Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to issue new guidance on the use of technology in schools for self-isolating (a) pupils and (b) staff as covid-19 restrictions are eased.

The Department is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care. We are making available 1.3 million laptops and tablets to schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities, supporting disadvantaged children and young people who would not otherwise have access to a digital device.

As of Monday 15 March, over 1.2 million laptops and tablets have been delivered. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/laptops-and-tablets-progress-data-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

The Department has been publishing this data every week during term time. The next publication will be due on Tuesday 23 March.

Once received, the laptops and tablets are owned by schools, academy trusts, local authorities or further education colleges who can lend these to children and young people who need them the most. These laptops and tablets are intended to give schools the flexibility to provide remote education support and can continue to be used in the longer term either in the classroom or from home.

The Department does not collect any data on how devices are used once they are received by the school.

We know that a range of other local and community initiatives have also provided technology for remote education, and that some schools have also invested in technology at this time. We do not hold comprehensive data on device provision outside of the Get Help with Technology Programme during this period.

Over 5,000 schools are now accessing a digital platform for remote education via the department’s grant funded Digital Platforms Programme

The Department plans to examine the broader impact of these interventions over the coming year.

From the 8 March, attendance is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age. Schools affected by the remote education temporary continuity direction are still required to provide remote education for pupils where their attendance would be contrary to government guidance or legislation around COVID-19. This includes, for example, where such guidance means that a class, group, or small number of pupils need to self-isolate, or that clinically extremely vulnerable children need to shield.

Where it is needed, schools are expected to offer pupils 3-5 hours of remote education. This includes either recorded or live direct teaching alongside time for pupils to work independently to complete assignments that have been set.

We have recently updated our guidance and resources for schools around safeguarding and delivery of remote education, which can be accessed here: https://get-help-with-remote-education.education.gov.uk/safeguarding.