Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of impact of lifting of covid-19 restrictions on the ability of schools to get substitute teachers for staff off-work with covid-19; and what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with sector leaders on their ability to cover staff absences.

Temporary staff, including supply teachers, have played a key role in supporting schools to maintain face-to-face education, particularly over winter due to the Omicron variant. The department is hugely grateful to all school and college staff for their work, which has consistently kept over 99.9% of schools open last term.

The department will continue to maintain regular contact with a range of external stakeholders including supply agencies, key trade bodies, and trade unions, to monitor the supply market.