Vocational Education: Assessments

(asked on 6th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to provide (a) resources and (b) advice to (i) schools and (ii) further education providers that are due to hold vocational examinations in January 2021 to help ensure the safety of students and staff.


Answered by
Gillian Keegan Portrait
Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
This question was answered on 14th January 2021

The NHS and the department have published the Schools and Colleges handbook, offering guidance on how to conduct rapid testing of staff and students: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950515/Schools_Colleges_Testing_Handbook_revised_04012021.pdf.

To support this, a total of £78 million has been made available for schools and colleges, which will be paid retrospectively. The amount of funding available will depend on the school’s or college’s size, as this will affect the number of additional staff or additional staff hours required to conduct testing.

We will publish a replacement workforce planning tool that will illustrate the levels of funding available. For colleges with significant financial difficulties, support arrangements (including short-term emergency funding), are in place.

The Department for Health and Social Care and Public Health England have published guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19.

The department has published guidance on restricting attendance during the national lockdown, which includes detailed advice on minimising COVID-19 risks when delivering exams and assessments in January 2021: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950706/January_2021_FE_operational_guidance_FINAL.pdf. This publication builds on existing guidance on safely implementing the phased return to face-to-face education for schools and FE colleges.

Reticulating Splines