Government warned isolation rules are 'bleeding out schools' across Greater Manchester

Schools across England are "bleeding out'' due to quarantine rules that have forced thousands of children and teachers to isolate, the Government has been told.

Gerard Jones, the director of children and young people at Oldham Council, said in an interview with The Guardian the current quarantine bubble rules risk the nation's most vulnerable children being "left behind''.

Mr Jones said Oldham was struggling to keep its schools open, with 400 staff and more than 6,400 children in isolation.

He told the paper: "What we're getting from the Government is 'be patient' and the Department for Education have just refused to say very much about it at all. Meanwhile we're bleeding out here.

"This is not just an issue Oldham is facing but is being seen across Greater Manchester with thousands of pupils affected. Northern kids are at risk of being left behind - when exams do go ahead children from wealthier boroughs will have had far more schooling.

"We need a new plan for daily testing and a reformed approach to how we handle Covid in schools and we need these not in three months but now.''

His comments come after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson last week said school bubbles could be scrapped on July 19 as part of the next step of easing Covid-19 restrictions in England.

Mr Williamson also told MPs he believes pupils "would not be facing'' bubble arrangements in September.

A Department for Education spokesperson told The Guardian: "We are grateful to everyone who works in education for their tireless work over the course of the pandemic - and for following safety measures to protect public health while maintaining high-quality teaching for pupils.

"We recognise the disruption that a minority of schools and colleges continue to face, which is why we are working across Government to relax restrictions and provide clarity on the new approach in line with the wider move to step 4 of the road map.''