Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what preparations his Department has made for schools to educate pupils virtually in the 2020-21 academic year in the event that further covid-19 social distancing measures are required.

Our latest guidance on remote education during COVID-19 is available here:

www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

It is up to each school to determine how to deliver education to its pupils and whether and how to monitor participation. Many schools have shared resources – both online and printed resources – for children who are at home, and we are committed to ensuring that all children can continue to learn remotely in a number of ways during these very difficult circumstances.

Being in school is vital for children’s education and their wellbeing. We are working towards bringing all children and young people back to school in September. These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.