Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what level of personal protective equipment will be made available to people working at schools from September 2020.

On 2 July 2020, the Department published new guidance for the full opening of schools from the beginning of the autumn term. The guidance can be found here:

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

The Department has worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to develop this guidance based on a ‘system of controls’, which builds on the hierarchy of protective measures that have been in use throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. When implemented in line with a revised risk assessment, these measures create an inherently safer environment for children and staff where the risk of transmission of the infection is substantially reduced.

The majority of staff in education settings will not require personal protective equipment (PPE) beyond what they would normally need for their work. PPE is only needed in a very small number of cases, which are set out clearly in our published guidance.

Further information on preventing and controlling infection, including the use of PPE and how to source it, is also available in the Department’s guidance on safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe.