Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has assessed the effect of remote schooling during the covid-19 outbreak on levels of student learning.

The Department is continuing to do everything in its power to ensure that children and young people can continue to attend school and college safely, as this is the best place for them to be for their education, development, and wellbeing. However, we recognise that for some pupils and students, remote education will be an essential component in the delivery of the school curriculum this year, alongside on-site teaching. The Department’s guide to remote education good practice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/remote-education-good-practice/remote-education-good-practice.

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 disruption on attainment and progress is a key research priority for the Government, and we have commissioned an independent research and assessment agency to consider catch up needs and monitor progress over the course of this academic year. The ongoing research is based on a large sample of pupils from Years 1-11, and will allow the Department to understand how best to support the sector and identify which groups of pupils have been most affected by time out of school – including the most disadvantaged. This research is based on assessments that schools are already choosing to use this year, so adds no additional burden on schools and does not require pupils to sit any additional assessments.

The Department has also commissioned a mixed-methods research study that will examine schools’ recovery approaches to lost time in education as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.