A leading lawyer and school governor has accused Ofsted of failing to guide teachers over “best practice” during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter published by The Times on Wednesday, David Wolfson QC suggested that since suspending all routine inspections on March 17  - when schools were closed in the lockdown - Ofsted has had “little idea what is actually going on” with efforts to teach children online.

Mr Wolfson is a school governor at Kerem Primary in Hampstead Garden Suburb.

With mounting concerns about the impact of coronavirus on education for children, he writes: “I am a governor of a small primary school whose head teacher and staff have made sterling efforts to provide as much education online and now in-school as possible.’’

But Mr Wolfson adds: “We have been left to determine ‘best practice’ by ourselves and through informal discussions with other schools.

“But where is Ofsted and its inspectors?  Since March 17 all routine inspection have been suspended meaning that the main education inspection service has little idea what is actually going on.

“Like our teachers, Ofsted needs to get back to work.”

In response, Ofted said that 700 staff “are supporting local authorities, government departments and other organisations with the response to Covid 19”.

About a third of primary school pupils returned to school last week, government figures show.