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Written Question
Respite Care
Tuesday 15th June 2021

Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding additional respite care for the families of disabled children to mitigate exhaustion and social isolation among carers.

Answered by Vicky Ford

I refer the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow to the answer I gave on 2 June 2021 to Question 7328.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 25 Feb 2021
Education Route Map: Covid-19

"I congratulate the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) on securing this very important debate, and pay tribute to all those teachers who have gone beyond the call of duty in our constituencies to support our children and young people. My thoughts are with those people who have lost …..."
Rushanara Ali - View Speech

View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Education Route Map: Covid-19
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 03 Feb 2021
Support for University Students: Covid-19

"What is the Minister doing to support the many thousands of students who rely on part-time work to help them through their university life, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds? According to the NUS survey, 9% of young people are relying on foodbanks. Although the £50 million is welcome, it is …..."
Rushanara Ali - View Speech

View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Support for University Students: Covid-19
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 26 Jan 2021
Educational Settings: Reopening

"Parents and children have faced unprecedented pressures, in part thanks to the incompetence of this Government. We have had the failures with test and trace, we have had indecision about school closure and now schools opening, and we have also had huge issues with the distribution of laptops. In Tower …..."
Rushanara Ali - View Speech

View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Educational Settings: Reopening
Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 03 Dec 2020
Nurseries and Early Years Settings

"I remind hon. Members that there have been some changes to normal practice to support the new call list system and to ensure that social distancing is respected. Hon. Members should sanitise their microphones using the cleansing materials provided before they use them, and dispose of those materials when they …..."
Rushanara Ali - View Speech

View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Nurseries and Early Years Settings
Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 03 Dec 2020
Nurseries and Early Years Settings

"May I ask Members to keep their remarks to four minutes so that we do not need a formal time limit?..."
Rushanara Ali - View Speech

View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Nurseries and Early Years Settings
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 12 Oct 2020
Exams: Covid-19

"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer.

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi) on securing this debate. This issue has affected thousands of our constituents, and I thank the more than 1,000 of my constituents who supported both petitions. I also …..."
Rushanara Ali - View Speech

View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Exams: Covid-19
Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 12 Oct 2020
Exams: Covid-19

"Will the Minister explain the contingency plans in the event that testing and tracing is not as effective as it needs to be and exams are disrupted? What is plan B?..."
Rushanara Ali - View Speech

View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Exams: Covid-19
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 29 Sep 2020
Students’ Return to Universities

"The Secretary of State presided over the GCSE and A-level fiasco over the summer. That was a dog’s breakfast, and now he is not able to guarantee students testing when they need it. The World Health Organisation has called for testing since March, yet this Government have shown nothing but …..."
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View all Rushanara Ali (Lab - Bethnal Green and Stepney) contributions to the debate on: Students’ Return to Universities
Written Question
Schools: Coronavirus
Tuesday 15th September 2020

Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support schools with high numbers of pupils from inter-generational family units during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Government has been clear that all pupils, in all year groups, should return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. On 2 July, the Department published guidance to help schools prepare for this. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Shielding advice for all adults and children paused on 1 August. This means that even the small number of pupils who remain on the shielded patient list can return to school, as can those who have family members who are shielding.

The above guidance sets out a system of controls which provides a framework for school leaders to put in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff, which also ensure that all pupils receive a high quality education that enables them to thrive and progress. This includes the public health advice that schools must follow to minimise the risks of COVID-19 transmission.

Schools should bear in mind the potential concerns of pupils, parents and households who may be reluctant or anxious about returning and put the right support in place to address this. This may include pupils who have themselves been shielding previously but have been advised that this is no longer necessary, those living in households where someone is clinically vulnerable, or those concerned about the comparatively increased risk from COVID-19, including those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds or who have certain conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

If parents of pupils with significant risk factors are concerned, we recommend schools discuss their concerns and provide reassurance of the measures they are putting in place to reduce the risk in school.