Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2022 to Question 22411 on Coronavirus: Schools, (a) when in October 2022 she expects to receive the findings of the Rapid Covid-19 Air Disinfection Study; (b) whether she will place in the Library of the House of Commons copies of such presentations as she or the Secretary of State for Education intend to share with school leaders and teachers; and (c) what arrangements she has made to share the findings with trade unions representing teachers and also trade unions representing other school staff.
Answered by Caroline Johnson - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The Rapid Covid-19 Air Disinfection Study plan to share interim results with the UK Health Security Agency and the Department for Education shortly. The results will subsequently be published in peer reviewed journals. While there are no current plans to share findings with any third parties at present, results will be made available to school leaders, teachers, trade unions and all other interested parties in due course.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
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.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide lateral flow test kits to (a) staff and (b) pupils in education settings in the autumn term.
Answered by Will Quince
Public health advice is that testing is no longer advised for pupils, students, and staff in education and childcare settings. The success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme means that immunity levels are high. Therefore, testing takes a less important role in preventing serious illness. As such, the majority of free testing ended on 1 April.
The most effective protection against severe disease from COVID-19 for everyone, including those at higher risk from COVID-19, is to get vaccinated. The vaccine offer remains open to those who have yet to receive their primary course or where eligible, a booster. Additional protection is also available for some at-risk groups, through further boosters, antivirals, and therapeutics.
Most infectious diseases in education and childcare settings, including COVID-19, should now be managed by following the advice in UKHSA’s updated health protection in education and childcare settings guidance, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities. Students and staff are encouraged to follow UKHSA’s advice for those who have symptoms of COVID-19, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19.
The department has also updated its emergency planning and response guidance for educational settings. This sets out how education and childcare settings should plan for and deal with emergencies, including the possibility of future significant public health incidents. The guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.
If pupils, students, and staff in education and childcare settings wish to continue testing, they will be able to access test kits through the private market. They can find a list of private providers for COVID-19 testing at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing.
The government does not endorse or recommend any private providers. Lateral flow tests are also available to buy from pharmacies and supermarkets, including online.
Asked by: Baroness Taylor of Bolton (Labour - Life peer)
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 - Shadow Minister (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.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
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.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
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: