Around 16% of all Kent primary school pupils returned to their education studies last week, it has emerged.

Hundreds of schools across the county welcomed back 21,000 students from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

More than 487 of the 600 schools run by Kent County Council have returned. Medway Council also runs schools.

KCC's corporate director for education, Matt Dunkley, described the crisis as putting "unprecedented" pressure on the sector.

Cllr Richard Long, KCC's cabinet member for education, added: “Like all services, offices at KCC education have faced major and fast moving challenges to ensure work continues and manage massive changes at schools."

Their comments came during an enlightening KCC education briefing where several councillors discussed the impact of the pandemic on school numbers.

Around 21,383 pupils were back in primary school classrooms eight days ago, around 27% are in Reception, 21% in Year 1 and 32% in Year 6.

This represents just 16% of the 126,000 pupils who attended Kent primaries in January.

At the start of lockdown in March just 2,500 people attended Kent schools daily, with Boris Johnson's government only allowing the children of key workers, such as NHS staff, as well as youngsters with special needs to attend.

When schools reopened for other pupils on June 1 only an extra 7,500 pupils in the county took up the offer amid continued concerns around safety.

KCC's education committee was told this meant around 10,000 Kent youngsters were attending schools on June 1, which had grown to daily numbers of 16,000 by the end of the week (June 5) as parental confidence grew.

Cllr Long added: "The admissions team have quietly and without fuss ensured that nearly 18,000 children, the biggest cohort in four years, had an offer of primary school place for September.

"With over 95% receiving one of their preferred schools. All this has been done while staff have been working in lockdown conditions."

Other parts of Kent's children's sector continue to unlock as the UK enters a new phase of the public health emergency.

More than 500 childminders have now reopened while 441 nurseries offered support to nearly 10,000 pupils last week, up 1,200 from the week before.

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