Tory MPs are growing increasingly frustrated and angry at the way in which schools appear to be interpreting Government guidelines with regard to managing Covid cases. This week, official figures showed over 375,000 children had been confined to homes and forced to miss classes. However, only about four percent are confirmed cases, with most sent home because of potential contact at school.

       On Wednesday night, just under 50 Tory backbenchers signed a letter urging the Prime Minister to put an end to the "unnecessary disruption" by ensuring that schools return to normal from July 19.

       In the letter seen by the Daily Telegraph, the signatories claimed that the self-isolation guidance for pupils was a "disproportionate" and “unsustainable” policy sparking “deep uncertainty and anxiety among a cohort who have already suffered enough”.

       The Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Wednesday that schools should be more cautious about sending healthy pupils home to isolate for 10 days.

       He claimed there was no requirement for an entire bubble to have to be sent home, but only those in "close contact".

       A Cabinet source also called on headteachers to be smarter in applying the rules.

       They told the Daily Telegraph: “They don't have to send home the whole year or a whole class.

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       "I think there's a lot of over-interpretation of the rules by schools who seem keener to send people home than they need to be.”

       The Education Secretary assured MPs at a Commons session earlier on Wednesday that he was working with the Health Secretary on changing the response to Covid in schools.

       Gavin Williamson said: "I want to see these restrictions, including bubbles, removed as quickly as possible."

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       This would be part of the "next step" in the process of unlocking from the pandemic, he told MPs, which under current plans could be July 19.

       However, the trade union Unison, which represents school support staff, argued that bubbles and isolation should be kept.

       Jon Richards, the union's head of education, said: "Self-isolation is one of the proven ways to keep cases under control."