I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out where this magical 440,000 figure came from which the DfE are quoting as the reduction in persistent absence…
…because that’s NOT what the official data shows!!
The more important point that is rather glossed over here is that the persistent absence rate of 21.2% in 2022/23 is still nearly DOUBLE the pre-pandemic rate of 10.9%.
Hardly something to be boasting about!
But if the official DfE report states that just 70,000 fewer children have been persistently absent in 2022/23 compared to the previous year…
…why is the government quoting a reduction of 440,000 pupils, more than 6 times the official figure?!
We need to dig a little deeper…
Up until April 2022, an additional code was used in school registers:
▪️CODE X: “Not attending in circumstances related to COVID”.
Code X was used in the Autumn & Spring terms in 2021/22.
After April 2022, this code was no longer used for this purpose.
Prior to April 2022, Code X was used for children who were required to self-isolate (eg. due to close contact) but who did *not* have Covid themselves (those with Covid were recorded as Code I for illness).
Importantly: Code X is NOT counted as an absence in official figures.
Of course, if you include these Code X absences (which are NOT included in official figures), then the number of pupils who missed more than 10% of sessions in 2021/22 is considerably higher.
370,000 pupils higher to be exact.
You may notice a subtlety in the wording used here.
In the official report, they don’t describe these pupils as persistently absent, they refer to them as pupils who missed 10% or more sessions…
…because Code X absences DON’T count towards official persistent absence figures.
So there we are… mystery solved.
The way they arrived at the 440,000 reduction in pupils who are ‘persistently absent’ is by including Code X absences which are NOT officially counted as absences.
I don’t know about you, but this feels a little bit like cheating to me…
Now you may be wondering what’s causing all this persistent absence…
In 2022/23, the #1 driver of persistent absence in every age group was ILLNESS.
In fact, in primary schools, persistent absences due to ILLNESS accounted for OVER HALF of the total.
It’s little wonder so many parents are furious about the government’s irresponsible attendance campaign which actively encourages parents to send sick children to school, as covered here in iNews by @AasmaDay.
‘Covid’ may have become a taboo word, but we need to face up to the inconvenient truth that it’s making our kids sick… a LOT.
‘Living with Covid’ shouldn’t mean just ignoring it.
It should mean making environments as safe as possible to reduce the risk of infection.
UK schools are generally poorly ventilated, creating perfect conditions for disease transmission, especially in winter when windows are usually closed.
A CO₂ level ~800ppm indicates good ventilation.
Below are the horrifically high CO₂ levels for a typical UK classroom.
Cleaning the air by improving ventilation & air filtration is a simple, low cost, non-intrusive measure that could HUGELY reduce the spread of Covid in schools.
And it doesn’t just work for Covid - it helps reduce transmission of ALL airborne pathogens - measles, flu, RSV etc.
Clean air in schools is not a restrictive mitigation; it’s an ENABLING mitigation.
It would allow our children to attend school with less risk, less illness, less absence.
And for clinically vulnerable children, it could even be a life-saver.
There’s no downside to clean air.
There’s a mountain of evidence that improving ventilation & air filtration can hugely reduce the spread of airborne illnesses:
▪️A study conducted at Addenbrooke’s hospital showed that air filters removed almost all traces of airborne Covid virus.
▪️A Swiss study demonstrated that HEPA air filters delivering a clean air delivery rate of 5 air changes per hour (800m3/h) in a typical classroom led to a 5-fold decrease in the cumulative viral dose absorbed by exposed occupants.
▪️A study conducted in Bradford showed that Covid-related illness absence in schools was reduced by >20% when HEPA air filters were used in classrooms.
If you’d like to see more research, here’s a link to a website which has collated 56 research studies from around the world which demonstrate the effectiveness of air filters at removing Covid from the air in different settings:
Of course, the government have quietly invested in clean air and installed state-of-the-art air filtration systems in the Houses of Parliament, Ministry of Defence and other government buildings.
Meanwhile, more than 500 children a day in England are being referred to NHS mental health services for anxiety, more than DOUBLE the pre-pandemic rate…
…and yet, the impact of repeated COVID infections on children is never even considered as a contributing factor.
🚨40% of the undergrad students reported brain fog due to COVID-19.
🚨37 % of the undergraduates exhibited impaired cognition up to 17 months post-infection.
🚨Brain fog appeared to affect the distinct prefrontal haemodynamic patterns.
This study was conducted by scientists at the University of Otago (NZ) who were looking to investigate the cognitive effects of COVID infection in a population highly representative of young adults: undergraduate university students.
Today, in honour of #LongCovidAwarenessDay, I’m sharing a series of short videos from Dr Rae Duncan (@Sunny_Rae1) about the ongoing impact of Long Covid.
1. WHAT IS LONG COVID?
Long Covid is a multi-systemic inflammatory condition that can affect almost every organ of the body.
Newly-appointed Health Minister @AshleyDalton_MP has just responded to a question from MP @_Chris_Coghlan.
Chris asks when the NHS IPC manual will be updated to reflect the latest science on AIRBORNE transmission.
Let’s take a closer look at Ashley’s reply…
The key bit is highlighted in yellow here:
“Should new evidence emerge that warrants updates, the guidance will be reviewed & revised accordingly by NHS England & UKHSA to ensure the highest standards of infection prevention & control are maintained across healthcare settings.”
Well @AshleyDalton_MP, new evidence HAS emerged.
It’s not even new news as we’ve known about it since 2020!
There’s not a single credible scientist who still denies that Covid is transmitted via the AIRBORNE route.
Please listen to independent expert witness Prof Beggs here ⬇️
I wonder why so many people who’ve had Covid might be suffering with ‘anxiety’ 🤔
Hmmmm, let me think…
Could it be because Covid infections cause brain inflammation which triggers a plethora of neurological symptoms, including depression, anxiety & cognitive dysfunction?
The symptom may be ‘anxiety’ but this can often be the first sign of underlying neurological damage caused by COVID infections.
Patients affected may also be struggling with cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, difficulty concentrating etc.
This video helps explain why ⬇️
Here’s a fascinating post from neuroscientist @DaniBeckman which explains a little more about the damage that COVID can cause within the brain, disrupting neuronal circuits and contributing to neuronal loss.