Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that schools in England can remain open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government is clear on the critical importance of avoiding disruption to children and young people’s education. Therefore, the priority is to keep all schools open.

Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within schools and colleges. All secondary schools were asked to test their pupils once on-site, using lateral flow device (LFD) tests, on return in January.

Staff and secondary school pupils should continue to test twice weekly at home, with LFD test kits. Schools are encouraged to ask all visitors to take an LFD test before entering the school.

From Tuesday 14 December, young people aged 5 to 18 and fully vaccinated adults who are identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 can take an NHS rapid LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend their school or college as normal, unless they have a positive test result.

The self-isolation advice for people with COVID-19 has changed. From Monday 17 January, people with COVID-19 in England can end their self-isolation after 5 full days, as long as they test negative on day 5 and day 6.

Every child aged 12 and over is eligible to receive the vaccine. Healthy 12 to 15 year olds can have a second dose 12 weeks after their first dose. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced the acceleration of our COVID-19 booster programme to offer every adult in England a booster jab by the end of 2021 to protect people from the Omicron variant.

We have also supported schools, colleges, and nurseries to improve ventilation. We have provided carbon dioxide monitors backed by £25 million in government funding. Over 99% of eligible maintained schools, further education colleges, and the majority of early years education providers have now received a carbon dioxide monitor with over 350,000 now delivered. The government is now making available at least 7,000 funded air cleaning units for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible.

The department has put in place support to help schools facing workforce shortages. This includes calling on former teachers with the time and skills to return to the classroom and reintroducing the COVID-19 workforce fund to provide financial support to eligible schools and colleges for absence costs incurred from 22 November until the spring half term. Schools also have the discretion to consider and implement flexible working and delivery patterns.

The department has reintroduced face coverings for all adults in schools and for pupils and students in year 7 and above in communal areas, and from 4 January 2022 in classrooms. This is a temporary measure and will be reviewed on 26 January.

We have worked in partnership with the education sector and mental health experts to bring together and announce a range of commitments to protect and promote staff mental health and wellbeing as well as providing resources. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges. We have also published a well-being charter available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter.