46 pupils in Angus absent, 173 in Dundee and 241 in Perth and Kinross – 0.3%, 1% and 1.3% of the school roll respectively.

Tayside pupils returned to school after the Easter break on Monday April 19.

It is the first time secondary school pupils were in the classroom full time since December.

Fife pupils returned a week earlier – on April 12 – and there were more than 200 pupils off school because of the virus just a few days later.

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Covid cases

The absence figures come as NHS Fife confirmed cases of Covid-19 at 14 schools and one nursery.

Pupils and staff at seven secondary schools and six primaries had tested positive between Monday April 19 and Sunday April 25.

The following schools saw five or more people required to isolate after contact with a positive case:

• Auchmuty High School – Glenrothes
• Beath High School – Cowdenbeath
• Camdean Primary School – Rosyth
• Canmore Primary School – Dunfermline
• Dunfermline High School
• Fair Isle Family Nurture Centre – Kirkcaldy
• Glenrothes High School
• Kirkcaldy High School
• Kirkcaldy West Primary School
• Madras College – St Andrews
• Pitreavie Primary School – Dunfermline
• Pitteuchar West Primary School – Glenrothes
• St Columba’s RC High School – Dunfermline
• St Leonard’s Primary School – Dunfermline
• Thornton Primary School

Overall attendance

The Scottish Government figures also showed the overall percentage of pupils who attended school in the four regions on Tuesday.

On April 27, Angus had the highest overall attendance levels with 94% of pupils in school.

Attendance was lowest in Fife as 91.1% of pupils were in school.

In Dundee, the overall attendance was 92.1%, while 92.9% of schoolchildren in Perth and Kinross were in school.

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