Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled More support to keep pupils in the classroom published on 2 January 2022, whether this guidance remains in place for schools.

The temporary measures outlined in the press release dated 2 January 2022 are no longer in place. The measures outlined were temporarily introduced to support and protect the return to face to face education.

On 1 April 2022, the Government withdrew many pieces of specific COVID-19 pandemic guidance for schools and childcare services, as well as for other sectors. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published a series of new public health guidance documents, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-sets-out-how-to-live-safely-with-covid-19.

Given the low risk to children and young people, high levels of vaccination among the UK population, and a dominant variant that continues to be milder than in the past, there is no longer a need for specific COVID-19 pandemic guidance in school. Schools should follow the public health guidance set out by UKHSA on managing COVID-19 in line with other infectious diseases. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-sets-out-how-to-live-safely-with-covid-19.

All schools should have infection prevention and control measures in place that will help to manage the spread of infection. These include ventilation, cleaning, and supporting routine immunisations for those eligible.

The Department published Emergency Planning and Response guidance for schools, which sets out how schools should plan for and deal with emergencies, including the possibility of future significant public health incidents. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.