Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the cost to schools of supplying cover for clinically extremely vulnerable (a) teachers and (b) support staff during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Department does not hold data on the number of clinically extremely vulnerable staff in schools and is therefore not able to confirm the costs to schools for supplying cover for clinically extremely vulnerable staff. The annual school workforce census provides data on school staff characteristics and although we collect sickness absence data, it does not record their health status. The latest school workforce census data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england#dataBlock-465b74eb-234a-418d-b240-b678afa06e66-tables

Following last year’s Spending Review, core school funding is increasing by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, and will increase by £4.8 billion and £7.1 billion in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20. On average, schools are attracting 4.2% more per pupil this year compared to in 2019-20.

Schools have continued to receive their core funding allocations as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and this has ensured they have been able to continue to pay for staff, and meet their other regular financial commitments.

The Department’s ‘Guidance for schools on full opening’ sets out the options available for schools seeking to manage staffing capacity and absences as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition to using supply teachers and other temporary or peripatetic teachers, schools can also consider using existing staff more flexibly, including support staff and ITT trainees, or volunteers, as would usually be the case. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

As stated in our guidance, schools should continue to use their existing resources to manage staffing capacity. Where schools do hire agency workers, we recommend they consider using the Department’s and Crown Commercial Service’s agency supply deal, as this offers a list of preferred suppliers that must be transparent about the rates they charge. The deal can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deal-for-schools-hiring-supply-teachers-and-agency-workers.

We continue to work with stakeholders and representative bodies to understand staffing capacity and are keeping the situation under close review.