Educational Institutions: Coronavirus

(asked on 2nd November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the health and safety of teachers and staff in the workplace at schools and colleges during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 5th November 2020

We have worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England (PHE) to develop specific guidance for education settings, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/education-and-childcare. DHSC and PHE endorsed system of controls outlined in our guidance sets out the measures that school and college leaders and staff should follow.

Where settings implement the system of controls outlined in our guidance, in line with their own workplace risk assessment, DHSC and PHE confirm that these measures create an inherently safer environment for children and staff where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced.

While the national restrictions introduced from 5 November are in force, those individuals who are clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to work from home where possible and not to go into work. Individuals in this group will have been identified through a letter from the NHS or from their GP, and may have been advised to shield in the past. Staff should talk to their employers about how they will be supported, including to work from home where possible, during the period of national restrictions. All other staff can continue to attend work, including those living in a household with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.

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