Fears have been raised over the small number of 'at risk' children attending school amid the coronavirus pandemic. Schools closed in March to everyone except the children of key workers, vulnerable pupils who have social workers, and those with special needs and individual Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.
But official figures show that only a tiny fraction of these children in England are taking up the emergency school places. The figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show that just 24k pupils classed as vulnerable turned up at schools last Friday, which constitutes 5% of the total entitled to attend school during the lockdown, including over the Easter break.