Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to end the requirement for primary school children to self-isolate under covid-19 restrictions.

The Department’s goal is to support pupils and students to attend face to face education, and to reverse the long-term impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on their education, wellbeing and wider development. That is why education has been prioritised as the Government works through the stages of the roadmap to relaxing restrictions: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021#roadmap.

The Department will be removing the need to keep children and young people in consistent groups (‘bubbles’) in schools and colleges, as well as the need to reduce mixing in nurseries, from Step 4 of the roadmap. The updated guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999602/Schools_guidance_Step_4_update.pdf.

Unless they test positive, children and those who are fully vaccinated will not be required to isolate from 16 August if they are identified as a close contact. Self-isolation continues for those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

As the COVID-19 outbreak progresses, it is important that the Department is able to respond to the evolving public health situation. Depending on COVID-19 measures in place at the time, and subject to Step 4 of the road map commencing, there may be a need for regional or local safety measures to help limit the spread of the virus that could impact education and childcare in the coming months.

Given the impact that restrictions on education can have on children and young people, any measures in nurseries, schools, colleges and universities should only ever be considered as a last resort, kept to the minimum number of groups possible, and for the shortest amount of time possible. Any restrictions on attendance should only ever be considered as a last resort and should involve a ministerial decision.