Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's announcement of 3 December 2020, what the terms of reference are for the expert group set up to look at differential learning and monitor the variation in the impact of the pandemic on students across the country.

The Department recognises the challenges faced by schools, teachers and students, and knows that disruption has been felt differently across the country as well as between schools and colleges in the same area and between students within individual institutions.

In addition to a package of measures announced to ensure that exams are delivered fairly next summer, the Department confirmed the launch of an expert group to consider the differential impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on students and to recommend mitigations for these impacts. We are working to finalise the terms of reference and membership of the group and additional details will be provided shortly: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-support-the-summer-2021-exams.