Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Education on the potential impact of the new requirement for care home workers to be fully vaccinated against covid-19 on health and social care students' ability to complete their (a) work placements and (b) qualifications.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The government knows that vaccines save lives which is why, earlier this year, plans were set out to make COVID-19 vaccines a condition of deployment for adults in care homes to protect those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Vaccinated people are less likely to experience severe symptoms of COVID-19, be admitted to hospital or die from it and there is evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus on to others.
The current exemption from the requirement to be fully vaccinated to work in a care home is expected to continue. This applies to those with specific medical conditions, pregnant women and those aged under 18 as set out in operational guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaccination-of-people-working-or-deployed-in-care-homes-operational-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-of-people-working-or-deployed-in-care-homes-operational-guidance.
16 -17-year-olds who work in the health and social care sector, including students undertaking work placements, have been eligible for 2 vaccinations since the beginning of phase 1 of the vaccination programme roll out. Following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's announcement, all 16–17-year-olds are now eligible for 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The department encourages further education providers to work with employers to understand the vaccination requirements for students undertaking work placements in their health or care setting.
Further information can be found on the ACAS website and the guide for employers on gov.uk:
https://www.acas.org.uk/working-safely-coronavirus/getting-the-coronavirus-vaccine-for-work.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of school days missed in England since the start of the school year as a result of COVID-19 absence; and what steps they intend to take to assist pupils who have missed school.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department regularly publishes the number of school days missed due to COVID-19. The most recent publication can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. On 14 October, 2.6% (209,000) of all pupils on roll in state-funded schools did not attend school for COVID-19 related reasons.
Among pupils absent for COVID-19 reasons, the main reasons for absence on 14 October were: pupils with a confirmed case of COVID-19 (1.4%), and pupils with a suspected case of COVID-19 (1.0%). Overall, the attendance in state funded schools was 90.0% on 14 October, up from 89.5% on 30 September.
The department has a comprehensive attendance strategy that has been implemented since the beginning of this academic year to ensure that any absence as a result of COVID-19 is minimised. We also recognise that extended school and college restrictions and absences have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education. The department is committed to helping pupils catch up as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and has committed to an ambitious, long term recovery plan.
Since June 2020, the department has announced more than £3 billion to support education recovery in schools, colleges, and nurseries. This is already making a difference and helping children to catch up. Over 500,000 children were invited to participate in summer schools, 308,000 children were reached through the National Tutoring Programme in year one, and over three-quarters (77%) of eligible 16-19 colleges in the 2020/21 academic year were allocated funds for delivering tutoring for 16–19-year-olds.
Over the coming three academic years, the department has announced the extension of the 16-19 tuition fund to support the equivalent of around 2 million 15-hour courses to accelerate the progression of lower attaining students, with a total investment of £324 million over the next three years.
The department has also dedicated over £950 million worth of additional funding for catch-up in schools. Through the one-off catch-up premium, schools have already received £650 million worth of funding during the 2020/2021 academic year and the new one-off recovery premium which will provide over £300 million worth of funding during the 2021/2022 academic year. The recovery premium allocations have also now been published: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-recovery-premium-funding-allocations. Allocations are weighted so that schools with more disadvantaged pupils receive more funding.
Recovery programmes have been designed to allow nursery, school and college leaders the flexibility to support those pupils most in need, including the most disadvantaged. The department is investing in high quality tutoring and great teaching because evidence is clear this will have a significant impact for disadvantaged children.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will introduce new and proportionate mitigation measures to schools and other compulsory education settings to curb the transmission of covid-19.
Answered by Robin Walker
Our priority is for all nurseries, schools and colleges to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to pupils and students and to minimise disruption to education. The department has worked closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) throughout our response to the COVID-19 outbreak and to revise our guidance from Step 4 of the roadmap when the government relaxed most restrictions across all parts of society.
The department continues to closely review data, analysis, and advice from a number of different sources including UKSHA, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and the Office for National Statistics. We also continue to work closely with local authorities and their Directors of Public Health to inform our planning and response. We will continue to keep all measures under review in partnership with health experts and informed by the latest scientific evidence and advice.
As our guidance outlines, nurseries, schools and colleges should continue to keep good hygiene measures in place, keep spaces well ventilated, and follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The contingency framework describes the principles of managing local outbreaks of COVID-19 in nurseries, schools and colleges, and sets out the measures that all settings should be prepared for if they were advised to take extra measures to help break chains of transmission. It also sets out thresholds for managing COVID-19 cases and when settings should consider seeking public health advice. The contingency framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings/contingency-framework-education-and-childcare-settings.
All education providers should have contingency plans in place describing what they would do if children, pupils, students, or staff test positive for COVID-19 or how they would operate if they were advised to reintroduce any additional measures. If a provider is concerned because they have reached the thresholds outlined in the contingency framework, or if they are concerned about transmission within the setting, they can seek public health advice via the department’s helpline.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of the Government's recommendation for students, staff and visitors in schools and other educational settings to (a) socially distance or stay in bubbles and (b) wear face coverings on transmission of covid-19 in those settings.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department’s priority is for all nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to all pupils and students and to minimise disruption to education. We have worked closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) throughout our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including to revise our guidance from step 4 when the government relaxed most restrictions across all parts of society.
At step 4, the Department removed the recommendation for schools and colleges to keep pupils and students in consistent groups (‘bubbles’). Face coverings are also no longer recommended in nurseries, schools, colleges and universities. The control measures that remain in place in nurseries, schools, colleges and universities aim to strike a balance between managing transmission risk and reducing disruption to education. These include maintaining good hygiene, keeping spaces well ventilated, and following public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managed confirmed cases.
All nurseries, schools, colleges and universities should have contingency plans in place describing what they would do if children, pupils, students, or staff test positive for COVID-19, or how they would operate if they were advised to reintroduce any additional measures. The contingency framework sets out the measures that all nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities should be prepared for if they were advised to take extra measures to help break chains of transmission. It also sets out thresholds for managing COVID-19 cases and when nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities should consider seeking public health advice. The contingency framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings/contingency-framework-education-and-childcare-settings.
There has been an increase in case rates amongst children since the return of schools, but evidence continues to show that children and young people remain at a very low risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Following the success of the vaccine rollout amongst older and more vulnerable populations, the department is now focusing on maximising the number of children and young people in face-to-face education and minimising the disruption that control measures can cause.
The department continues to closely review data, analysis, and advice from a number of different sources, including UKSHA, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and the Office for National Statistics. We also continue to work closely with local authorities and their Directors of Public Health to inform our planning and response. The department will continue to keep all measures under review in partnership with health experts and informed by the latest scientific evidence and advice.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating additional funding to schools to strengthen health and safety measures against infection from covid-19.
Answered by Robin Walker
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has balanced education and public health considerations, weighing the impact of these measures on teaching, educational attainment, the health and wellbeing of children, pupils, students and staff and the functioning of nurseries, schools and colleges, against the risks posed by COVID-19. The situation has now fundamentally changed due to the success of the vaccination programme.
The 2019 Spending Round committed to significant additional investment in schools of £2.6 billion in the 2020-21 financial year, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20. At the same time, schools are benefitting from a substantial recovery package to tackle the impact of lost teaching time, including over £3 billion in additional support. Decisions on future funding will be made as part of this year’s Spending Review.
Schools have the flexibility to make their own decisions on how to prioritise their spending to invest in a range of resources that will best support their staff and pupils. Schools continue to be able to access existing support for financial issues, including a wide range of school resource management tools, and, in serious circumstances, additional funding or advances from local authorities for maintained schools, or the Education and Skills Funding Agency for academy trusts.
All schools have a range of measures in place to manage COVID-19 transmission day to day. This includes ventilation and hygiene measures for schools and testing for pupils in Year 7 and above.
Schools must continue to comply with health and safety law and put in place proportionate control measures, such as keeping occupied spaces well ventilated. Schools must regularly review, update and monitor their risk assessments, outlining what they would do if children or staff test positive and how they would operate if measures needed to be stepped back up to break chains of transmission.
The government is committed to ensuring the safety of all pupils, which is why CO2 monitors have begun to be provided to state-funded early years, schools and further education providers. This has been backed by £25 million in government funding.
A director of public health or a local health protection team may give schools and colleges advice reflecting the local situation. In areas where rates are high, this may include advice that local circumstances mean that the thresholds for extra action can be higher. If they judge that additional action should be taken, they might advise the school or college to take some, or all, of the measures described in the contingency framework guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings/contingency-framework-education-and-childcare-settings#other-measures.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by the Disabled Children’s Partnership, Then There Was Silence, published on 10 September 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding in that report that fewer than four in 10 children with an Education and Health Care Plan attended school between January and March 2021.
Answered by Will Quince
We welcome the research from the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP). The impact of the lockdown in early 2021 on children and young people with education, health and care plans (EHCP) was reflected in Government policy, including ensuring children with EHCPs were provided with suitable, high quality remote education. Guidance to schools on meeting this duty for children with EHCPs included putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils and students with SEND could successfully access remote education alongside their peers.
While attendance is now far higher, with approximately 87% of all pupils with an EHCP on roll in state-funded schools in attendance on 16 September 2021[1], we recognise the implications of being out of school for children and young people with SEND who have an EHCP. We have prioritised education recovery funding for specialist settings by providing additional uplifts, recognising the additional costs involved. We have also ensured that settings have the flexibility to target this to meet the needs of their pupils and students. In addition, we continue to work hard to ensure children and young people are given access to therapies and equipment so that the right support is in place for all children and families, including addressing the backlog in assessments.
We continue to work closely with the DCP and monitor to identify the impacts the COVID-19 outbreak has had on children and young people with SEND and the implications for our policies. We also continue to closely monitor attendance rates.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that clinically vulnerable pupils will be protected from health chiefs' predicted rise in childhood respiratory illness from September 2021.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
All nurseries, schools, colleges and out-of-school settings are continuing to put in place a combination of measures to help minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19. These include handwashing, enhancing cleaning, ventilation and managing confirmed cases.
The department will continue to keep these measures under review, in partnership with health experts and informed by the latest scientific evidence and advice. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-covid-19-operational-guidance.
Schools, colleges and nurseries should continue to conduct risk assessments for their particular circumstances and take appropriate action in line with the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/education-and-childcare.
If parents, carers, staff, students, pupils or early years children are anxious about attendance, they should speak to the school, college or nursery about their concerns and discuss the measures that have been put in place to reduce the risk.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether international students studying at UK universities in the 2021-22 academic year will be required to be double vaccinated with a covid-19 vaccine that is approved for use in the UK.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Although there is no requirement to be vaccinated in order to study at university in England, it is important that students engage with the vaccination programme to protect themselves and those around them and to break chains of transmission.
International students can be vaccinated in the UK free of charge. They should be encouraged to register with a GP and get an NHS number. They can also request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as unregistered patients through local GP practices.
International students must pay regard to and comply with border measures that have been introduced to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england. They should refer to the latest information on country risk levels which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england.
NHS England has produced Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for students, which includes information about vaccinations that international students might have received before coming to England. The FAQ is available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/covid-19-vaccination-programme-faqs-on-second-doses/.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on fully vaccinating all university students ahead of the 2021-22 academic year.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
As the COVID-19 vaccination has been extended to all adults and young people over the age of 16, we urge students to be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.
Students can access the vaccine via local sites run by GPs or community pharmacies, at larger vaccination centres and in some hospitals. Local areas may also decide to work with partners to set up “pop up” temporary clinics at locations convenient for students to access, for example, on university campuses.
We are pleased that universities are encouraging their students to take up the vaccine and recommend that students consult the COVID-19 vaccination Frequently Asked Questions published by NHS England that is available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/covid-19-vaccination-faqs-students-in-higher-education-institutions/.
Vaccination is not a requirement to study at university, but it is important in helping keep staff and students safe, and we are working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to students in higher education.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the average length of time that individual students in each year group have been absent in circumstances resulting from the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The COVID-19 attendance rate for pupils eligible for free school meals, from 8 March 2021 to 7 June 2021, is published on Explore Education Statistics (Table 1B) which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
Year group is not collected as part of the daily data collected from educational institutions and rates for this groups are not available.
Based on the Autumn Census, 60% of pupils had some period where they did not attend in circumstances relating to the COVID-19 outbreak. Further details on this can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-autumn-term.
The Department understands that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused particular challenges for different groups of children and has acted swiftly to minimise its impact and ensured that schools remained open for vulnerable children throughout.
The Department has also continued to work closely with local authorities to support them to re-engage absent pupils and share good practice. The £3 billion investment in education recovery includes over £900 million that schools can use to support the children who have been most impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Government's Supporting Families programme continues to work with families where absence is a specific concern.
Data for autumn 2020 on pupil absence and not attending in circumstances relating to COVID-19 outbreak is published at https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-autumn-term. This includes data broken down by free school meals, special educational needs and ethnicity. Attendance data is not published by disability.
National data on the attendance of pupils during the COVID-19 outbreak is published weekly at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
There are breakdowns of attendance rate by pupils eligible for free school meals and those with special educational needs (educational health care plan). The coverage is from 8 March 2021 to 7 June 2021.
The COVID-19 attendance rate at local authority and regional levels is published on Explore Education Statistics (Table 1C) which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
The Department collects the number of sessions recorded as not attending in circumstances related to the COVID-19 outbreak via the school census. This is collected as a total for each pupil across each term. It is possible to calculate the average number of sessions missed in a term but it is not possible to calculate the average length of each spell of non-attendance. 7% of sessions in Autumn Term 2020 were recorded as not attending due to COVID-19 circumstances. This represents 5 days (one week) per pupil. Data on pupil absence in schools in England, autumn term 2020/21 is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-autumn-term.