Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on pupils' education of the increase in covid-19 cases causing pupils and staff to self-isolate.

The Department’s priority is for schools to deliver face to face, high quality education to all pupils and we recognise that children’s education has been significantly disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Evidence shows that lost education causes significant harm to educational attainment, life chances, and mental and physical health. More information is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1000025/Evidence_Summary_-_July_2021.pdf.

Attendance data from England for the 2021 summer term shows that as COVID-19 prevalence has increased overall across the population, absence due to COVID-19 has increased rapidly in schools: at 8.5% (639,000 pupils) in state-funded schools on 1 July compared to 1.2% (90,000 pupils) on 10 June. The majority of this absence is because of isolation due to potential contact with a case of COVID-19 inside the school.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced that when Step 4 of the roadmap goes ahead the Government will relax the majority of COVID-19 restrictions, including the measures that the Department recommends for schools. From Step 4, schools will not routinely be required to undertake contact tracing for pupils and staff. Instead, those who test positive will be subject to the normal test and trace process, which will identify close contacts. This will be limited to very close contacts so the numbers who need to self-isolate will be substantially reduced.

From 16 August 2021, unless they test positive, children under the age of 18 years old and staff who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. Instead, they will be advised to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The Department encourages all individuals to take a PCR test if advised to do so.

Self-isolation continues for those who have tested positive for COVID-19 due to the risk of them passing on the virus. Schools should continue to support staff and pupils who need to self-isolate to work or learn from home and maintain their capabilities to deliver high quality remote education.