Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that all residential educational settings follow PHE guidance on isolating pupils with covid-19 on the premises, with particular regard to international students with no family in the UK.

The Department has provided guidance for all residential settings on supporting pupils living in those settings who either show symptoms of, or are confirmed to have, COVID-19. Additional guidance, specifically for boarding schools, is provided to help with the collection, transfer and isolation of students entering the UK and travelling to a named boarding school or a named household.

Both documents were prepared in consultation with Public Health England and are published on GOV.UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-isolation-for-residential-educational-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-isolation-for-residential-educational-settings;

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-boarding-schools-with-international-students.

The Department’s guidance explains that residential settings need to ensure that the arrangements for the oversight of any student in isolation protects their safety and welfare.