Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure school closures due to extreme weather do not affect educational outcomes.

It is for individual settings and responsible bodies to decide on closures based on their own risk assessment. Closures should be a last resort, and the priority is to keep settings open where safe. The department’s guidance for schools includes information on remote education when pupils cannot attend. Remote learning should only be used when attendance is impossible but learning can continue.

The department’s emergency planning guidance outlines how schools should provide remote education, and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings#exam-and-assessment-disruption. The department has also issued non-statutory guidance on providing remote education guidance for schools which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools. Guidance for parents on remote education is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-information-to-parents-template.

Schools can make use of free resources provided by Oak National Academy, which includes comprehensive, curriculum-aligned lesson materials across all key stages and subjects. These can be accessed online and adapted by teachers. More information is available at: https://www.thenational.academy.

All schools and colleges must have contingency plans to ensure exams and assessments proceed during disruption. Detailed guidance on managing exam or assessment disruption can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exam-system-contingency-plan-england-wales-and-northern-ireland/what-schools-and-colleges-should-do-if-exams-or-other-assessments-are-seriously-disrupted.