Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what contingency planning he has undertaken to support sixth form students in the event they are unable to fully return to college in September 2020.

Further education college corporations as statutory corporations and exempt charities are responsible for completing risk assessments and the board must publish a statement in its annual accounts about how it manages risk. Health and safety legislation requires employers to assess risks and put in place proportionate control measures. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect staff, students and others from COVID-19 within the education setting.

As set out in the further education autumn return guidance, further education providers are responsible for ensuring that these risk assessments are adequate and meet the relevant legal requirements.

We expect most students will be able to fully return to college in the autumn term, apart from a small number of students who are self-isolating or have been advised not to attend due to local restrictions. In these circumstances, we expect colleges to make sure education and training is delivered remotely, as set out in our further education autumn return guidance published on 2 July and updated on 29 August. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision/what-fe-colleges-and-providers-will-need-to-do-from-the-start-of-the-2020-autumn-term.