Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of installing high-efficiency particulate absorbing filters in schools to tackle the risk of covid-19 infection.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The department has considered the merits of high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filter use in schools, as well as recognising how good ventilation helps to create a healthy indoor environment for staff and students.

There is strong evidence from laboratory studies of the efficacy of HEPA filtration technology at removing airborne viruses and particulate matter from the air.

Departmental officials sit on the working group for a project looking at the implications and potential benefits of fitting primary schools with air cleaning technology: the Bradford classroom air cleaning technology (class-ACT) trial. This was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and managed through the UK Health Security Agency. The study is run from the Centre for Applied Education Research which is based at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. The trial has concluded, and the academic leads intend to publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal in due course.

Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles which reduces the risk of respiratory illness, as well as improves pupils’ alertness and concentration. Between September 2021 and April 2023, the department delivered over 700,000 CO₂ monitors to over 45,000 state-funded settings, including schools. This means that all eligible settings now have an assigned CO₂ monitor for every teaching and childcare space to help them manage their ventilation.

For settings that identified spaces with sustained high CO₂ readings (1500ppm or more) through their monitors, an application process was made available for department-funded air cleaning units (ACUs) that utilise HEPA technology. This policy was informed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ Environmental Modelling Group which advises that ACUs have limited benefit in spaces that are already adequately ventilated and should only be considered where the ventilation is inadequate and cannot be easily improved. The department has subsequently delivered over 9,000 ACUs to over 1,300 settings between January 2022 and April 2023.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Recovery premium funding.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Recovery Premium, worth over £300 million, was introduced in the 2021/22 academic year as a direct grant for schools to deliver evidence based approaches to support educational recovery of disadvantaged pupils. As part of the 2021 Spending Review, the Government announced an extension to the Recovery Premium worth £1 billion across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years. This funding is in addition the Pupil Premium funding for state funded schools in England to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

To help schools focus on the most effective approaches to raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, they must use their Recovery Premium and Pupil Premium funding in line with evidence based approaches, drawing on the evidence of what works provided by the Education Endowment Fund. Schools are required to publish an annual strategy statement for the academic year by 31 December, setting out how they plan to spend the Pupil Premium and the Recovery Premium, and demonstrating that their approach is informed by evidence. The Department will undertake monitoring checks on a sample of schools’ published reports.

The Department contracted with Ipsos MORI, in consortium with Sheffield Hallam University and the Centre for Education and Youth, to undertake a mixed methods study design to understand how recovery strategies have been implemented, and how best to support schools in future. The year 2 findings of this study were published in January 2023, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1131182/School_recovery_strategies_year_2_findings.pdf.

The Department continues to monitor levels of attainment to understand the effect the COVID-19 pandemic and education policies.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact of levels of (a) covid-19 in the general population, (b) staff absences and (c) pupil absences on the current guidance on covid-19 to schools and parents.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The Government has moved to managing COVID-19 like other respiratory infections given the high immunity in society, a greater understanding of the virus and improved access to treatments.

The Department does not hold information on the potential costs to schools of supply teaching and support staff absences in the autumn term due to COVID-19. Head teachers are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of pupils and in the case of staff absence, in the first instance schools should follow their usual process for covering absences.

The Department previously collected data on staff and pupil absences through the Educational Setting status form (EdSet), which helped to support our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department is always mindful of balancing the need for data collections with the burdens we place on those collating it, and since the start of the 2022/23 academic year the EdSet form has been closed and schools are no longer being asked to complete it. Data on attendance in education settings during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here: Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Week 30 2022 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes weekly reports on the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in private residential households, which can be found here: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK Statistical bulletins - Office for National Statistics.

The Department have also been working to establish a better, more timely flow of pupil level attendance data across schools, trusts, local authorities, without placing any additional administrative burdens on schools. Most state-funded schools across the country have now signed up. This will allow data to be collected directly from all schools’ electronic registers and will help the department, schools, local authorities and trusts to identify pupils who need most support to attend.

Attendance reports will help schools and local authorities make better use of attendance data to identify those in need of support earlier, as outlined in the new attendance guidance. They will also help the Department respond to national and regional issues. A report on how the data is used can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/share-your-daily-school-attendance-data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the ratio of (a) staff and (b) pupil absences compared to levels of covid-19 in the general population over the period of the covid-19 pandemic.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The Government has moved to managing COVID-19 like other respiratory infections given the high immunity in society, a greater understanding of the virus and improved access to treatments.

The Department does not hold information on the potential costs to schools of supply teaching and support staff absences in the autumn term due to COVID-19. Head teachers are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of pupils and in the case of staff absence, in the first instance schools should follow their usual process for covering absences.

The Department previously collected data on staff and pupil absences through the Educational Setting status form (EdSet), which helped to support our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department is always mindful of balancing the need for data collections with the burdens we place on those collating it, and since the start of the 2022/23 academic year the EdSet form has been closed and schools are no longer being asked to complete it. Data on attendance in education settings during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here: Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Week 30 2022 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes weekly reports on the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in private residential households, which can be found here: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK Statistical bulletins - Office for National Statistics.

The Department have also been working to establish a better, more timely flow of pupil level attendance data across schools, trusts, local authorities, without placing any additional administrative burdens on schools. Most state-funded schools across the country have now signed up. This will allow data to be collected directly from all schools’ electronic registers and will help the department, schools, local authorities and trusts to identify pupils who need most support to attend.

Attendance reports will help schools and local authorities make better use of attendance data to identify those in need of support earlier, as outlined in the new attendance guidance. They will also help the Department respond to national and regional issues. A report on how the data is used can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/share-your-daily-school-attendance-data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the potential costs to schools of supply teaching and support staff absences in the autumn term due to Covid.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The Government has moved to managing COVID-19 like other respiratory infections given the high immunity in society, a greater understanding of the virus and improved access to treatments.

The Department does not hold information on the potential costs to schools of supply teaching and support staff absences in the autumn term due to COVID-19. Head teachers are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of pupils and in the case of staff absence, in the first instance schools should follow their usual process for covering absences.

The Department previously collected data on staff and pupil absences through the Educational Setting status form (EdSet), which helped to support our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department is always mindful of balancing the need for data collections with the burdens we place on those collating it, and since the start of the 2022/23 academic year the EdSet form has been closed and schools are no longer being asked to complete it. Data on attendance in education settings during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here: Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Week 30 2022 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes weekly reports on the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in private residential households, which can be found here: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK Statistical bulletins - Office for National Statistics.

The Department have also been working to establish a better, more timely flow of pupil level attendance data across schools, trusts, local authorities, without placing any additional administrative burdens on schools. Most state-funded schools across the country have now signed up. This will allow data to be collected directly from all schools’ electronic registers and will help the department, schools, local authorities and trusts to identify pupils who need most support to attend.

Attendance reports will help schools and local authorities make better use of attendance data to identify those in need of support earlier, as outlined in the new attendance guidance. They will also help the Department respond to national and regional issues. A report on how the data is used can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/share-your-daily-school-attendance-data.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support the Government provides to schools to help them protect extremely clinically vulnerable (a) students and (b) staff from covid-19.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

Most people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable are now well protected after receiving their primary and booster vaccination doses. An additional booster is now also being offered to all those aged five or above who are either at higher clinical risk from COVID-19 or who live with individuals at higher clinical risk, as part of the current autumn booster programme.

This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-safely-with-respiratory-infections-including-covid-19.

There remains a smaller number of people who, despite vaccination, are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. This is due to a weakened immune system or other medical conditions that require enhanced protections such as those offered by antibody and antiviral treatments, additional vaccinations, and potentially other non-clinical interventions.

Children and young people with weakened immune systems should follow the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s advice for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk from COVID-19.

The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk.

Where staff, children, pupils or children have received advice from a specialist or clinician, they should follow this advice. This may be set out in an education, health and care plan.

In schools, given the low risk to children and young people, high levels of vaccination among the UK population, and a dominant variant that continues to be milder than in the past, public health advice is that there is no longer a need for specific COVID-19 guidance. Instead, UKSHA advise that COVID-19 can be managed like other respiratory infections. Schools should therefore be following the public health guidance set out by UKHSA.

This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities.

Over the last year, backed by £25 million in government funding, the Department has provided 386,699 CO2 monitors to state-funded education providers, including early years, schools and further education providers. CO2 monitors can support schools to identify poor areas of ventilation which will provide further reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, especially over the winter months. As well as helping to identify areas that are poorly ventilated, CO2 monitors can be useful to help education providers balance good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm.

Where an area of poor ventilation has been identified that cannot be resolved through simple measures such as opening doors and windows, it may be appropriate for education providers to consider the use of an air cleaning unit while the underlying ventilation issue is addressed. In January, the Government committed to fulfil all eligible applications for air cleaning units to state-funded education settings for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation were not possible. All eligible applications received have been fulfilled, with 8,026 air cleaning units distributed by 24 June 2022. All units delivered use high efficiency particulate air.

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to prepare schools for a potential increase in covid-19 cases in winter 2022 in respect of (a) helping schools to improve their ventilation and (b) minimising disruption to learning caused by staff and student absences.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

The Department has provided over 386,000 CO₂ monitors to state-funded education providers. Where maintaining good ventilation is not possible, the Department has supplied over 8,000 air cleaning units. Schools are still able to purchase air cleaning units from the online marketplace set up by the Department: https://find-dfe-approved-framework.service.gov.uk/list/air-cleaning.

Most infectious diseases in education and childcare settings should be managed by following the advice set out by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities.

If a school suspects an incident or outbreak, they should review and reinforce existing measures, such as ensuring that any staff or pupils with relevant symptoms do not attend the setting while they are unwell as described in UKHSA’s guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19.

The Department’s emergency planning and response guidance sets out how education and childcare settings should plan for and deal with emergencies: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to provide additional funding to schools for supply teachers to cover staff absences due to covid-19 in the autumn term of 2022.

Answered by Will Quince

The department continues to monitor the situation and is participating in cross-government contingency planning on the basis of Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) scenarios.

The department provided additional financial support to schools facing the most extreme challenges through the COVID-19 school workforce fund in the 2021 autumn term and again in the 2022 spring term. The department regularly assesses and monitors the workforce pressures on schools and our mitigations to support them and will continue to review workforce absence in the 2022 autumn term.

The department has frontloaded funding increases to rapidly get money to schools, so that in the 2022/23 financial year, the total core schools budget is increasing by £4 billion compared to the 2021/22 financial year. This is a 7% cash terms per pupil boost and will help schools meet the cost pressures they are facing.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made recommendations to school leaders in respect of prioritising building work and changes to the physical layout and facilities within schools over the summer holidays to reduce the transmission of covid-19 and other diseases in schools during autumn and winter.

Answered by Will Quince

​The department has not made any recommendations this summer to school leaders on changes to the physical layouts and facilities. Maintaining adequate ventilation remains the responsibility of individual schools. The law states that employers, including education and childcare providers, must make sure there is an adequate supply of fresh air in enclosed areas of the workplace. This has not changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations the Department for Education has made to either (1) the UK Health Security Agency, or (2) the Department of Health and Social Care, to encourage school staff to be given priority for COVID-19 booster vaccinations.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Identifying priority groups for vaccinations are clinical decisions taken by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), informed by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI). JCVI advised that the primary objective of the 2022 autumn booster programme is to augment immunity in those at higher risk from COVID-19 and thereby optimise protection against severe COVID-19, specifically hospitalisation and death, over winter 2022/23.

Other school staff are currently not eligible to receive an autumn booster as part of this programme. However, staff who meet the central eligibility criteria are entitled to a free flu vaccination through the NHS, and schools can choose to provide flu vaccines for their staff through their occupational health services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government announcement of 15 July 2022 that over-50s will be offered a flu jab and covid-19 booster this autumn, whether he has made any representations to the (a) UK Health Security Agency, (b) Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and (c) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of prioritising school staff for vaccination.

Answered by Will Quince

Identifying priority groups for vaccinations are clinical decisions taken by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), informed by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI). JCVI advised that the primary objective of the 2022 autumn booster programme is to augment immunity in those at higher risk from COVID-19 and thereby optimise protection against severe COVID-19, specifically hospitalisation and death, over winter 2022 to 2023.

Other school staff are currently not eligible to receive an autumn booster as part of this programme. However, staff who meet the central eligibility criteria are entitled to a free flu vaccination through the NHS, and schools can choose to provide flu vaccines for their staff through their occupational health services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 6 January 2022 to Question 94344 on Schools: Coronavirus, whether the trial of ventilation technologies taking place in primary classrooms in Bradford has concluded; between which dates the trial was actively collecting data; when he expects to publish the results of that trial; how he plans to disseminate the results of that trial; what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on that trial; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The Rapid Covid-19 Air Disinfection Study (RCADS) is due to report in October 2022. The trial commenced data collection in September 2021 and is ongoing. The results will be published in due course following the end the of the trial and disseminated through peer reviewed journals, presentations at conferences for members of the scientific community, school leaders and teachers and across the Government. Delivery of the study is overseen by the RCADS Working Group, which includes officials from Department for Education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to issue guidance to schools on undertaking work during the 2022 summer school holidays to (a) improve ventilation and (b) reduce the risk of covid-19 transmission.

Answered by Robin Walker

Schools should always create a healthy indoor environment for occupants. This includes keeping spaces ventilated to reduce the concentration of pathogens in the air, such as COVID-19, and to manage indoor temperatures.

In 2017, the department published ‘Building Bulletin 101’, guidance for school design on ventilation, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. This includes the World Health Organisation’s air quality guidelines and Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 for indoor air quality. The full publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ventilation-thermal-comfort-and-indoor-air-quality-in-schools.

When carrying out works to make building improvements, schools should use the environmental standards set out in the department's ‘Employer’s requirements Part A: General conditions’ guidance. The current version was updated recently and published in November 2021. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/output-specification-generic-design-brief-and-technical-annexes.

The department has produced the ‘Good estate management for schools’ guidance, located on GOV.UK. The guidance provides education providers with resources and guidance on managing the estate, including reducing water and energy usage. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety

In the 2021/22 academic year, the department provided over 386,000 CO2 monitors to state-funded education providers, including early years, schools, and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding. The monitors enable staff to identify areas where ventilation needs to be improved and provide reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm.

In January 2022, the government committed to fulfil all eligible applications for air cleaning units to state-funded education providers for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. The latest delivery figures can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/delivery-of-air-cleaning-units.

Maintaining adequate ventilation remains the responsibility of individual schools. The law says employers, including education and childcare providers, must make sure there is an adequate supply of fresh air in enclosed areas of the workplace. This has not changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health and Safety Executive provides more information on this here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/ventilation/index.htm.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help protect clinically vulnerable members of staff from covid-19 in schools in England.

Answered by Robin Walker

Most people who were previously identified as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) are now well protected after receiving their primary and booster vaccination doses. For most people who were identified as CEV, they are no longer at substantially greater risk than the general population and are advised to follow the same guidance as everyone else on staying safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19, as well as any further advice they may have received from their doctor.

As individuals are now mixing in an otherwise open society, regular testing within education providers is no longer as effective as it once was at preventing transmission. Instead, the most effective protection against severe disease from COVID-19 for everyone, including those at higher risk from COVID-19, is to get vaccinated.

Education providers should undertake a risk assessment of individuals with clinical vulnerabilities attending the provider and, as employers, should be able to explain the measures they have in place to keep staff safe at work.

Those at higher risk may also wish to consider additional advice:

• Those previously considered CEV may wish to consider taking extra precautions outlined in guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19.
• Individuals with a weakened immune system should follow guidance from the UKHSA and DHSC for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk from COVID-19. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk.
• In some circumstances, staff, children, pupils or students may have received advice from their specialist or clinician. They should follow this advice, which may be set out in a healthcare plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Barran on 25 April (HL7840), what advice the UK Health Security Agency has given to education providers on managing the disposal of surplus COVID-19 test kits.

Answered by Lord Kamall

In April 2022, advice was issued to education providers that test kits which have expired should be disposed of in line with the requirements of the waste duty of care regulations. If more than one carton of lateral flow device test kits requires disposal, a waste contractor must be informed.

Kits within three months’ expiry and less than four cartons in pristine condition should be retained. We are currently undertaking a pilot exercise with 51 schools to collect excess stock, with the hope of deploying a wider returns exercise.