Covid-19: Impact on Attendance in Education Settings

Debate between Gavin Williamson and Stephen Hammond

Wednesday 30th June 2021 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Williamson]

I would very much appreciate it if the hon. Gentleman forwarded that report, as it would be interesting to look at the details. We have been looking closely at the impact of covid on children’s learning right across the country. We have been doing a detailed study with Renaissance Learning to look at the lost learning, not just as a national cohort but very much in granular detail, and that is very much informing our policy development as to how we best address that.

[Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon) (Con) [V]]

I thank my right hon. Friend for his answers today and for his commitment to remove self-isolation for schoolchildren as soon as possible. That will be widely welcomed across Wimbledon. Can he reassure me about what the Government are doing to ensure that disabled children get the support they need at home when they have been self-isolating and unable to attend school?

[Gavin Williamson]

We very much expect the education to be delivered for all children remotely, whether they are in a mainstream school, a special school or alternative provision. We work with the sector to ensure that that happens, including on the provision of IT equipment and devices, which is so critical for all schools to be able to deliver that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gavin Williamson and Stephen Hammond

Monday 23rd November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Williamson]

At every stage, we on the Government side of the House have championed the importance of schools and getting children back into schools. We have done everything we can to support schools to welcome children back. We have done everything we can in terms of the over half a million laptops that are going to be distributed, and are being distributed, to schools to support remote learning. We recognise the fact that children have lost out as a result of this covid pandemic. That is why the Government pledged £1 billion-worth of support to schools to help them catch up that lost learning.

[Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon) (Con)]

What progress his Department has made on further amending the school admissions code to ensure that summer-born and premature children can be admitted to reception at the age of five at the request of parents.