BURY North MP James Daly urged the Education Secretary to remove requirements for school bubbles and self-isolation as rising numbers of pupils are sent home.

Official figures this week showed over 375,000 children were off school.

Responding to an urgent question from Labour, Gavin Williamson said he recognised the "frustration of parents and pupils who may feel like they're being asked to isolate unnecessarily".

The numbers sent home from school for Covid-related reasons have quadrupled this month - but among those having to self-isolate only about 4% have been confirmed as positive cases.

"The Metropolitan Borough of Bury currently has over 2,000 children self-isolating negatively impacting their social, emotional and educational development," said Mr Daly. "I welcome and recognise my Honourable Friend's commitment to keeping children in school, but does my Right Honourable Friend, and I'm sure he does, recognise and agree that we cannot allow this situation to continue and surely we must learn to live with Covid-19 and remove requirements for school bubbles together with the current policy of self-isolation at the earliest opportunity."

Mr Williamson replied: "We're very much wanting to go down that course of easing restrictions and ensuring as we come out of this pandemic that children are one of the greatest beneficiaries so my Honourable Friend's and my minds are very much in the same place."

Other Tories to call for an end to the blanket self-isolating measures in schools included Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) and lockdown critic and former minister Steve Baker (Wycombe).