Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools were zoning children in year group bubbles; how effective that approach has been; how many entire year group bubbles have been isolated since the introduction of that approach; and how many have seen outbreaks within the bubbles.

Since the start of the autumn term, schools have implemented a range of protective measures to minimise the risk of transmission. The measures set out in the Department’s guidance have been endorsed by Public Health England. The Department published further guidance on 7 January which sets out what all schools need to do during the COVID-19 outbreak from January 2021: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf.

Having assessed their risk, schools must work through the system of controls in our guidance, adopting measures to the fullest extent possible in a way that addresses the risk identified in their assessment, works for their school and allows them to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum for pupils. These decisions are made by head teachers who are best placed to decide the most appropriate measures for the circumstances in their own schools.

The measures include minimising contact between individuals and maintaining social distancing wherever possible. The overarching principle to apply is reducing the number of contacts between pupils and staff. This can be achieved through keeping groups separate in ‘bubbles’ and through maintaining the distance between individuals. The Department does not require schools to provide data on how their individual establishments decide to group their pupils or on positive cases per group of pupils. The Department routinely publishes attendance data: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Schools must take swift action when they become aware that someone who has attended has tested positive for COVID-19, having developed symptoms and taken a PCR test outside of school. Secondary schools participating in the rapid asymptomatic testing programme should follow the mass asymptomatic testing guidance to ensure contacts of the positive case are tested: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/asymptomatic-testing-in-schools-and-colleges.

Any secondary schools not participating in the rapid asymptomatic testing programme must follow the advice in our restricting attendance during the national lockdown guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf. They can contact the dedicated advice service for support, who will work with schools to guide them through the actions they need to take. Schools must send home those people who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 10 days from the day after contact with the individual who tested positive.

If schools have two or more confirmed cases within 10 days, or an overall rise in sickness absence where COVID-19 is suspected, they may have an outbreak and must continue to work with their local health protection team who will be able to advise if additional action is required. In some cases, health protection teams may recommend that a larger number of other pupils self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure, perhaps the whole site or year group. If schools are implementing the controls in our guidance, whole school closure based on cases within the school will not generally be necessary and should not be considered except on the advice of health protection teams.