Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support schools with smaller premises in the phased wider opening of educational settings as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

It is our intention for all pupils, in all year groups, to return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. It is the best place for them to learn, and important for their wellbeing to have social interactions with their teachers and friends

On 2 July we published guidance to help schools plan for a full return of all children in September. The measures set out in this guidance provide a framework for school leaders to put in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff, which also ensure that all pupils receive a high quality education that enables them to thrive and progress. All schools must ensure that they adhere to the measures outlined in our guidance, but the way different schools implement some of the requirements will differ based on their individual circumstances.

We do not consider it necessary for schools to make significant adaptations to their site to enable them to welcome all children back to school. We also do not think schools will need to deliver any of their education on other sites such as community centres or village halls because class sizes can return to normal and spaces used by more than one class or group can be cleaned between use.

Following a risk assessment, some schools may determine that small adaptations to their site are required, such as additional wash basins. This will be at the discretion of individual schools, based on their particular circumstances.

Guidance for schools on full opening for the autumn term is available at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.