Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether children in reception year will be able to retake that year in the 2021-22 academic year in the event that they are unable to complete reception in 2020-21 as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Schools continue to remain open for all children and young people as they have since the start of the autumn term. Being at school is vital for children’s education and their wellbeing. It continues to be the aim that all pupils, in all year groups, remain in school full-time.

The Department does not currently anticipate that children in Reception or any other year group will need to repeat a school year as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is important for parents to remember that all children in any year group will be in the same position. Schools have planned carefully to take this into account in their teaching and support for pupils.

The Department has announced a package of support worth £1 billion to ensure that schools have the support they need to help pupils make up for lost teaching time in the last school year. This package of measures comprises a £650 million universal catch up premium for schools to help them make up for lost teaching time, and a new £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils.

Once a child has been admitted to a school, it is for the head teacher to decide how best to educate them. It remains possible for head teachers to agree for an individual child to retake a year, if they think it is appropriate.