Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to introduce a covid-19 test and release system to support school and college students and staff who are self-isolating.

From Monday 16 August, children under 18 years old, and those who are double vaccinated, will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact.

From Step 4, schools and nurseries will not routinely be required to undertake contact tracing for children and young people. The Department expects schools to continue to fulfil their contact tracing responsibilities up to Step 4. From that point onwards, close contacts will be identified directly by NHS Test and Trace. Schools may be contacted in exceptional cases to help with identifying close contacts, as currently happens in managing other infectious diseases. Pupils and students who test positive will be subject to the normal Test and Trace process, which will identify close contacts.

Self-isolation will continue for those who have tested positive for COVID-19.