Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has published for (a) schools and (b) agencies on supply teachers claiming statutory sick pay if self-isolating during the covid-19 outbreak.

As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer?have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19.

The Government has provided guidance on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for all employers, which includes specific information on when an employee is off work because of COVID-19. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/employers-sick-pay.

Employers must pay an employee SSP if they are self-isolating and off work for at least 4 days and any of the following apply:

• They, or someone they live with, has coronavirus symptoms:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

• They’ve been notified by the NHS, or public health authorities, that they’ve been in contact with someone with coronavirus:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works

• Someone in their ‘support bubble’ (or ‘extended household’ if they live in Scotland or Wales) has symptoms:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-people-from-outside-your-household-from-4-july

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-phase-2-staying-safe-and-protecting-others/pages/meeting-others/

https://gov.wales/guidance-extended-households-coronavirus.