Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of information available on the rates of infection and transmission of covid-19 in educational settings.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department regularly reviews advice from Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), Public Health England, the Office for National Statistics and other sources to ensure our policies are guided by the most up to date scientific evidence. SAGE have committed to publishing minutes and papers following meetings on a regular basis and we will continue to work closely with them, keeping the guidance under review as we continue to monitor the situation over the winter. The Department will adjust and adapt our approach as necessary if more evidence becomes available.
The Department collects daily data on the open status of schools, the number of schools that have indicated they have sent children home due to COVID-19 containment, the number of pupils absent because they have suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, and the number of pupils asked to isolate due to contact with a potential case.
The data from this collection is published at a national level as part of the official statistics series. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
Public Health England also collects data on infection, incidence, and COVID-19 cases overall and publishes weekly data on COVID-19 incidents by institution, including educational settings. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936672/Weekly_COVID-19_and_Influenza_Surveillance_Graphs_w47.pdf. It shows COVID-19 clusters or outbreaks by educational setting, including colleges and universities. Age-range data is also available from the Office for National Statistics here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/20november2020. This shows age-range positive test rates, including for academic school Year 12 to age 24.
The department intends to publish school workforce attendance data from the new year. This data will be included as part of the publication ‘Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (Covid 19) outbreak’.
The Department is continuing to review what we publish in our weekly dataset, alongside the quality of data we collect.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on keeping schools open and functioning effectively of the performance of the test and trace system.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Keeping schools and colleges open is one of the Government’s highest priorities. Being at school is vital for the education of children, and for their wellbeing. Time spent out of school is detrimental to the cognitive and academic development of children, particularly for disadvantaged children. It continues to be the Department’s aim that all pupils, in all year groups, remain in school full-time.
Those who have COVID-19 symptoms, or have someone in their household who does, must not attend school. All staff and students who are attending a school or college have access to a test if they display symptoms of COVID-19 and are encouraged to get tested. Guidance on how schools should respond to COVID-19 cases is available through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
Testing capacity is the highest it has ever been. The UK’s daily COVID-19 testing capacity passed the 500,000 mark on 31 October and continues to expand. In order to support schools further, the Department is also supplying COVID-19 test kits directly to them for both staff and students who develop the symptoms of COVID-19 and face significant barriers to accessing a test through existing routes.
Schools are playing a vital role in supporting the test and trace system. Where someone who has attended tests positive for COVID-19, schools are taking swift action to send home close contacts of the positive case, advising them to self-isolate for 14 days since they were last in close contact with that person when they were infectious. There is a dedicated advice line to help schools, colleges or early years settings to implement the most appropriate public health measures once a case is confirmed. If, following triage, further expert advice is required, the adviser will escalate the school’s call to the Public Health England local health protection team.
The Government is committed to introducing mass asymptomatic testing using new technologies to minimise the risk of infection spread in our communities, and pilots are already underway for using them in schools and colleges. Establishing this testing capability will enable students to continue their studies safely, and ensure staff are able to continue to deliver education and support.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, steps he is taking to improve understanding of the guidance on the use of personal protective equipment in (a) schools and (b) other educational settings.
Answered by Nick Gibb
COVID-19 related Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use is very limited for staff in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, and relates only to:
Further guidance on the use of PPE in education and childcare settings is available through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe.
We continue to give schools and others in the education and childcare sectors information about our guidance, and any changes to it, through regular Departmental communications.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to (a) procure and (b) deliver (i) laptops and (ii) other home internet access to disadvantaged students in a timely manner during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
As part of over £195 million invested to support remote education and access to online social care, over half a million laptops and tablets are being made available this year to support disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 whose face-to-face education may be disrupted.
Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these devices have already been delivered to schools. This supplements over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers, which have already been delivered during the summer term.
The Department is also working with mobile network operators to provide temporary access to free additional data, offering families flexibility to access the resources that they need the most. As part of a pilot, disadvantaged families have been able to access a free mobile data uplift for this term.
The Department is now working with mobile operators to provide a national service until the end of the 2020-21 academic year. We will continue to invite a range of mobile providers to support the offer.
These laptops and tablets are the property of the trust, local authority or school, and so will benefit children’s education long after we come out of the measures required to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
More information on deliveries in this term can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929064/Ad-hoc_stats_note_shipped_data_231020_FINAL.pdf.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether parents who are concerned that their children returning to school in May, June or July will be at risk from covid-19 and associated conditions will be able to keep them at home and away from school at least until the commencement of the September term.
Answered by Nick Gibb
From the week commencing 1 June, at the earliest, we will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups (vulnerable children and children of critical workers). We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by government justify the changes at the time.
By returning pupils gradually, settings can initially reduce the number of children and young people in classrooms compared to usual and put protective measures in place to reduce risks.
Eligible children – including priority groups - are strongly encouraged to attend their education setting, unless they are self-isolating or they are clinically vulnerable. Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time and schools will not be held to account for attendance levels.
Further guidance for parents and carers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) colleges on assessing the grades of students that are due to resit A-level examinations.
Answered by Nick Gibb
These are matters for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, who will be overseeing the final value for money assessment in accordance with her Department's Green Book framework during the sale process of public assets.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The framework for assessing the value for money of the sale of part of the student loan book has been set by HM Treasury, in accordance with Green Book principles. The final assessment will be overseen by the Accounting Officer of the Department for Education.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 February 2017, HCWS458, how the Government plans to securitise the remaining future repayments on student loans as a part of their planned sale process.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The sale of the rights to the remaining future repayments on the loans in scope of the sale of part of the student loan book, as set out in a Written Statement on 6 February, would be structured as a securitisation. In this structure, the loans are sold to a new independent English-domiciled company (“the Issuer”) which issues the notes to investors and makes payments of interest and principal on them.
This structure will enable the Government to maximise value from the sale for the taxpayer by creating separate tranches of securities attractive to a range of potential investors.