Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make children and their rights a priority of the UK’s recovery plan from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every child and young person in the country has experienced unprecedented disruption to their education as a result of COVID-19, and those from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds will be amongst those hardest hit.

Education recovery lies at the heart of our national mission. This is why the government has announced a package of support worth £1 billion to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time, with extra support in the form of a tutoring programme for those who need it most.

We have also supported charities that provide vital services that are helping vulnerable children and young people, including:

• £1.6 million for the NSPCC to expand its helpline so that adults can report their concerns about any child’s wellbeing;
• More than £7 million to Barnardo’s for the See, Hear, Respond service that offers targeted help to vulnerable children, young people and their families affected by COVID-19;
• £7.6 million for the Vulnerable Children National Charities Strategic Relief Fund, which opened in June and is for national children’s charities that offer services to safeguard vulnerable children that have financially suffered due to the impact of COVID-19; and
• More than £12 million for 14 innovation projects in social services, each taking a holistic, family-based approach to addressing the increased risk some children and young people are facing.

As we continue on the road to recovery, returning to normal educational routines as quickly as possible will be critical for our children’s and young people’s education and for their wellbeing. That is why the government has announced its plans for schools, colleges, specialist settings and local authority adult education services to fully reopen to all children, young people, apprentices and adult learners from the beginning of the autumn term for full time education.