Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision is being made for unaccompanied children who need to return to the UK and quarantine in order to return to school.

Unaccompanied children arriving in the UK to attend a day school must quarantine in accordance with the requirements for other people arriving in the UK. For those arriving from non ‘red list’ countries, this will normally require them to quarantine with their family or guardians. Unaccompanied children arriving from ‘red list’ countries who are not boarding school pupils will need to meet a family member who can quarantine with them in a managed quarantine facility on arrival.

Arrangements for the quarantine of international boarders attending schools in England should be in place before boarding school pupils’ travel.

Arrangements for boarders arriving from non ‘red list’ countries are laid out in ‘Schools coronavirus (COVID-19) operational guidance’ published by the Department. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964351/Schools_coronavirus_operational_guidance.pdf.

Arrangements for boarders that meet the relevant UK entry requirements and will arrive from ‘red list’ countries, or having travelled through a ‘red list’ country in the 10 days prior to arrival, must be in line with the guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quarantine-arrangements-for-boarding-school-students-from-red-list-countries. In line with the guidance, boarding school pupils must quarantine within accommodation provided for or arranged by their boarding school.