Schools: Disease Control

(asked on 17th January 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what contingency planning and preparation they have undertaken in the event of a further pandemic to ensure that schools are able to remain open to educate all pupils.


Answered by
Baroness Barran Portrait
Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This question was answered on 31st January 2023

The department’s priority remains for education and care settings to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education and care to all children and young people.

The department has updated the Emergency Planning and Response guidance for settings to reflect what has been learned over the past two years, and this sets out how schools should plan for and deal with emergencies, including the possibility of future significant public health incidents. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.

Most infectious diseases in schools can be managed by following the advice in the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA’s) updated health protection in children and young people settings, including education guidance. The department also encourages pupils and staff to follow the UKHSA’s guidance for those who have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, or a positive test result for COVID-19. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities.

Schools should also have baseline infection prevention and control measures in place that will help to manage the spread of infection. These include ventilation, cleaning, and supporting routine immunisations for those eligible.

If a school suspects an incident or outbreak, steps should be taken to review and reinforce existing baseline infection prevention and control measures. The UKHSA guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19.

The department will continue to review any emerging evidence, public health guidance and advice to help ensure that schools remain as safe as possible.

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