Covid cases in schools fell in every health authority area across Wales this week, continuing the downward trend for the last three weeks.
Latest Public Health Wales figures out on Friday show that 2,867 new Covid cases were reported in schools in the six days to December 8 compared with 3,596 the week before and 4,272 three weeks ago.
As before most cases were in primary schools.
At the same time school attendance has plummeted to 86.2% with key exam years particularly affected, separate Welsh Government data shows.
Less than eight in 10 A level students went in to school in the week to December 3. At the same time more than one in 10 pupils in GCSE year 11 were off school.
Read more: Headteachers are discussing shutting schools early for Christmas
While all local health authority areas saw schools Covid cases drop four of Wales' 22 councils, Swansea , Denbighshire , Vale of Glamorgan and Ceredigion , reported a rise.
Swansea reported the highest number of schools cases in the six days to December 8 at 269 - three more than the week before. That was followed by Cardiff , the biggest local education authority in Wales which reported 244 cases to December 9, down 56 on the previous week. Powys came third highest at 183 cases, a fall of six on the previous week.
Merthyr had the lowest number of schools cases across Wales this week with just 33 with Blaenau Gwent reporting 42 and Torfaen 47.
In the six days to December 9 primaries reported 1,775, a fall of 338 on the previous week.
In the same period there were 815 cases in secondaries, down 307 on the week before.
There were a further 277 Covid cases in "other" schools , which includes independent and special schools and pupil referral units - 84 fewer than the week before,
Cases in school staff by Health Board and school type, since September 1 2020
Aneurin Bevan UHB
Primary 1,686
Secondary 835
Other 235
Total 2,756
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB
Primary 1,747
Secondary 866
Other 309
Total 2,922
Cardiff and Vale UHB
Primary 1,204
Secondary 709
Other 339
Total 2,252
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB
Primary 1,559
Secondary 739
Other 431
Total 2,729
Hywel Dda UHB
Primary 635
Secondary 399
Other 133
Total 1,167
Powys Teaching HB
Primary 324
Secondary 126
Other 69
Total 519
Swansea Bay UHB
Primay 1,109
Secondary 461
Other 305
Total 1,875
Total Wales
Primary 8,264
Secondary 4,135
Other 1,821
Total 14,220
- In the week to December 8 colleges reported 306 Covid cases, 37 more than the previous week, the PHW data also showed.
- Since schools first re-opened in September 2020 there have been 66,744 reports of new Covid cases across 1,529 schools; 14,220 cases in staff and 52,524 in pupils.
- From a total of 1,573 schools across Wales, this represents 97.2 % of schools that have had a Covid case. Of these 31 schools have had only one case.
Reporting the figures, PHW said cases were highest among those aged five to 11. It added that cases reported in schools did not mean infection took place in them.
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