Ministers urged to release data on Covid variants in English schools

School leaders write to Gavin Williamson amid growing number of closures caused by outbreaks

• Coronavirus - latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

School leaders have urged ministers to immediately publish data on the number of Covid-19 variant cases being found in schools and colleges in England, as outbreaks force a growing number of schools to close or send children home.

The leaders of eight trade unions representing school staff, including the four main teaching unions, have written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, asking for the data held by the government and Public Health England to be released.