Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of cancelling examinations due to the covid-19 outbreak on the mental health of A-level students; and what support he plans to provide to help those students cope with the pressure of studying during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown period.

The Government remains clear that exams are the fairest method to assess students. Given the further disruption, however, we cannot guarantee that all students will be able to sit their exams fairly this summer and GCSE, AS and A levels will not go ahead as planned. We have already confirmed our proposals that in summer 2021, students taking GCSE, AS and A levels regulated by Ofqual should be awarded grades based on an assessment by their teachers. To provide clarity to the sector as soon as possible, and to ensure that our approach is developed with the sector, Ofqual and the Department have launched a two-week consultation on how to fairly award grades for all students.

The Department has worked with our partners, the Department of Health and Social Care, Health Education England, Public Health England, and key voluntary sector organisations, to deliver Wellbeing for Education Return. This project, backed by £8 million, has trained local experts to provide additional advice and resources for schools and colleges to help support pupil and student, parent and carer, and staff wellbeing, resilience, and recovery in light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. It will give staff the confidence to support students, their parents, carers, and their colleagues, and know how and where to access appropriate specialist support where needed.

Over 85% of local authority areas in England have told us how they are delivering additional training and support into local schools and further education providers as a result of the funding. Nationally, our information indicates that more than 15,000 schools and colleges are being offered additional training and support.

In recognition of the significant pressures on school and further education provider staff, local areas are tailoring their support, and offering interactive training sessions and follow up support on key themes to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff and pupils in response to COVID-19.