Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what educational support will be made available to university students required to self-isolate due to the covid-19 outbreak in the 2021 autumn term; and how he plans to provide that additional support.

From 16 August and as part of Step 4 of the government’s COVID-19 roadmap, double vaccinated people and under 18 year olds will no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

It is vitally important that universities continue to make sure that students feel as supported as possible, should they have to self-isolate. Universities UK has produced a checklist for higher education (HE) providers to support students who are required to self-isolate: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/2020/uuk-checklist-support-self-isolating-students.pdf.

Universities UK has also created bespoke guidance for HE providers on how to prepare for and care for students who are required to self-isolate on arrival in the UK. We encourage providers to review this guidance when considering how best to support their international students and other students arriving from overseas.

The Office for Students has also published a statement on support for students in self-isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak, available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/blog/ofs-student-panel-statement-on-support-for-students-in-self-isolation-during-covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic/. Students will still have access to online resources and learning materials during periods of self-isolation. We encourage students to contact their provider to find out more about what resources are available to them online.

In addition, some students may be eligible for a one-off payment of £500 through the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme, if they are required to self-isolate: https://www.gov.uk/test-and-trace-support-payment.