Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to limit the (a) spread of covid-19 variants in schools and (b) disruptions caused by covid-19 variants in schools.

The Department for Education has worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to develop and refresh the system of controls, which include cleaning hands thoroughly more often than usual, minimising contact between individuals, and keeping occupied spaces well ventilated to reduce the risk of transmission in schools. Robust testing regimes and the system of controls, when implemented in line with schools’ own workplace risk assessment, create an inherently safer environment for children and staff where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced. The way to control the COVID-19 outbreak is the same, even with the current new variants. The system of controls is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#system-of-controls.

The system of controls is kept under review and is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, including the context of prevalence, new variants, and progress of the vaccination programme. The Department will continue to develop comprehensive guidance and to understand the impact and effectiveness of these measures on staff, pupils, students, and parents.

In areas where there is a high prevalence of the Delta variant, the Department is increasing the availability of testing for staff, pupils, and families and working with Directors of Public Health to reduce local transmission. The reintroduction of face coverings for pupils, students, or staff may be advised for a temporary period in response to particular localised outbreaks. Further information on responding to individual or regional outbreaks can be found in the contingency framework for education and childcare: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings/contingency-framework-education-and-childcare-settings.

The Department recognises that extended school restrictions have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education and we are committed to helping pupils make up education lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In June 2021 £1.4 billion was announced to support education recovery for children aged 2 to 19 in schools, colleges, and nurseries. This money will provide an additional £1 billion for tutoring, which will provide up to 100 million hours of tuition for 5 to 19-year-olds by 2024, targeting disadvantaged children and key subjects such as Mathematics and English. This is in addition to the £1.7 billion already committed, bringing total investment announced for education recovery over the past year to over £3 billion.

The Department is also making available an extra £400 million to help to provide 500,000 teacher training opportunities across the country, alongside professional development for early years practitioners.