Schools are being told to revert to remote lessons on the advice of public health advice, a union leader has said.  

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), confirmed one primary school and one secondary school had closed in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

He told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: “I think it’s just important to say that this decision was not at the whim of a head teacher. 

“That wasn’t someone saying ‘Actually, we’re going to close the school because Christmas can come early’. 

“That was on public health advice and I think what we’re getting through all of this is the national narrative, quite rightly, that we want to do everything we can to keep young people in school.

“But on the ground – in particular areas such as Bury St Edmunds – public health are saying ‘Actually, because of the infection rates, we are recommending that young people should move to remote learning’. 

“So we are seeing a pretty mixed picture there.”  

Mr Barton added schools across the country are seeing “very severe low attendance” as the Omicron variant spreads.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “Listening to the speculation and the news, and certainly the emails I’ve been getting from members, you are getting some pockets of very severe low attendance, partly young people, partly staff.

“One (school) has emailed me this morning saying 25% of staff have been off for three weeks, you can imagine if you can’t then get supply teachers that becomes very difficult to maintain the quality of education.”