School attendance has fallen to the lowest level since the end of January, while staff absence also jumped last week.
The latest Department for Education attendance survey data suggests attendance in all state schools fell to 86.9 per cent on July 7, down from 89.4 per cent two weeks before.
It marks the lowest level since January 28, when 85.3 per cent of pupils attended school amid the first Omicron wave.
Nearly one in five secondary pupils were off last week.
