Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to review the criteria for critical workers in order to reduce the number of children attending school during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has made guidance available on children of critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings. The document sets out the high-level role types, for which the children of critical workers would be considered eligible to continue to attend school. The list in the guidance is not exhaustive, but it should offer sufficient information to help parents and carers to identify if their work falls under one of the umbrella groups. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision.
Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 outbreak and EU transition response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors. Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school if required. Schools should speak to parents and carers to identify who needs to go to school, and parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children at home if they can.
The Department knows that every school will have a different number of children of critical workers who need to attend. It is important that on-site provision is provided for these pupils. There is no limit to the numbers of these pupils who may attend, and schools should not limit attendance of these groups. We expect schools to work with critical worker parents to ensure their child is given access to a place if it is required, so that parents can continue providing vital services. This is because we are reducing overall social contact across areas and the country rather than individually by each institution.
The Department publishes weekly national-level data on pupil attendance. The latest published data (for 28 January 2021) shows that attendance in state primary schools in England was at 22% and at 5% in state secondaries: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. Where the Department is aware that schools are facing operational challenges, our regional teams will work with local authorities and schools to help find a solution.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has published on support staff attending schools during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
Answered by Nick Gibb
During the period of national lockdown, schools remain open to vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers only.
Following the reintroduction of shielding, clinically extremely vulnerable staff are advised that they should not attend the workplace. Staff who are in this group will previously have received a letter from the NHS or their GP telling them this.
All other staff can attend the workplace where it is not possible to work from home. This includes school support staff. It is for school leaders to determine the workforce that is required in school, taking into account the updated guidance for those staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable. The Department’s published guidance provides information for school leaders on some of the options for staff deployment to help inform their plans including use of trainee teachers, newly qualified teachers, support staff and supply staff. The expectation is that those staff not attending school will work from home where possible. The guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf.
The Department have worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Heath England (PHE) to develop specific guidance for schools. The guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf. Where schools implement the system of controls outlined in the guidance, in line with their own workplace risk assessment, PHE and DHSC confirm that these measures create an inherently safer environment for children and staff where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced. All staff attending schools should follow these measures to minimise the risks of transmission.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many laptops have been distributed to support remote learning to date, by parliamentary constituency; and how many of those laptops have been distributed to non-state schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, by securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. As of Monday 25 January 2021, over 870,000 laptops and tablets had been delivered to local authority maintained schools, academy trusts and local authorities.
All schools, academy trusts and local authorities have now been given the opportunity to order devices.
The Government is providing this significant injection of devices on top of an estimated 2.9 million laptops and tablets already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. On 12 January 2021, the Department announced that it will be providing a further 300,000 devices over the course of this term.
Figures on the number of devices delivered are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data.
These figures are broken down by local authority and academy trust. Figures on delivery by constituency are not available.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government has plans to publish additional advice on the return after the 2020 Christmas holidays for middle schools operating within the three-tier school system during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
From Wednesday 6 January a new national lockdown came into effect and schools should already be following the new rules. Schools, including middle schools, should only allow vulnerable children and the children of critical workers to attend face to face education. All other pupils will learn remotely.
We know that receiving face to face education is best for children’s mental health and for their educational achievement, and we will review the restrictions on schools to ensure that children and young people return to face to face education as soon as the pressures are easing on the NHS. Limiting attendance at this time is about reducing the number of contacts that people have with other households given the rapidly rising numbers of cases across the country and the intense pressure on the NHS.
For those pupils and staff still attending school, the system of protective measures that the Department has asked schools to implement continues to ensure that any risks are well managed and controlled.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his planned timescale is for reviewing guidelines on wearing face masks in educational settings during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has worked closely with Public Health England to develop a system of controls to reduce the risk of transmission in schools. This system of controls includes use of face coverings in schools in certain circumstances, as set out in our guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education. When implemented in line with a revised risk assessment, these measures create an inherently safer environment for children and staff where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced.
At each stage of its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government has listened to and acted on the latest medical and scientific advice. As the prevalence of the virus across the country and communities changes, the Government has always been clear that it will not hesitate to take swift and decisive action to control the virus and save lives.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has provided to schools on supporting autistic children to return to school during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government recognises the significant challenges the COVID-19 outbreak has presented for autistic children, young people and their families. As I set out in my letter of 2 September to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), their families and carers and those who work to support them, we know that it is critical that all pupils and students can once again benefit from a full-time on-site education 5 days a week. Schools and colleges should ensure that they receive the education, therapeutic or specialist support and reasonable adjustments required for a successful return to school or college. To support this, we have published guidance for the full opening of schools, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
We have also published guidance for the full opening of special schools and other specialist settings, which provides a framework, approved by Public Health England, that sets out the high-level actions that should be taken. and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings.
The guidance makes it clear that coproduction and collaboration with families is crucial.
The department funds the Autism Education Trust (AET) to deliver training to education professionals and embed good autism practice in schools and colleges across England. AET has developed a hub of guidance and resources for families, teachers and other professionals aimed at supporting children and young people during the COVID-19 outbreak and in this period of adjustment as they return to school. The guidance is available at: https://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk/?s=covid.
This includes guidance for schools on making appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical strategies for managing increased anxiety, changes in routine and environment and transitions to new settings.
The department has also launched a new programme run by mental health experts, backed by £8 million, to provide schools and colleges across England with the knowledge and access to the resources they need to support children and young people, teachers and parents, if they have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes a focus on the specific mental health and wellbeing needs of children with autism and SEND.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's guidance for parents and carers of children attending out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak, published on 10 July 2020, when similar guidance will be published for parents with children under five years old.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The guidance for parents and carers with children under five is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
It was first published on 18 June 2020.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total cost was to the public purse of rebuilding schools in North Tyneside in 2016.
Answered by Nick Gibb
North Tyneside Schools received approximately £4.8m in Devolved Formula Capital and School Condition Allocations for 2016/17.
Under the Priority School Building Programme which targets funding to rebuild and refurbish those schools in the worst condition across the country, there are 4 schools in North Tyneside that are receiving investment of £46.8m and a further school due to receive investment.
Under the Condition Improvement Fund, which is an annual bidding round to which academies and sixth-form colleges can apply for capital funding for building works, 2 schools were allocated funds in excess of £1.7m in 2016/17.