School absences in England related to Covid-19 jumped by two-thirds in the last two weeks of September, according to government data, which could raise concerns about further disruption to education despite a pledge to keep schools open.

Around one in seven secondary school students were off for either coronavirus-related or other reasons, the Department for Education said, and the age group has the highest prevalence of infections in the country.

An estimated 204,000 students, or 2.5 per cent of all pupils at state-funded schools, were off for Covid-related reasons on September 30, up from 122,000 on September 16.

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