Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support schools that experience outbreaks of covid-19.

On 2 July, the Department published guidance to help schools prepare for all pupils, in all year groups, to return to school full time from the beginning of the autumn term. This includes how schools should manage confirmed cases of COVID-19 amongst the school community. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Anyone with any of the three main COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate and access a test as soon as possible. We are continuing to improve the testing system to ensure teaching staff can get priority access when they have symptoms.

The Department is also supplying COVID-19 test kits directly to schools and further education (FE) colleges for both staff and students who develop the symptoms of COVID-19 and face significant barriers to accessing a test through existing routes. We have emailed all schools and FE colleges with details of how to access additional test kits via an online portal that opened on 16 September. Home testing kits will be supplied in boxes of 10, with one box provided per 1,000 students. A new order may be placed 21 days after the last order was dispatched.

When a test kit has been issued to a symptomatic staff member, who subsequently tests negative and is not a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 cases, the member of staff can return to work as soon as they feel well enough. Schools and FE colleges were prioritised for the distribution of these test kits to support their full re-opening from the autumn term.

Schools must take swift action when they become aware that someone who has attended school has tested positive for COVID-19. There is a new dedicated advice line to help schools, colleges or early years settings to implement the most appropriate public health measures, once a case is confirmed. A team of advisors will inform education settings what action is needed in response to a positive case based on the latest public health advice, and work through a risk assessment.

For individual or groups of pupils who need to self-isolate, remote education plans should be in place. Where a class, group or small number of pupils need to self-isolate, or local restrictions require pupils to remain at home, we expect schools to have the capacity to offer immediate remote education. On 1 October, the Department announced a package of remote education support designed to help schools and colleges build on and deliver their existing plans in the event that individuals or groups of pupils are unable to attend school because of COVID-19. Schools will be able to access a new central support hub, where resources and information on remote education will be housed. This support has been co-designed with schools and includes a range of school-led webinars and resources intended to share good practice.

The Department is also investing £1.5 million of additional funding to expand the EdTech Demonstrator programme – a peer support network offering advice, guidance and training to schools and colleges in effective use of technology, including how it can support remote education.

The Department has made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy, both for the summer term of the academic year 2019-20 and for the 2020-21 academic year, to provide free video lessons for reception up to year 11. It provides lessons across a broad range of subjects and includes specialist content for pupils with SEND. The support package can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.