Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to support young people unable to attend school as a result of having long covid.

Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development. School attendance is mandatory, and parents have a duty, under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that their child of compulsory age receives an efficient full-time education between ages five and sixteen.

The department recognises that some children may face barriers to attendance due to diagnosed medical conditions, such as long COVID. Long COVID is an umbrella term for symptoms that persist or develop after someone recovers from COVID-19. The severity of these symptoms can vary significantly and the support for pupils should recognise this.

The department’s new attendance guidance makes it clear that children with long term medical conditions may require additional support and that schools should provide this support where necessary to help them access their full-time education. This should include having sensitive conversations with pupils and parents, making reasonable adjustments where necessary, and considering additional support from external partners (including the local authority or health services). The department expects schools to work with families to develop specific support approaches for attendance and ensuring effective pastoral support is in place.

In some circumstances, pupils’ symptoms may be so severe that they are unable to attend mainstream education. The guidance entitled ‘Ensuring a Good Education for Children who cannot attend school because of health needs’ sets out that a local authority must arrange suitable full-time education (or as much education as the child’s health condition allows) for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, would otherwise not receive suitable education. A link to the guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-children-with-health-needs-who-cannot-attend-school.